Rye Grass Hay Help Please

[sophiebanham]

Hi

Our farmer ran out of hay and a knowledgeable friend recommended another Hay Man so I ordered a round bale of Hay (presumably meadow hay) from him, when he turned up and dropped it off it was rye grass hay I have now had a about 3 bales of it and they love it and I am not left with any wastage what so ever unlike when I use Meadow Hay. He also does meadow hay and I did try a bale last time and it's good quality but the horses still prefer the rye grass hay. So just looking for some advise before I order my next bale.

As I am slightly concerned regarding the risks of feeding rye hay, I have searched the internet and can't really find any documentation/proof regarding the risks just forums with people stating them.

So does anyone no the ACTUAL advantages and disadvantages and any risks that may occur from feeding 2 large haynets of rye hay a day .

Thanks

 

[theopuppy]

I'm no expert but I believe the ryegrass hay has more sugar in it and is therefore more palatable. This would be an issue and you would have to be more cautious if your horse was prone to laminitis or weight gain.

Mine are the same and love it so there is no waste. I have meadow grass as well which smells lovely but the lami pony is on it. The rye grass always seems to be less dusty than the meadow hay , but that may just be by coincidence with the batch I have.

 

[mightymammoth]

someone once said to me that rye grass is like mcdonalds for horses, not sure how true that is but it's like rocket fuel in my experience.

 

[WelshRuby]

Yes I've heard that rye grass is full of sugar and also it doesn't soak out. To my mind it's only fit for cattle!

 

[sport horse]

It depends what you are feeding. I have competition horses and from choice only feed rye grass hay/haylage.

 

[Tnavas]

Rye grass hay is the elite type of Hay - often referred to as seed hay.

The feed value is higher so you can effectively feed less. Try mixing it with a lessor quality hay.