Horse Extension

Question: What questions should I ask when buying horse hay?

Answer: Here are some questions horse owners should ask when purchasing hay:

1. Have you sold to horse owners before or do you specialize in horse hay?

2. What is the average weight of the bales? This is very important if buying hay by the bale.

3. What crop/cutting is the hay? Helps indicate maturity; good to know.

4. What species are present in the hay? Legumes and grasses have different nutrient values.

5. Where was the hay harvested? Rule out ditch hay.

6. Was the hay rained on? Rained on hay is a good choice for horses with metabolic problems; it tends to be lower in water soluble carbohydrates.

7. Was the hay stored inside or under cover after baling? Hay stored inside or under cover has less storage loss.

8. Was the hay field fertilized and/or sprayed for weeds? Show good management and likely a better quality product.

9. What are the payment options?

10. Is delivery available and if so, what is the cost?

11. What is the price? Is there a price break for volume or cash?

12. Is assistance available with onsite handling and stacking of hay, and if so, at what cost?

13. How much hay do you have/bale each year? Helps ensure a consistent supply of hay.

Author: Krishona Martinson, PhD, University of Minnesota

Question:  I recently built three 14' x 65' drylots for my horses.  The soil in my area is heavy, mucky clay.  What do you recommend using as footing to ensure proper drainage and as little mud as possible?

Response:  Unfortunately, with heavy clay soil, drainage and mud is going to be a continued problem unless the drylot is renovated.   The below system, called a high traffic pad, has proven to work (tested at the Universities of Kentucky and  Vermont) and will dramatically decrease mud problems in drylots.  To install a high traffic pad:

· Remove the 8" of top soil

· Install drainpipe to direct water out of the pen.  The pipe must be sloped towards an outlet. 

· Roll out geotextile fabric.  The fabric comes in large rolls. 

· Add 4" of crushed limestone (usually 1 ½ to 1 ¾ in diameter).

· Add second layer of geotextile fabric.

· Add 4" of dirty pea stone (small gravel)

· Refresh the top layer as needed; usually once every year or two.

The estimated cost for installing a high traffic pad is about $0.80 per square foot.  In one of your 14' x 65' drylots, the cost to renovate the entire paddock will cost just under $800.  To lessen the investment, renovate one  drylot per year. 

The University of Kentucky has a factsheet further outlining the process.  It is available online at www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/id/id164/id164.pdf

By:  Krishona Martinson, PhD, University of Minnesota 

Question: I heard the best time to harvest horse quality timothy hay is in the bolt phase (right before heading). The farmer has been trying to sell me hay with timothy heads; the hay is very coarse and has few leaves. Is it worth waiting until second cutting hay?

Answer: Unlike many other cool-season grasses (i.e. orchardgrass, bluegrass, fescue), timothy sends up seed heads after each cutting. Most other grasses will only send up seed heads once in spring, and once cut will remain vegetative with no seed heads. For example, it's common for first crop orchardgrass to include seeds heads, while subsequent cuttings will not. So, it is rare to find timothy hay without seed heads. More mature grasses will be lower in quality since maturity at the time of cutting dictates forage quality.

If you are concerned about the quality and coarseness of the hay, select a mixed cool-season grass hay as most cool-season grasses will remain vegetative after first cutting.

However, to lessen the chance of weather (i.e. too much or not enough rain) affecting your ability to secure hay, it is generally recommend to purchase 50% of your hay needs during first cutting and 50% during second cutting; assuming your hay supplier is operating on a two-cut system. If your hay supplier is operating on a three-cut system, purchase a third of your hay needs from each crop.

First cutting will likely be more mature (because of rapid growth in the spring) and less calorically dense compared to subsequent cuttings; however, use that to your advantage. Feed first cutting hay to maintenance horses or ponies and keep the better quality, later cut hay for horses in an exercise program or ones with greater caloric needs (i.e. growing horses, broodmares).

A forage analysis will provide the nutrient content of the hay; however, make sure to request an equine forage analysis.

By:  Krishona Martinson, PhD, University of Minnesota

Diets of horses with a history of laminitis (founder) should be kept to less than 12% non-structural carbohydrates.

Q: I want to install wood fence posts around my horse paddock. Would you recommend using treated wood?

A: Wood posts are a common and safe option for horse paddocks. However, wood has natural enemies including insects, mold, fungi, and bacteria. Some species have natural resistances, such as, cedars, junipers, locust, and redwood. Treated wood is more expensive than un-treated lumber, however, it will help extend the life of your wood fence, likely more than paying for the additional expenses. Current chemical treatments include copper cremated copper arsenate (CCA), ammonical zinc copper arsenate (ACZA), copper amines (copper azole, CBA-A & CA-B; alkaline copper quat, ACQ-B, ACQ-C, ACQ-D), and copper naphthenate (CU-Nap).

Pressure treated wood should last 30 to 35 years in Minnesota, compared to untreated wood, which generally lasts between 7 and 15 years. In drier climates, some posts can last longer. For example, cedar posts in western South Dakota can last longer than 100 years. In wet soils, filling the bottom 6 to 12 inches of the hole with a builders grade sand will increase the life of the post. Setting posts in concrete is not recommended because of the expensive and difficultly in replacing or moving the post.

Although horses do commonly chew on wood, I am not aware of any health problems (not counting dental issues) related to horses chewing on treated wood. If a horse is known to crib or chew, CU-Nap treated wood is the best option as no known health risk have been determined if ingested (maybe difficult to find). Another option is to install a single strand of electrified barbless wire, which will help keep the horses from both pushing on the fence and chewing on the wood; further extending the life of the fence and reducing maintenance costs.

