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Another factor in heat production in horses is bacterial fermentation.  When 
the hindgut is full of fiber the bacterial find life to be good and 
multiply.  Their metabolism produces a lot of bacteria waste heat.  Since 
this is produced inside the horse, the horse gets warmer.

My guiding principle has always been that if a horse has enough stuff to 
snack on all night, he will be warm even at -30 F.  The result of this 
thinking was that when I was in the Midwest I always hay shopped for the 
cheapest, properly cut, dried, baled and stored hay I could find.  In this 
way I could feed the greatest volume.  Because horse hay is a byproduct of 
WI dairy operations, it usually ended up being 10% to 50% alfalfa.  In WI 
alfalfa suffers from significant winter kill, so it must be replanted every 
5 years or so.  As far as I am concerned, the best horse hay was cut the 
year before replanting.

Please note, moldy or rained on hay was never considered period.  Even free 
it is not a bargain.

Ed
Ed & Wendy Hauser
2994 Mittower Road
Victor, MT 59875

(406) 642-9640

ranch@xxxxxxxxxxx 


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