These fodders, which are more energy and nutrient dense than many grass hay, are often too rich for a pony. Your pony probably won't need the nutrition provided by alfalfa and clovers. This is a very common grass especially in dry areas and is great for horses. Ponies need only the fraction of the feed that horses do. Grass hay comes in many varieties and the best hay can vary from horse to horse. Rhodes grass Rhodes grass. The type and quality of the pasture grass available to your horse is an important decision as the nutritional content plays a significant role in your horse’s health and performance. Orchard Grass is the emerging super star of the horse hay world. In general, grass hays are less expensive than legume hays, but because of demand by the horse market in some areas, grass hays can be more expensive. At Forageplus we don't want you to waste your money or time so although we can carry out a nutritional analysis of grass for you there are a number of reasons why we think this testing is unreliable for horse owners. Good Horse Grass Crested Dog’s Tail. If you want to test horse grass by using a nutritional analysis then Forageplus can answer your questions. Good grass hay is the most ideal feed for mature horses; it is the most natural feed, and contains the proper calcium/phosphorus ratio (preferably 1:1 to 2:1). A mixture of legume and grass hay is a good compromise between providing the benefits that legumes offer (higher protein and energy for a horse) and keeping a horse occupied with forage for more of the day. The following forage grasses are nutritionally optimal for horses. Orchard Grass is a highly palatable grass with a high nutrient content. Orchard Grass is higher in protein (10-12%), higher in calorie content and contains the same balanced levels of calcium and phosphorus as Timothy grass. 2 – 4 oz. The most basic requirement in a horse’s diet is long-stem forage. Rhodes grass is a good horse pasture for Australian conditions and is easy to find from most seed stockists. Keeping hay in front of horses at all times allows them to most closely mimic their natural grazing behavior. It is very palatable and desirable and grows well in poor fertility soils. Grass hays have a lower protein content, and are suitable for easy keepers, and other horses that do not require the extra calories. Typical grass forages and their characteristics for horses include: Bahiagrass. Warm season grass; Moderate nutritional value with ranges of crude protein (CP) 7-10% and digestible energy (DE) of 0.77 to 0.86 Mcal/lb; Nutritional value declines with maturity, mostly observed in late summer; Bermudagrass. You might find yourself dealing with weight loss in an equine senior, the health hazards of too much weight gain in a pony, or trying to flesh out a rescue horse. Warm season grass daily (depending on age and work load) will balance the calcium phosphorus levels … One thing for sure is that the equine nutrition requirements for horses … Hay for ponies should be good quality grass hay. If grass is not available, free-choice grass hay is the next best choice. Is your horse living in a selenium deficient area? Ideally, this comes in the form of fresh grass. KEY #1—Forage is the basis of a horse’s diet. Equine Challenge Supplements For Horses “Mind, Body & Sole Support” provides a daily vitamin/mineral equine supplement formulated for horses on grass and oat diets. Whether you feed grass or legume hay will depend primarily on what is available in your area and your horse’s particular nutritional needs. 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