French hay,
delivered & placed.

French meadow hay is a first-cut hay from natural meadow fields in France: a rich mix of grasses and herbs, sun-dried and baled. It is low in sugar and rich in fibre, which makes it a safe everyday forage for most horses. Ours is double-compressed into ≈ 24 kg bales and lab-tested.

Not automatically. The real difference is consistency. Hot, dry summers and thin soils make protein-rich hay hard to grow in Portugal and Spain, and local hay is sometimes as low as 2 to 5% protein. Our French meadow hay measured 8.1% protein and 4.5% sugar and starch on its latest certificate. For easy keepers our Portuguese ryegrass or meadow hay can be just as good a fit, and it costs less. Read more: why local hay often falls short.

From high-quality meadow fields in France. We buy it from a specialist forage house in Saint-Gilles, in the south of France, that has traded hay since 1988 and works with around 300 French farms. Our meadow hay is a first cut from river-valley meadows such as the Val de Sarthe and Val de Meuse, where the yearly floods leave fertile soil behind. We stock it at our depots in Loulé (Algarve) and Almeirim (Ribatejo), ready for delivery across Portugal and Spain.

Meadow hay is the everyday base: 8.1% protein and 4.5% sugar and starch. Longchamp® is a richer hay from the south of France with 11.6% protein, screened for mycotoxins, for sport horses and horses that need condition. Alfalfa (lucerne) is a legume with 18.4% protein that is high in calcium, fed alongside hay rather than instead of it. More in alfalfa for horses.

The bales are pressed a second time into firm ≈ 24 kg blocks. With less air inside, the hay keeps its colour, smell and nutrition for longer and is less prone to mould. The pressing also shakes out fine dust, and the square blocks are easy to stack and portion.

Yes. Our lab results page shows the latest certificates (Q3 2026) from an independent accredited feed laboratory, with protein, sugar and starch, fibre and energy.

The usual guideline for laminitis-prone, EMS and PPID horses is total sugar and starch (NSC) below about 10 to 12%. Our French meadow hay measured 4.5% NSC on its latest certificate, well below that line. Always agree the full ration with your vet. More in low-sugar hay for laminitis.

Low-dust hay is one of the most effective changes for horses with equine asthma. Double-pressing shakes fine dust out of the bale, and the hay is screened for mould and dust, so you don't need to soak away its nutrients. More in low-dust hay.

As a rule of thumb, 1.5 to 2.5% of bodyweight in forage per day. For a 500 kg horse that is about 7.5 to 10 kg, so one ≈ 24 kg bale lasts roughly 2.5 to 3 days. The feeding calculator works it out for your own horse.

Keep bales dry, off the ground on pallets, out of direct sun and rain, and in a place with good airflow. Double-compressed bales stack neatly and keep their quality longer than loose bales.

Choose what suits your yard. Standard delivery is a pallet by carrier (Torrestir or Santos Valles) to any address in Portugal and Spain, usually within 24 to 48 hours. With Prime Hay Service (stack & store) our team brings the hay with an unloading machine and places it where you store it, within 250 km of our depots in Loulé and Almeirim. Stack & store is by appointment, usually within a few days to two weeks depending on demand, and urgent deliveries are sometimes possible on request. You can also collect at a depot, or order a full truck straight from France. Costs and details are on our delivery page.

Yes. We deliver across Spain, including Andalucía, Extremadura and Madrid, as well as the whole of Portugal. A pallet by carrier usually arrives within 24 to 48 hours. Check your address on our contact page.

Order a full truck: about 1,056 small bales or 33 big bales of the same lab-tested hay, at the lowest price per bale. Big bales are also the best value per kg for larger yards. Calculate your truck price →

€150, and you can combine French hay with straw, shavings or feed to reach it. Prices include VAT.