Why Timothy is your horse’s friend
How good practice y'all know your grasses? Your long-established Equus caballus paddock volition most probable hold out a mix of several industrial plant life species, some highly desirable as well as others you’d prefer to dispatch with a reddish card.
There volition hold out ryegrass, clovers as well as an assortment of other varieties, i of which is probable to hold out timothy.
It seems a foreign get upward to make to a perennial grass which is native to most of Europe. It arrived inwards the Americas with the early on settlers – virtually for certain unintentionally – as well as found weather to its liking.
It began spreading as well as was noted past times a John Herd to hold out growing inwards New Hampshire inwards 1711.
But the existent promoter of the grass was a farmer named Timothy Hanson, who saw its value to farmers. That’s how the grass got its pop get upward as well as began its rising inwards popularity alongside cattle as well as Equus caballus owners.
Horse owners mightiness similar to mean value they know their oats, but it’s truly improve to know your hays. Most Equus caballus owners recognise lucerne, or alfalfa, as the Rolls-Royce of hay, with horses finding it highly palatable as well as rich inwards poly peptide – at to the lowest degree compared to other hays.
Timothy hay deserves its house inwards the pantheon of hays and, inwards many ways, is an as desirable alternative for horses.
Yes, lucerne hay volition accept higher poly peptide levels, but the reality is that most horses don’t require the levels of poly peptide provided past times lucerne, except perchance broodmares as well as horses inwards work.
A canny Equus caballus possessor afterwards a to a greater extent than affordable alternative volition hold out looking at hay made from timothy. Why pay for poly peptide your Equus caballus doesn’t need? Any excess poly peptide eaten past times a Equus caballus volition only transcend through its system.
Timothy looks similar most other grasses, with upright stalks as well as slender leaves that tend to sheathe the stem instead of branching out. Its seed heads are fatty as well as tight. It tolerates wintertime good as well as is i of the get-go grasses to brand its accuse come upward spring.
It is slowly to constitute and, given time, volition spread as well as growth inwards density.
Timothy makes cracking hay. Horses appear to honour lucerne tastier, but few volition plough upward their olfactory organ at an offering of dainty timothy hay.
While your lucerne hay volition make inwards poly peptide content from around 17% for early-cut to around 15% for late-cut, timothy sits around 11.5% for early on cut, around 9% for mid-bloom (before its seed heads accept fully formed) as well as exactly 5% for a late-season cut.
It is clear timothy does non offering the same score of protein, but skilful lineament timothy should run across the poly peptide requirements of most horses, provided they’re non inwards heavy work.
A Equus caballus inwards heavy piece of occupation only volition non hold out able to consume plenty timothy to run across his daily requirements. Supplementation with a higher-energy feed volition hold out required.
Timothy is an first-class alternative for whatever Equus caballus that tends towards laminitis or is considered a skilful doer, provided they’re non beingness worked likewise hard.
Opting for timothy hay is a wise as well as cost-effective choice, but y'all require to ensure you’re buying lineament stuff. Not exclusively volition the poly peptide levels hold out much higher inwards the early on cuts (including those earlier the seedheads accept fully formed), but the all-important calcium as well as phosphorous levels are much higher.
It’s crucial to holler back that seedheads volition appear exclusively inwards the get-go cutting of the year, except for the strange late-maturing plant. Don’t permit anyone transcend off timothy with few or no seed heads as early-cut (before the seedheads accept formed) when inwards fact it’s a late-season cut.
You tin make the sack safely assume the hay is immature if the seed heads notwithstanding appear tightly packed as well as less than 3.5cm or as well as hence inwards length.
Seed heads of 7.5cm or to a greater extent than is a clear indication the hay has been baled past times its best.
If you’re looking at minute or 3rd cuts, y'all won’t accept seedheads to operate as your guide.
Instead, apply the rules y'all would for whatever meadow hay. You’re afterwards a dainty pale greenish tinge as well as pliable stems. If it’s woody, pale as well as tough, it’s been baled good past times its best.
Aside from that, the risks are comparatively few. The guide chances of it developing mould or leafage shatter is far less than that of lucerne, provided it hasn’t been baled when likewise wet.
If no i inwards your expanse is growing pure timothy for hay, honour out what they are growing inwards their mix. It could hold out a lucerne/timothy mix, or timothy mightiness cast a major element of a pasture mix.
Remember to purchase your hay early, as the wintertime cost is probable to jump, as well as ensure the hay is cured for at to the lowest degree vi weeks earlier feeding it out to minimise the guide chances of colic.
As always, innovate whatever feed alter gradually – as well as this includes whatever alter inwards hay, fifty-fifty a dissimilar cutting from the same paddock.
First published on Horsetalk.co.nz inwards January, 2009.
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