Basic horse care should begin with the horse's diet. The normal ration for a horse should consist of mostly hay and pasture grass and possibly a small amount of pelleted feeds, grains, or sweet feeds only if they are needed. Unfortunately little importance is placed on the nutritional value of the forage we are giving our horses. We do not give our horses forage just to keep them busy. Forage is a most important calorie basis for horses that can vary greatly with the nutritional value of what horses consume. It is important that horses have hay of good quality in order to keep them healthy.

Horses usually eat greedily every last stem and leaf when they are fed good quality hay. There will not be much if any waste. Feeding quality hay is not only good basic horse care but it also will save money. Mediocre hay contains less digestible fiber so horses must consume more to obtain the same nutritional value they would receive from eating quality hay. Good quality hay normally does not go to waste. Keep in mind although you may be paying more for quality hay up front in the long run feeding your horse the right diet will save you money.

You can learn to distinguish quality hay from hay of lesser quality. Hay from different grasses will look different from each other. Developing a good eye for quality hay will take you farther in your basic horse care regimen. Look for leafiness in the hay. Most of a plant's proteins are found in the leaves. It will make up about ninety percent of the plant's total protein. Color is another element to consider when selecting quality hay. When selecting alfalfa look for darker green shades in the color of the hay. If you are selecting grass hays the shade

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