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Understanding your hay analysis
Quick facts
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A basic hay analysis costs about $20.
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Optimum horse hay moisture ranges from 10 to 16 percent.
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ADF values between 30 and 35 percent are good for horses.
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NDF values between 40 and 50 are good for horses.
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The adult horse at maintenance should have a Ca to P ratio between 3:1 and 1:1.
A hay analysis helps you better understand what you’re feeding your horse. This is especially important if you’re concerned about the hay quality or if your horse is having nutrition problems.
Always request a horse analysis when sending in hay samples. You will need a separate analysis for each field, cutting etc. A basic hay analysis costs about $20.
After an analysis, work with a horse nutritionist to balance your horse’s ration.
Reading a hay analysis
On a hay analysis there are two columns of numbers: “As Sampled” and “Dry Matter.” As Sampled reports nutrients in their natural state including water. While Dry Matter reports nutrients with the moisture removed.
You can use either column for balancing your horse’s diet but be consistent. Below is a short list of some components analyzed in hay.
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Optimum horse hay moisture ranges from 10 to 16 percent.
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Hay under 10 percent moisture may be too dry, leading to brittle hay.
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Hay over 17 percent moisture has a high chance of molding (without a preservative).
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Hays over 25 percent moisture are at risk of severe heat damage and potential fire hazard.
Crude protein is a measure of protein content in the hay. CP can ranges from:
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8 to 14 percent in grass hays (depending on nitrogen fertilization)
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14 to 17 percent in legume-grass mixed hays
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15 to over 20 percent in legume hays
Most horses require about 12 percent CP.
Cellulose, lignin and other poorly digestive components comprise ADF. Thus ADF measures how digestible the nutrients are in hay. The lower the value, the more digestible the nutrients.
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Values of 30 to 35 percent are good for horses.
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Values above 45 percent maybe of little nutrition value.
NDF is a measure of insoluble fiber. In theory, the higher the NDF, the less a horse will eat. NDF levels between 40 and 50 are good for horses. Horses likely won’t eat hay with NDF values over 65.
A RFV of 100 is about average. An horse nutritionist won’t use RFV to balance a horse’s ration.
You can use this value to balance the energy part of your horse’s diet. A horse in light work needs about 20 Mcal of DE daily. Most hays range from 0.76 to 0.94 Mcal per pound of DE.
TDN measure the total digestible nutrients in the hay or its energy value. TDN may range from 40 to 55 percent. TDN to rarely used to evaluate horse hay.
All horses need these minerals in specific amounts. The mineral content in hay differs between hay types. The adult horse at maintenance should have a Ca to P ratio between 3:1 and 1:1.
Reviewed in 2018