Hay myths: what horse owners get wrong about forage

A lot of “common knowledge” about hay is simply wrong — and some of it puts horses at real risk. Here are the myths we hear most, and what the evidence actually says.

The thread running through all of them: you can't judge the things that matter most by look, smell or reputation. You have to measure them.

The five myths we hear most

• “Green colour guarantees good hay.” Green is a genuinely good sign — good curing, more vitamins and protein potential. But it isn't a guarantee: the same curing that keeps hay green also keeps its sugar high, so a bright green bale can be risky for a laminitic horse.
• “Hay is just filler; the bag does the work.” Forage is the foundation — it drives gut health, chewing and most of the horse's nutrients.
• “Sweet-smelling hay is good hay.” Sweetness can mean high sugar — a risk, not a virtue, for metabolic horses.
• “Low-sugar hay looks a certain way.” Sugar (NSC) is invisible; only a lab test confirms it.
• “All hay is much the same.” Protein can range from ~2% to 12%+ and sugar from safe to dangerous between bales.

Why these myths matter

Believing them leads to over-feeding concentrates to make up for poor hay, feeding metabolic horses hay that isn't safe, and blaming the horse for problems that start in the forage. Replacing myth with measurement is the single biggest upgrade most horses' diets can get.

The one fact that replaces them all

Test your hay. Prime Hay analyses every batch for sugar, protein and fibre, so “good hay” is a number you can trust — delivered and placed across Portugal and Spain.

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