Understanding a Hay Analysis

ideal amount of certain nutrients will vary for each horse and is impacted by factors such as health activityexercise level age and body condition score Table 1. A young horse starting training will need hay that is higher in CP and DE and lower in ADF and NDF. A middleaged horse that is ridden once a week will probably need hay lower in CP and DE and higher ADF and NDF as compared to that younger horse. A horse suffering from laminitis will need NSC of less than 1012 percent while a horse that is healthy and at an ideal body condition score does not need to have such a low percent of NSC.
Term
What it Means
Typical Value
DM
Dry matter the nutrients without water
85
Moisture
The amount of water in the hay
1116
CP
Crude protein amount of protein in the hay
820

ADF
Acid detergent fiber cellulose lignin a measurement of fiber
3045
NDF
Neutral detergent fiber hemicellulose cellulose lignin a measurement of fiber
4065
NSC
Nonstructural carbohydrates a measurement of simple sugars and starch. Subsets of this include WSC ESC and NFC.
525
DE
Digestible energy amount of energy digested and used by the horse

0 751 0 Mcallb
Conclusions
A hay analysis provides a lot of useful information about your horses forage. This information is important in making sure your horse has a wellbalanced diet. Remember that you should select hay based on your horses needs not every horse needs premium hay with tons of energy and protein. For horses that suffer from diseases such as chronic laminitis equine metabolic syndrome or obesity a hay analysis is critical to controlling the disease. If you are unsure how to balance your horses diet work with an equine nutritionist.