Forage Analysis

[ktj1891]

Is it worth it when you are on a livery yard?
Obviously grazing and hay/haylage is provided by my yard so I cannot change what he is eating.

Advice would be great!

 

[TwoStroke]

I would say that if the forage all comes from the same source then it may be worth it; particularly if the forage is cut from the same fields the horse will be grazing. Then you can balance your minerals according the mineral profile of your forage.

If your hay/haylage comes from various sources then a mineral analysis on one batch won't tell you much. In this instance an off the shelf supplement designed to balance forage - such as the forage plus ones - would probably be more/as useful. Also bear in mind that if your hay isn't cut from the fields your horse is grazing, that the mineral analysis won't tell your what's in your grass, unless you do one on that too.

ETA: if it's just a basic analysis for WSC, it can tell you whether you need to soak your hay, and how high risk your grass is. The results can vary depending on the conditions at the time the sample was harvested, however.

 

[Hen]

I'm glad I did a hay analysis as the results were a bit of a shocker - hugely high in sugars! My yard gets pretty much most of its hay for the year in in one go so I was able to get a good sample; that said, what is fed on a week-by-week basis can vary considerably BUT I have found it much easier to manage my horses' diet with that knowledge. I don't think I'd be able to do it if they bought hay in at several points through the year though.

 

[ktj1891]

I would say that if the forage all comes from the same source then it may be worth it; particularly if the forage is cut from the same fields the horse will be grazing. Then you can balance your minerals according the mineral profile of your forage.

If your hay/haylage comes from various sources then a mineral analysis on one batch won't tell you much. In this instance an on the shelf supplement designed to balance forage - such as the forage plus ones - would probably be more/as useful. Also bear in mind that if your hay isn't cut from the fields your horse is grazing, that the mineral analysis won't tell your what's in your grass, unless you do one on that too.

My yard owner usually cuts his own but also buys in extra if needs be - especially this year. My guy is on pure condition that does has balanced vits/mins but I was thinking of getting Probalance to feed at half the rate.

What about forage analysis in terms of nutrional quality or again if my guy is lacking in weight would it be better to go out and buy some quality haylage bales? Our haylage provided by our yard this year due to such poor conditions has meant that our haylage is pretty dire.

 

[criso]

I've done three analyses at different yards, two I did grass (yard 1 they cut their own hay but it was stored off site so, current yard we didn't know our hay source at the time but ended up getting some from a farmer over the road), the third I did hay as it was cut from the fields next to and around the grazing fields and I didn't know where he was being turned out when I moved.

I did minerals not nutritional and the results varied hugely but did mean I changed what I fed and supplemented.

For example at my current yard, calcium levels are so high that I shouldn't feed any pre balanced feed or balancer that contains calcium and I also have to avoid alfalfa and speedibeet both of which are good natural sources of calcium.
nb progressive earth and forageplus balancers would be OK but not pure feeds.

We are also very high in manganese and I have to give levels of zinc and copper that would be dangerous without this knowledge. This helped with issues with mud fever I was having.