Analysing Forage

Forage is an elemental part of your horse’s diet. Horses have evolved to eat a predominantly forage based diet and it is important to note that not all forages are the same. Just as every person is different, a horse’s needs will differ depending on a wide variety of factors, such as levels of activity and the type of work they are doing. Additionally, other variables such as the condition of your horse’s teeth should be taken into account. Forage supplies fibre for a horse and either hay or haylage can be used as a basis to the ration. The nutrient levels vary according to factors like the  time of day the grass they are made from was cut. Grass itself varies in nutritional value especially through the different seasons. This can result in challenges when it comes to analysing pasture samples, which is why more testing is done for conserved forages such as hay and haylage. If you are interested to know what your pasture is providing then a soil sample is recommended as the plants reflect the soil they are grown on.

Why You Should Test Your Forage

To truly know what a forage provides, testing is imperative. It can be useful to do this to ensure the diet is balanced and to identify if any special horse feed is required. The only way to accurately discover the nutritional contribution of a forage is through analysis.

When testing forage, two main types of forage analysis are offered within the UK. These are known as:

1. Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIR)
2. Wet Chemistry

Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIR)

Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIR) is used to determine the chemical composition of forage by measuring light energy that is reflected by the sample. This is then compared to calibrated reference ranges. In the calibration of NIR equipment, Wet Chemistry analysis must be utilised. Once set up, NIR offers a cost effective solution and is best suited to commonly used forages including:

• Grass hay
• Wrapped hay or haylage

In addition to being a cost-effective method, NIR can also be carried out much more quickly.

Wet Chemistry

Wet Chemistry is an analysis technique more appropriate when used for soaked hays or forages such as straw if the calibration for the NIR is not available.

Certain forage analysis tests including water soluble carbohydrate (WSC), starch and minerals are only available through the use of Wet Chemistry. Wet Chemistry differs from NIR as it is a longer analytical process. This is due to the fact that is requires more equipment and chemicals, which in turn results in it being a more expensive form of analysis.

What Testing Technique Should You Use?

Deciding upon what testing technique you should use is dependent on what form of forage you intend to test and what nutrients you want to test for. When sending your sample it is important to be clear with the lab about what you want tested and why. Once you have the information it is really useful to send it to a nutritionist for them to interpret and advise on any alterations to the horse feed you use.