To make sure your horse is strong and healthy, you need to feed it right. If you give them good hay, they will get the important vitamins and minerals they need. How much protein a horse needs depends on its metabolism, how old it is, and how much work it does. An adult horse eats about 2% of its body weight every day, and experts say that hay should make up half of what it eats every day.
If your horse weighs 1,000 pounds, it needs to eat at least 10 pounds of hay every day. All hay can be broken down into two main types: grass and legumes. Legume hay is much healthier and has more calcium and protein than grass hay. Hay doesn't give horses all the vitamins and nutrients they need to stay healthy, but it is important for all horses, whether they compete or not.
Once you know which kind of hay is best for your horse, you should learn more about it. Find out if you like the way the hay smells or how it feels. You can get a better look at the hay by looking inside the bales. Even though some of the hay may be dirty, this is not something to worry about. Choose hay that is soft and green. The hay should have good stems. Don't buy hay that looks and smells like it has gone bad.
Buy hay that was taken from the plants while they were still in bloom. Examine it to find out how old it is. Don't buy hay that is full of dirt, weeds, or other things that are bad for your horse's health. Make sure there are no diseases or bugs in the hay that could hurt your horse. Ask the person who grows the hay if there have been any harvesting problems in their area. Don't buy hay from bales that feel heavy or look like they might be wet. There is probably mould in these.
After you buy the hay, you should put it somewhere dry that isn't in the sun, rain, or snow. If you can't do this, put something over it that will protect it from the weather. You might also want to have a specialist check the hay to make sure it is full of nutrients. Your horse's health is important, so you want to buy the best food you can afford for him.
