What type of hay for a native?

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SCG

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I have a native (Connie) gelding, am on a DIY yard and am ordering my own hay in (long story). I've seen a couple of adverts at my local tack shop for hay, one says "Quality Meadow hay (this years and last years), can deliver, £2.50 a bale." The other is also quality meadow hay, 2009 season, £2 a bale. My native is a good doer, would I be better with last year's hay/would this year's be too rich or does it depend when it was cut? Is meadow hay rich or something he could have plenty of? Just wondering what questions I should ask when I ring up. He's going to be living out mainly, only coming in if weather very bad, he's currently unclipped and has grown a good thick coat but is about to have small Irish clip as getting sweaty. Our grass is quite poor due to no rain for weeks but he seems quite happy scrubbing about and is well covered at the moment but if/when the grass goes completely, need something I can give him fairly ad lib to munch on all the time. Pref don't want to be soaking hay as shares field with other horses who def won't be having soaked hay.

Please excuse my hay ignorance
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but last winter I had a different horse and was on a different yard and our hay was just ordered in for us
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I have a very good doer Welsh Section D, he seems to be on a similar regime to yours...
In the Stable-
I have ordered 2nd cut hay from this year because I am not always about to do the hay and other people don't want to be soaking it. He only gets flat 8 bales (small/ regular bales) in the stable, if I could trust people to put a bucket of water on the hay in the way I liked (I'm very fussy!) he would be on last years hay, but it would be inspected by myself for smell, dust and feel factors- Trust your own senses!.

In the field-
he has a round bale to munch on. That is this years hay, i'm not sure which cut. It is very simple to manage, one bale is rolled in and lasts 2 horses 10 days, I pay £25 per bale. It only makes a mess if the hay is not cleared up off the floor between bales.

Maybe you and your fellow graziers could buy some large round bales together?
 
Good quality meadow hay should be fine I would of thought! , you will need hay that is good quality and meadow grasses are much lower protein than say Ryegrass, for example.

If I had a native good doer type and I fed hay then that Is what I would feed them- a good quality meadow hay, I would feed this years cut.
You could always weigh it as well so you know how much you are feeding.
 
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