HAY
This is not a romantic subject.
BUT we desperately need to have this conversation.
We have this conversation several times a week with clients about horses and cattle.
Horse owners are constantly feeding hay with too high a level of sugars and starches, as well as grains, pushing their horses toward insulin resistance, often resulting in laminitis and euthanasia.
On the flip side, we see people keeping very poor-quality hay in front of horses and cattle 24/7, and those animals are literally starving.
It is IMPORTANT to know that we euthanize more horses each year due to laminitis/founder than we do colic. Correct nutrition is very important. We have seen horses that are badly overweight and horses that are dangerously thin. Both are dangerous. Both are preventable.
YOU can prevent this by having your hay tested and having a simple blood test to check insulin levels.
Hay is not just hay. We can NOT look at the color or texture of hay and know what is in it. THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE. Many people believe they can judge hay by looking at it, and that belief is wrong.
There are many nutritional factors in hay. The ONLY way to know what your animals are eating is to test your hay. PERIOD.
Everything you need is below, and at the bottom of this page you'll find printable hay testing forms (PDF).
Why test your hay?
Nutritional balance: Hay varies in protein, fiber, and energy depending on the type of hay and the time between cuttings. Testing tells you exactly what your horses are eating so you can adjust their diet.
Sugar and mineral levels: Some hay is high in sugar or has imbalanced minerals, which can lead to metabolic problems like laminitis. A hay test shows you these risks before they become a problem.
Mold and contaminants: Testing can identify mold, mycotoxins, or other harmful substances that can cause respiratory or digestive problems.
Cost: Instead of guessing at supplements, testing lets you target real deficiencies, so you're not paying for products your horse doesn't need.
Consistency: Hay varies from batch to batch. Testing makes sure your horses get a stable diet that meets their needs.
How to test your hay
The equine hay test is $29.00, and you can do it yourself! It's easy. We'll lend you our hay testing tool and give you the proper sample bags.
Borrow our hay testing tool. Call or text us at (360) 354-5699. You'll need a cordless drill to attach it to.
Watch our video on how to collect a hay sample: How to test your hay.
Label the bag before you fill it. Write your full name, the kind of hay (for example: 2nd cutting, local hay, Roberts field), the date, your contact number, and Equine Standard NIR test.
Drop off your sample and completed forms (printable below) at: Udder Health Systems
6775 Guide Meridian Road, Suite B, Lynden
(west side of the Guide Meridian, between Pole Road and Beard Road)
bellingham@udderhealth.com
Open Monday–Friday, 8:00–5:00 After hours, leave your sample and paperwork in the ice chest in their open foyer. Udder Health sends your sample to Ag Health Laboratories in Sunnyside, Washington, for testing.Your results will be emailed to you. Here's what to do next.
Got your results? Here's what to do with them.
A hay test report is a page of numbers: protein, sugars, starch, minerals. What those numbers mean depends on the horse eating the hay. A senior easy keeper and a growing yearling can eat the same hay and need completely different diets.
That's why Dr. Robert Holt and I created Equine VIP (Veterinary in Your Pocket), a horse nutrition and health app built on the same approach we use with our clients.
Step 1: Run it through Equine VIP www.getequinevip.com
Equine VIP puts everything your horse eats, and everything you know about your horse, into one analysis:
Your hay test
Every ingredient in your grains, supplements, and treats
Medications your horse is on
Insulin and ACTH test results
Age, weight, breed, and job
In about 10 minutes, you get a personalized feeding analysis for each horse.
You can also store each horse's medical records, farrier appointments, and worming, vaccine, and dental schedules (with photo uploads). Each horse's travel paperwork is kept there too, with links to current state travel requirements and disease outbreak information.
Start your 7-day free trial at getequinevip.com. After the trial, it's $12.99/month or $99/year. It's on the App Store, or you can save it to your phone's home screen from the website.
Step 2: Bring in your vet for the hard cases
Every report can be printed, emailed, or saved as a PDF. For metabolic horses, PSSM, or anything complicated, email your report to Dr. Holt or your own veterinarian. Your vet starts with the whole picture instead of a single hay test, so your consult is faster and more focused.
Questions or help reading your results?
Call or text Mt. Baker Veterinary at (360) 354-5699. You can text a picture of your test results to this number.
When you send your hay test to Dr. Holt, please include:
Your horse's age
Your horse's weight
Your horse's job: pasture pet, light riding, or athlete in daily riding and competition?
Daily nutrition
Each horse needs to be looked at as an individual and fed accordingly.
Buy a weight tape and weigh your horse. You will need this number.
Tested hay should make up the bulk of your horse's diet. Most horses do not need grain. A good basic diet is 2% of your horse's body weight per day in tested grass hay, plus a ration balancer. The ration balancer provides the vitamins and minerals essential to their health, including hoof health.
Horses in daily high-level work may need more calories. These can come from adding grain or from feeding more hay.
Horses with insulin resistance or PSSM need their hay tested to make sure the sugar and starch levels they're eating are safe.
Young, growing horses have different needs than adults. Feed them tested, high-quality hay, and possibly grain. Monitor their growth and adjust their diet so you don't overfeed, which can lead to developmental problems, early osteoarthritis, and OCD lesions. Work with your veterinarian or an equine nutritionist to make sure a young horse's diet fits their age and breed.
The Triple Crown products we recommend
Dr. Holt researched what horses need and compared the supplement products on the market. Triple Crown was the most cost-effective, and these products cover everything your horse needs. They are low in sugar and starch and safe for metabolic horses. The ration balancers are not grain. They are a concentrated vitamin and mineral blend.
Triple Crown 30% Ration Balancer
For hay that tests low in protein (10% or lower). Feed 1 pound a day.
Triple Crown Gold Ration Balancer (15% protein)
For hay that tests high in protein (11% or higher). Feed 1 pound a day.
Triple Crown Lite
For easy keepers, overweight horses, ponies, miniature horses, and horses prone to founder and laminitis. Lite is a low-calorie, grain-free and molasses-free pellet. It provides vitamins and minerals without causing excess weight gain. It's fed at a higher rate than the balancers: about 2–4 pounds a day for an 1,100-pound horse. Never feed more than 5 pounds a day.
Triple Crown products are consistently available at the old Elenbaas Country Store, now called Everson Farm and Hardware in Everson.