# why is rye grass haylage "bad" for unshod horses does anyone...



## mightymammoth (6 October 2013)

feed it successfully.

I've tried googling but can't find an answer, just wondered if anyone knew why it wasn't recommended.

Does anyone feed it successfully to there unshod horse without problems?

thanks


----------



## Circe (6 October 2013)

Rye grass has a lot of sugar in it, so I guess it would make horses footy more than other hay or haylage.
Rye grass can also have toxins and cause staggers, but I dont know if thats  a problem in the UK?
Kx


----------



## criso (6 October 2013)

Rye grass is higher in sugar that other grass varieties. Some of the modern varieties have been specifically developed to have high sugar to increase yield  so are even higher.

Hope the link works but found and interesting study here from a farming point of view promoting rye grass.


http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rc...4jKP9zfLD35vA3g&bvm=bv.53537100,d.d2k&cad=rja

Whether hay or haylage this is just too high in sugar for horses


----------



## lachlanandmarcus (6 October 2013)

Good rules of thumb is anything that is promoted as ideal for cattle is rarely ideal for horses, as with cattle you want nice long lush green ryegrass and with horses you want the opposite.


----------



## cptrayes (6 October 2013)

and a single species of grass will not provide a mix of nutrients, so meadow haylage with many grass varieties and wild flowers in it is the ideal


----------



## pinklilly (6 October 2013)

I moved my horse off a livery yard because the grazing was purely rye grass, my tb just can't handle it.  The turn out fields were crop fields and were just planted with rye a few years ago.  Dreadful stuff for horses!  My vet can't understand why they make rye grass haylage.


----------



## mightymammoth (6 October 2013)

I must admit I've been giving my horse half rye grass haylage and half soaked hay (to get the dust off) and he is mad on the haylage he favours it over hard feed and even over his usual fave treat of pears.

Rye grass haylage and mixed grass hay is provided with the livery so will go back to the hay. Thanks all


----------



## TeamChaser (6 October 2013)

Explains a lot! 

Buy the odd bale of HorseHage haylage if I need to top up what yard provide and would usually give them the high fibre or timothy versions but thought I would give rye grass a try. Sent Lockie nuts! Really noticeable difference in behaviour after having had this overnight. Went back to usual hay following night, next day back to normal

He's ISH and not a particularly "hot" horse - usually my TB that would react to different foodstuffs. Must be FULL of sugar to have cooked Lockie like that!


----------



## criso (6 October 2013)

victoria1980x said:



			he is mad on the haylage he favours it over hard feed and even over his usual fave treat of pears.

l
		
Click to expand...

I would add to Lachlanandmarcus rule of thumb about what's ideal for cattle isn't good for horses; that if your horse really really likes it even above treats, it probably isn't that good for them.


----------



## SO1 (6 October 2013)

I read in a magazine that Rye grass have 600% more sugar in it than most of the old pasture grass and was developed so that cattle farmers did not need to feed much hard feed to cows so could save money.

Horses will pick it out in preference to other grasses due to the sugary taste.


----------



## misterjinglejay (7 October 2013)

As well as the extra fructans in rye grass, I think it can carry the ergot mould spore, and that may be worse with haylage


----------



## criso (7 October 2013)

SO1 said:



			I read in a magazine that Rye grass have 600% more sugar in it than most of the old pasture grass and was developed so that cattle farmers did not need to feed much hard feed to cows so could save money.

.
		
Click to expand...

I saw that but couldn't find the research carried out by Bangor University I think that they based it on.
Posted another one I found instead.


----------



## Nari (10 October 2013)

While I accept that analysis figures on haylage bags are averages generally the sugar levels are fairly low. I'm currently using a regrass haylage that says it's less that 5% sugar, as do all the HorseHage varieties, & that's probably lower than a lot of hays.


----------



## lachlanandmarcus (10 October 2013)

Nari said:



			While I accept that analysis figures on haylage bags are averages generally the sugar levels are fairly low. I'm currently using a regrass haylage that says it's less that 5% sugar, as do all the HorseHage varieties, & that's probably lower than a lot of hays.
		
Click to expand...

 I know they do, all I know is when it (ryegrass horsehage) was all I could get pony went down with lami within weeks :-(( maybe it is the way their guts react to it even tho absolute sugar level isn't higher, maybe it's some other effect but I think the 'not good' label is on the whole based on fact rather than just old wives tales. 

Timothy is much safer for horses and the majority adore that as much, safer still is a mixed meadow grass which may be more variable (or even higher sometimes) in published analysis but the variety of plants and herbs seem to allow horses to cope with it better than ryegrass. 

I do wonder also if the haylage process makes it riskier, the fermentation, the additives many processers put in to inhibit mould growth etc

Pony now has our own meadow hay soaked for 12 hours and no recurrence of lami...


----------



## Dry Rot (10 October 2013)

Sugar content will also vary with the time of day and stage of growth the grass is cut. There are also quite a few different types of rye grass with varying characteristics.

Can't say I've noticed any problems here but then my grass is a grazing/cutting mixture and not straight rye grass and I'm probably on the mean side when it comes to applying fertiliser.


----------



## Goldenstar (11 October 2013)

I feed my horses BF or not rye grass haylage and they are fine but they work and get very little esle to eat.
I feed a lite version  which is lower sugar and a higher sugar version to the horse in harder work.
The lite version is cut early morning when the sugars are lower .


----------



## madmav (11 October 2013)

This all reminds me of standing in the cereal aisle in the supermarket trying to work out which one tastes good but is the least evil for salt, sugar etc. I was there forever. I am not stupid, but manufacturers make it hard to make a good call. For humans and horses. Their profit, potentially our loss.


----------

