Hay type confusion

[Primmula]

Hi all

I've recently moved to a new yard where I have the choice of two different types of hay and I'm embarrassed to admit I don't know what types what!

Hay 1 is very soft, fine and fairly green in colour.
Hay 2 is very coarse and stalky, reminds me of straw (of note the people that soak tend to use this type)

Can anyone shed any light on what they think they might be?

 

[Prancerpoos]

Be brave and ask the yard owner and see what they say and ask which they suggest as best based on your horse. There is no shame in admitting you don’t know something, quite the opposite.

 

[Stenners]

I wonder if Hay 1 maybe Rye Grass? I used to feed this to my horse that had COPD

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Never be too nervous to show that you don't know about something that concerns your horse. If you don't ask you don't find out. Ask the supplier of the hay to explain about the two types of hay. The supplier should be able to tell you about it & also advise you about which would be better for your animal. Oh, my horses would go for hay 1.

 

[Widgeon]

I wouldn't be embarrassed, even if you could take an educated guess you still wouldn't be certain. Definitely just ask.

 

[Orangehorse]

Ask!

 

[meleeka]

Ask them. I don’t think it’s unreasonable or you should automatically know.

Hay 1 sounds like meadow hay
Hay 2 sounds like Rye

 

[Glitter's fun]

Ask but start with some semi-knowledge to ease the embarrassment !
Ask whether (1) is meadow hay? (If so = Higher sugar, very palatable. Suitable for poor doers/old/poor appetite/growing/pregnant)
(2) sounds more like rye or timothy but anyway the texture would mean its easier to soak , less palatable, better for fatties.
Everyone likes being asked advice- its flattering.

Edited- cross posted with Meleeka. Timothy looks like rye but has big solid seed heads in it.

 

[Glitter's fun]

Meadow fine & frondy & the individual bits are thin & theres quite a variety of different grasses

Struggling with photos or coarser ones, but see if these links work
Timothy- characteristic big seed heads https://littlehayco.com/cdn/shop/pr...-b7ff-8a7dbb01d512.jpg?v=1678725489&width=713
Rye (this is awful quality - shouldn't be that grey but picture shows the texture https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/.../haymatefodder_ryegrass_2017.jpg?format=2500w

 

[ycbm]

Ask whether (1) is meadow hay? (If so = Higher sugar, very palatable. Suitable for poor doers/old/poor appetite/growing/pregnant)
(2) sounds more like rye or timothy but anyway the texture would mean its easier to soak , less palatable, better for fatties.

Ryegrass from ex cow pasture is likely to be far more sugary than meadow hay.

Time of day and time of year will also affect sugar and the only way to really know is to have it analysed. Though if you soak some of both you can often taste the difference yourself.
.

 

[SpeedyPony]

Coarser "stemmy" hay will be generally lower in calories, as the stems contain more lignin, whereas the fibre of the leaves is cellulose which is more digestible.
More leafy hay will have higher calories (usually) and is better for the poor doers, or those in harder work.
The smell will also tell you a lot about the quality of the hay- no type should smell dusty or mouldy, but some will be sweeter- these are often higher in calories. If it smells almost like tobacco, it can be a sign that it has got too hot (which will impact the nutrient value) and many horses will find it unpalatable, despite it being pleasant to our noses.
For horses a mix of grasses is usually more desirable- so meadow hay, which will have a variety of seed heads in it, is perfect- the mix of species offers a more varied nutrient profile compared to the ryegrass hay, which is usually only made with a couple of grass varieties that are bred to be fast growing and high calorie/sugar.