If a horse does not have access to pasture, hay is usually the mainstay of diet. Next to pasture, good-quality hay is the most natural feed for horses. In this article we’ll help you become a "hay connoisseur," knowing what is good, and what to watch out for.

Types of Hay

Hay falls into several categories: grass, legume, mixed (combination of grass and legume), and cereal grasses such as oat hay. Some of the more common grass hays for horses include bromegrass, timothy, orchardgrass, coastal Bermuda grass, fescue, ryegrass, and meadow grasses, according to Kathleen Crandell, PhD, Superintendent of the Middleburg Agricultural Research and Extension (MARE) Center in Middleburg, Va. Legumes include alfalfa, various clovers, and lespedeza