CCA and ACZA treated wood has limitations because of arsenic, and has been band in the residential construction market; but still can be purchased in the agricultural sector. If CCA or ACZA is used, recommendations are to not have the CCA treated wood come in direct contact with feed; not used for bunks (support legs are OK), feed storage boxes, etc. The arsenic treated wood is also not recommended for use in playground equipment.

By: Chuck Clanton, PhD, University of Minnesota

Q: When cooling a hot horse after exercise, many people simply spray the horse all over with water and do not scrape away the excess. Does it really offer a benefit to spray the entire body as opposed to just the legs and belly?

A: Spraying water on a hot horse to cool it off promotes convection cooling and assists the horse in lowering its core temperature. The reason you spray the legs and belly is because the blood vessels are closer to the skin in those locations and it promotes faster cooling of the horse's core temperature by carrying the cooler blood to the heart.

Another important part of cooling out horses is evaporation. After the horse has been sprayed off, it is very important to scrape the water off, because once the horse is sprayed, the water absorbs the horse's heat and becomes warm. In order for evaporation to occur effectively, this warm water must be removed. This process can be repeated until the horse's temperature comes down (i.e., spray, scrape, spray, scrape). If the water is not scraped off, it could act as an insulating layer, and actually make the horse hotter than when you started.

In extreme circumstances, ice can be added to water buckets to increase the speed of cooling the core temperature. It is commonly thought that ice will be a shock to the horse's system and could cause tying up (muscle cramping); however, with extreme heat and internal body temperatures, this is not the case.

If a horse is prone to tying up, it may be recommended to not directly apply the ice to the large gluteal muscles in the hind end, but focus on those key areas where the blood vessels are more superficial.

By Carey Williams, PhD, Rutgers University

Q: I recently received a gift of two horses, a Percheron and a Quarter Horse. These two horses grew up eating anything, including banana and potato peels, even if they've started to decay. The original owner continues to bring these "treats" over for the horses. The horses are in good health, but are overweight. Is this good for them?

A: I'd suggest your neighbor bring more typical horse treats to the horses, such as apples, carrots, or manufactured horse treats. Anything novel or not normally found in the horses diet can cause problems. If the food is slightly decayed, the possibility of the horses ingesting mold or a mycotoxin is real and could be deadly, even in small amounts.

Equally important, the risk of laminitis and other metabolic issues is greater in over-weight horses (especially the breeds you have), so for the health of the horses, the treats should be eliminated. Once your horses weight is reduced, the treats, if given in small quantities, could be reintroduced.

If the well-intended original owner understands the risk, hopefully they'll be willing to bring different treats or stop all together.

By Krishona Martinson, PhD, University of Minnesota

Q: Rain barrels are commonly used to collect rainfall for use in watering ornamentals. What are your thoughts and concerns about using gutters and downspouts to catch rainwater in stock tanks with the goal of watering horses?

A: It is not recommend to use rain barrel water for human or pet consumption, or even for watering root crops and vegetables that will be consumed. There are potential issues with runoff from rooftops in terms of safe drinking water.

Atmospheric deposition of fine metals and particulates can be carried into roof runoff and possibly concentrated in the rain barrel water, as can petro-chemicals from shingles. New roofs can be especially prone to releasing particulates and chemicals into runoff, particularly when there hasn't been much rainfall for a while and the sun has been heating the rooftop.

In a setting where there may be birds roosting or resting on the rooftop, you can also get significant amounts of bird droppings in the runoff, and that can contain salmonella and other bacteria that can be potentially pathogenic (disease-causing).

By Barb Liukkonen, Water Resources Center, University of Minnesota

Q: I made an application of Weed-B-Gone herbicide to my horse pasture. After application, I noticed it was labeled only for use on lawns (turf) and not horse pastures. When can I graze again?

A: It is extremely important to read the herbicide label prior to application; the label is the law. Herbicides are labeled for application to a specific site(s). Unfortunately, since Weed-B-Gone is not labeled for use in a pasture, there are two issues to consider, legality and safety.

You have made an "off-label" application, this is illegal. If the off-label application is reported to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) (the agency charged with enforcing pesticide laws), an investigation would be opened, and there is the possibility of fines and penalties for the applicator. One benefit of involving the MDA is they take soil and plant samples to help determine when it is safe to graze. Because Weed-B-Gone is not labeled for pastures, the label does not include information on grazing restrictions.

The second issue is horse safety. If you choose not to report the off-label application, it is up to you to determine when it is safe to graze. To help determine this, look at the active and inert ingredients in the herbicide and see if they are found in any herbicides labeled for pasture use. Herbicides labeled for pasture use have information on grazing restrictions; this can be used to determine when to graze again, however, this will not ensure your pasture is safe to graze. You can also submit soil and plant samples to a laboratory for pesticide residue analysis. The herbicide manufacture might also have information related to off-label applications; a phone number is usually listed on the label.

Before a herbicide is purchased, the label should be thoroughly red and the applicator should ensure the desired application site is listed. Most herbicide labels are available online.

By Krishona Martinson, PhD, University of Minnesota

Q: My 22 year old mare had strangles two and a half years ago. I am wondering if it is safe to vaccinate her for strangles now.

A: Since your mare had strangles relatively recently, I would recommend having her antibody levels tested to see if they are still high. If they are 1,600 or higher, vaccination is unnecessary and use of vaccine could trigger an episode of purpura hemorrhagica.

Without testing, there is no way for sure to say if vaccination will be safe. Your veterinarian will be able to evaluate the antibody levels with a single blood test.

By Christie Ward, DVM, PhD, University of Minnesota