Good grass hay is the most ideal feed for mature horses; it is the most natural feed, and contains the proper calcium/phosphorus ratio (preferably 1:1 to 2:1). Grass hay comes in many varieties and the best hay can vary from horse to horse. Pricing is highly regional. These fodders, which are more energy and nutrient dense than many grass hay, are often too rich for a pony. Rhodes grass is a good horse pasture for Australian conditions and is easy to find from most seed stockists. Hay for ponies should be good quality grass hay. Equine Challenge Supplements For Horses “Mind, Body & Sole Support” provides a daily vitamin/mineral equine supplement formulated for horses on grass and oat diets. The type and quality of the pasture grass available to your horse is an important decision as the nutritional content plays a significant role in your horse’s health and performance. type of hay for horses – Grass Hay. Ideally, this comes in the form of fresh grass. Warm season grass; Moderate nutritional value with ranges of crude protein (CP) 7-10% and digestible energy (DE) of 0.77 to 0.86 Mcal/lb; Nutritional value declines with maturity, mostly observed in late summer; Bermudagrass. In general, grass hays are less expensive than legume hays, but because of demand by the horse market in some areas, grass hays can be more expensive. Keeping hay in front of horses at all times allows them to most closely mimic their natural grazing behavior. You might find yourself dealing with weight loss in an equine senior, the health hazards of too much weight gain in a pony, or trying to flesh out a rescue horse. It is very palatable and desirable and grows well in poor fertility soils. The following forage grasses are nutritionally optimal for horses. Grass hays have a lower protein content, and are suitable for easy keepers, and other horses that do not require the extra calories. Orchard Grass is the emerging super star of the horse hay world. If grass is not available, free-choice grass hay is the next best choice. Is your horse living in a selenium deficient area? Whether you feed grass or legume hay will depend primarily on what is available in your area and your horse’s particular nutritional needs. A mixture of legume and grass hay is a good compromise between providing the benefits that legumes offer (higher protein and energy for a horse) and keeping a horse occupied with forage for more of the day. Rhodes grass Rhodes grass. This is a very common grass especially in dry areas and is great for horses. Orchard Grass is a highly palatable grass with a high nutrient content. Warm season grass At Forageplus we don't want you to waste your money or time so although we can carry out a nutritional analysis of grass for you there are a number of reasons why we think this testing is unreliable for horse owners. KEY #1—Forage is the basis of a horse’s diet. The most basic requirement in a horse’s diet is long-stem forage. Orchard Grass is higher in protein (10-12%), higher in calorie content and contains the same balanced levels of calcium and phosphorus as Timothy grass. Your pony probably won't need the nutrition provided by alfalfa and clovers. One thing for sure is that the equine nutrition requirements for horses … 2 – 4 oz. daily (depending on age and work load) will balance the calcium phosphorus levels … Ponies need only the fraction of the feed that horses do. Horses must have the benefit of a high-fibre, slow-eating, chewy grass hay that they can munch on and ferment for efficient energy production and healthy digestion. If you want to test horse grass by using a nutritional analysis then Forageplus can answer your questions. Good Horse Grass Crested Dog’s Tail. Typical grass forages and their characteristics for horses include: Bahiagrass. Fertility soils in dry areas and is great for horses are nutritionally optimal horses... 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