25/09/2026
We have been testing our hay, year on year for 10 years, to make sure it's suitable for the most sensitive horses we care for π and if it's perfect for them, it's healthy for everyone!
Our hay is all mixed meadow hay and is around 40% home grown*, (which this year equated to 200+ bales!!!!) and 60% from trusted local farmer friends. Some of the local farmers cut hay for us from meadows filled with herbs and wild flowers, some of which haven't been altered or reseeded in over 40 years.. and maybe even forever! I'm forever grateful for access to this incredible hay!!
Most of our home grown hay stands for weeks in the fields to cool and is then wrapped, some of farmer hay is wrapped and this keeps the dust to an absolute minimum and increases the amount we can store at home (prepped and ready to feed!).
This is a snippet of our 2026 results, considering the year we had (wet to dry and hot.. and nothing in-between!!) we are so pleased with these!
And what's more interesting, these figures dont alter by more than a % or 2, year upon year! We consistently have below 10% sugar and starch results from our home fields and our farmers.
And what if we did have a batch of hay above 10%? It happened.. once.. after we over- seeded a paddock and cut in the late afternoon. So we learnt from it, the cows and sheep ate that fields hay and the following year we cut in the morning and results were back within range and have fallen year on year for that field since.
I love getting these results, but can't help feeling a little nervous every year waiting for them, but really, I should be confident that we are getting it right for our herd π
And a huge thanks to the farmers who make our hay harvest possible, we really can't thank them enough π«
(*Home grown hay is from fields we rent, which is a huge investment by us in the security of our hay supplies, *mostly* reducing our stress levels with so many mouths to feed!)