The Western States Horse Expo is pleased to announce that one of the feature events during this year’s Expo will be Free Hay Testing by Nutrena. Attendees can bring in a sample of hay from home to be tested by the experts at Nutrena, giving customized feeding recommendations in minutes! The Western States Horse Expo is scheduled for June 8-10, 2012 at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds in Sacramento, CA, and the Nutrena Booth will be accepting hay samples each day.
Don't guess about hay quality
Take advantage of Nutrena's complimentary hay testing at the Western States Horse Expo, and start maximizing your horse's nutrition program.
Hay is the foundation of a good nutrition program, but horse owners are often left to the sight, smell and touch of hay to “make general assumptions” about its quality. Nutrena believes that horse owners do not need to be left “guessing” when making important grain & supplement choices for your trusted companion or equine athlete. By taking advantage of Nutrena’s complimentary hay testing at the Western States Horse Expo, owners can start maximizing their horse’s nutrition program today.
The ideal sample is obtained using a hay probe to collect a core sample. If you do not have a hay probe available Nutrena recommends that you collect equal parts of the stalk, stem & leafy material in the hay sample to fill a one gallon clear plastic bag with your hay sample. The bag must be sealed and labeled with your name, phone number, and type of hay. If you are collecting samples from small square bales, collect the sample(s) from the center of bale, and combine samples from three or more hay bales, if possible. If you are collecting samples from round bales, collect the sample(s) from the center of the round bale and combine two or more round bales, if possible.
Hay is the foundation of a horse’s diet providing 50-90% of the horse’s total nutrients. The protein and fiber values are an important factor in balancing the equine diet- and these values will vary widely by state, county, field and cutting. It is important to calculate the digestible energy (DE) and calorie content in your hay. By balancing your horse’s diet - “what’s in your hay” should be telling you what feed and/or supplements to be using.
You may want to read our EquiMed Guide to Good Horse Nutrition