# can this years first cutting hay be fed to horses?



## garlicbunny (Apr 30, 2009)

Just wondering as I have heard differing opinions.. How long do you have to wait to feed the current years hay. Some say you can feed it right away and other say you have to wait a specific amount of time. Thank you! We are getting a new horse that has not been on grass more than 2 hours a day so do we need to purchase last years hay or can we feed the hay that has just been put up in the hayloft a week or so ago? Thanks!


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Our mares have always had free choice hay available and have never had a problem with just cut/baled hay (they're still working on a just cut round bale that we put out 1 1/2 weeks ago).


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## garlicbunny (Apr 30, 2009)

ok thanks Paints! We have done both at my barn, I was thiking it depended on the curing or something like that.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

I have never had any waiting time with my fresh hay. Last year I was pretty much out of last years hay when I cut so they simply started eating this years.


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## garlicbunny (Apr 30, 2009)

great! feeling good about this, didn;t really want to purchase last years hay...so excited to get our new horse!!!!


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

garlicbunny said:


> We are getting a new horse that has not been on grass more than 2 hours a day so do we need to purchase last years hay or can we feed the hay that has just been put up in the hayloft a week or so ago? Thanks!


Why has the horse only been allowed on grass for no more than two hours daily? How old is the horse?

That sounds like there's been some laminitis lurking around. That doesn't have to mean serious founder as laminitis/founder occur in varying degrees.

If the horse has had any sort of bouts with laminitis, I would give a second thought to feeding hay straight off the field. Might want to give the have a couple weeks to cure and just buy a few bales of last year's grass hay in the interim.

Also best to have the hay tested by a lab if this horse has had any previous laminitic and metabolic issues.

Not trying to be a naysayer here, but if the horse's grazing time was limited to two hours daily, you need to ask why because it may be crucial in her daily care


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

I do not disagree with asking why the horse has only had limited grazing time but I do not see the limited grazing time as something nefarious. 

I am still working my herd up to a full day on the pasture. If you had asked me last week I would have said they are only allowed 2 hours of grazing.

It was a VERY wet spring so they could not get out on the pasture (they would have damaged it too much) until it dried. Then it had to be mowed. Hence the delay in them getting out there.

There is also the problem when boarding that many boarding places only have limited turn out time.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

It always pays to have both sides of the coin presented

I naturally see it as nefarious because I have two insulin resistant horses, one of which had a bout with sub-clinical laminitis last year My first thoughts naturally head in that direction, whether they need to or not


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## Beauseant (Oct 22, 2010)

Great thread!!

Our two horses are on limited grazing also....but not for anything nefarious.....just because they are hugely fat!!!:lol: We don't WANT it to progress to something nefarious, hence the limited turnout.

They get 6 to 7 hours a day of grazing, the rest of the time they are on dry lot.

We also just bought a shipment of timothy hay and were told it was freshly cut and baled. Didn't think much of it till we saw it....wow! It is certainly very very green. This made us feel somewhat nervous, so we are currently feeding it to the horses mixed with the hay that was NOT freshly cut that was left over from our last hay delivery. Of course the devious little monsters pick out the green fresh hay and leave the old stuff....:evil: ......but at least it keeps them from stuffing their fat faces with the tasty green stuff.


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## garlicbunny (Apr 30, 2009)

The mare we are purchasing is only 4 yrs and the owner has her boarded for training. When we were at the facility none of the horses were out on pasture and one of the rings I rode on had a track on the rail and the rest was grass. Horses are not allowed on the grass! When she was at the owners place all 6 of her horses were on pasture. You know I didn;t even think to ask why they were all in?!


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

It sounds like a management decision in this case.


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