Equine Education ~ Forages & Hay

So you know how to feed your horse. But do you know what your feeding?

The art of hay making isn't easy, and knowing the right combination of grasses & legumes can be difficult.

Below are some good references on Forages & about Hay. Enjoy!

2011 Equine Open House - Power Point Presentation by Dave Robison, CISCO Seeds ~ Horse Pasture Mgmt.

Identifying Pasture Grasses Guide A3637 by University of Wisc Co-op Ext. - 33 pages w/ great pictures!

Identifying Pasture Legumes Guide A3787 by University of Wisc. Co-op Ext. - 52 pages w/ great pictures!

Establishing & Managing Horse Pastures by University of Kentucky Co-op Ext. Service - 4 pages

Choosing Hay for Horses by University of Kentucky Co-op Ext. Service - 4 pages

Buying Horse Hay A3772 by University of Wisc. Ext. - 16 pages

Selecting and Storing Horse Hay by University of Minn. Ext Service - 4 pages

Pasture and Hay for Horses Agronony Facts 32 by Penn State University - 4 pages

Hay Loading - Stacking Hay for a short haul - 2 page article by Equus Magazine June 2009

Hay Cost Calculator Chart - pdf... find out the price of hay based on the tonnage or by the bale. Be a smart shopper!

HAY TESTING INFORMATION :

Recommended Principles for Proper Hay Sampling - 3 page article from the NFTA website

Procedure for Sampling Hay - a 1 page diagram from equi-analytical

Learn about the different types of hay testing they do: WET Chemical vs. NIR (infa-red) Hay Testing in this article

Good References for Hay Sampling, Where to purchase a hay probe, & get your hay tested at these sites:

Holmes Lab Inc. National Forage Testing Association (NFTA) Cumberland Valley Anaytical Services, Inc.