Yes it does for some horses.
What is fantastic here in NZ these days is that companies (for example - Jones Hay, Northland and Highfield Equestrian, Taranaki) are growing hay specifically for the equine market.
Rye-grass and clover free – yay!
Here are some relevant points to understand:
Whether any particular hay will be suitable for any individual horse, depends not only on the nutrient composition of the hay, but also on the metabolic status of the horse for whom it is intended.
The colour of hay can be a useful indicator of its nitrogen content, as it reflects the stage of growth at which the hay was cut – nitrogen is a key element in the growth of plants, especially during the early stages.
Green hay typically has more leaves and the nitrogen content in leaves is higher than in stems.
There is a widespread assumption that green, leafy hay is desirable for ALL horses because it is considered higher quality and more ‘nutritious’. Whereas in actual fact it would be great to have later-cut options also available so you can buy hay to suit.
Because horses are not ruminants they don't have the same ability to process high-protein, nitrogen-rich forage as cattle and sheep.
Paler green is desirable – bright, fleuro -green is more likely to cause issues.
Excess nitrogen can cause or aggravate digestive upsets – soft manure, FWS and diarrhoea. It can disrupt the microbial balance in the hind-gut, triggering a cascade of stresses on the horse’s metabolism.
If you have at risk horses or ponies be wary of claims made about hay being ‘Safe for laminitis prone horses’. Request a copy of the Analysis.
We have observed cases of horses developing laminitis on forage where sugars were very low (well under 10%) but CP was high (>20%), nitrogen (>3%, best under 2%) and potassium too high (>3%, needs to be under 2%).
Generally, pregnant & lactating mares, young, growing, elderly or working/performance horses, or those who have had a nutritional setback, require more nutritious (greener and leafier) hay than do horses with health, movement and behaviour problems.
As plants mature, their nitrogen and therefore protein levels decrease and the green fades out to yellow then brown.
Yellow, brown hay has been harvested later in the growing season and generally works well for horses and ponies recovering from a wide variety of issues.
Equines prone to, or recovering from, laminitis/head-shaking, sacro-iliac, behavioural or other grass-related issues do best on later cut and therefore browner coloured hay.
We are approached by people globally, whose horses are having chronic digestive and other issues like Head-Shaking or PSSM, and who cannot source later cut hay because the hay-makers ‘think’ they are doing the right thing by producing only green, leafy hay.
Hay, cut when it was green, can also bleach out when exposed to heat and sunlight in the drying process. This is also why hay bales can look brown on the outside but surprise you when you open them.
Realistically many people don’t have any choice when it comes to sourcing their hay and often the hay in any season is the result of the local weather!
If you can, discuss your requirements with your hay-maker.
While colour generally serves as a visual cue to assess the hay's overall quality, the only way to be sure about exactly what you are feeding is to take a sample and send it away to be analysed.
To summarise, lower nitrogen forage helps horses maintain a more stable digestive environment and prevents them from developing complications related to the ingestion of excess nitrogen.
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