How to Choose a Feed & Hay Supplier

Forage is the foundation of a horse’s diet, which makes your hay supplier one of the more consequential relationships in your care team — and one of the least examined.

Consistency is the product

A supplier who can deliver the same hay, from the same fields, through the season is worth more than one who is occasionally cheaper. Horses are sensitive to abrupt forage change, and every switch carries a small colic risk.

What to look for

• Willingness to let you open a bale and inspect it before you buy.
• Ability to provide a hay analysis, or to tell you honestly they cannot.
• Clean, dry storage — go and look.
• Straight answers about cutting, field and season.

Questions to ask

• Which cutting is this, and can I get more of the same?
• How is it stored, and for how long?
• Do you deliver, and what is the minimum order?

Price is not the whole cost

Cheap hay that is stemmy, dusty or mouldy costs more in waste, in supplements to compensate, and occasionally in vet bills. Judge cost per usable pound, not per bale.

Frequently asked questions

Should I get a hay analysis?

If you feed a lot from one source, or have an easy keeper or metabolic horse, yes. The lab fee is small relative to what it tells you.

How do I judge hay by eye?

Green rather than yellow, leafy rather than stemmy, sweet-smelling rather than musty, and free of dust, mould and foreign material.

Does consistency matter more than quality?

Both matter, but sudden changes cause more trouble than a slightly lesser hay fed steadily. Transition over seven to ten days.

Can I buy a year of hay at once?

If you have dry, ventilated storage, buying in bulk at harvest usually costs less and guarantees consistency. Poor storage undoes the saving.