The basic diet when caring for horses is the forage we are feeding them.
Forages fall into two very broad categories.
They are grass hays and legumes.
Grass hays have a seed like fruit, jointed stems and long narrow leaves.
A few examples of grass hays are bromegrass, timothy, fescue and orchardgrass.
Having seedpods legumes include peas and beans, clover and alfalfa.
The nutrient level necessary for your horse when feeding forage depends on his work load and diet.
Pleasure horses or horses that are worked moderately normally sustain their weight on good quality hay.
The highest levels of protein are usually not required for such horses.
Lactating and pregnant mares, growing horses, and high performance horses have greater nutritional requirements.
These individuals will require higher quality hay due to their extra protein requirements.
Grass hays tend to have lower levels of crude protein.
The range could be as low as three to four percent or it could range as high as fourteen percent.
When feeding legumes such as alfalfa it can range from eighteen percent to as high as twenty four or twenty five percent.
Usually the higher proteins forages are used for dairy cows.
Horses are normally fed the lower protein type.
Many horse owners prefer not to feed legumes to their horses because they believe too much protein can present problems for horses.
Digesting excess protein can cause metabolic stress on the horse's body.
A protein consideration for your horse's needs is a must in horse care and finding the right forage for them.
A plant shifts its energy from leaf production to seed formation so it is able to reproduce and stem elongation as it matures.
Maturity of the grass is another element for horse care when selecting forage to feed your horse.
More nutrients are contained in the leaves in immature grass.
Plant maturity influences the quality of hay and nutrient content more than any other aspect.
When selecting forage for feeding your horse evaluate the other elements that may affect the nutrient value of the hay.
The color of the hay, leafiness, condition, aroma and debris free are all elements to consider.
Grass hay that is well stored is usually a medium to light green.
Alfalfa is usually considered best if it is dark green.
Color is not always the best indicator of the nutritional quality of hay.
Stay away from hay that is powdery white or black.
This can be an indication of mold.
This hay should never be fed to horses.
A good rule of thumb in horse care is never feeding any hay that shows indication of mold.
If the horse does happen to eat it, it can cause respiratory problems and even colic.