The Iberian climate and soil make consistent, protein-rich hay hard to grow. Here's what that means, and what Prime Hay does about it.
Portugal and Spain are beautiful places to keep horses, but tough places to grow horse hay. The Iberian climate is hot and dry, and much of the soil is thin, sandy and low in the nutrients that build good grass. The result is that a lot of locally-produced hay is low in protein, short on key minerals and inconsistent from field to field and year to year.
This isn't a criticism of local farmers, it's the reality of the land. But it means a horse fed only on typical local hay often can't get the protein and minerals it needs from forage alone, and owners end up compensating with expensive concentrates and supplements.
Grass can only put into hay what the soil and season give it. Hot, dry summers cut the growing window short, and thin, low-mineral soils produce grass that is often mature, stemmy and low in protein, sometimes as little as 2–5% crude protein, well below what a working horse needs. Rainfall and cutting time swing quality wildly from one batch to the next, so even a good field can produce a poor bale.
Prime Hay sources premium hay, including double-compressed French meadow hay grown on richer soils and cut at the right moment, and tests every batch for sugar, protein and fibre. The result is consistent, protein-adequate, low-sugar forage with predictable nutrition, delivered and placed across Portugal and Spain. Instead of compensating for poor hay with the scoop, you start from forage that actually meets the horse's needs.
Great hay is the foundation of a healthy, well-conditioned horse, and in Iberia, dependable quality is hard to grow locally. Prime Hay exists to close that gap: analysed, consistent, nutrient-rich forage, so your horse gets what it needs from the most natural feed there is.
Why is Portuguese and Spanish hay often low in protein?
The Iberian climate is hot and dry and many soils are thin and low in minerals, so local grass is often mature and stemmy with low protein, sometimes just 2–5%, far below what a working horse needs. Quality also varies a lot between batches.
Is lab-tested or imported hay worth it in Portugal?
For many horses, yes. Consistent, protein-adequate, low-sugar hay means less reliance on concentrates and supplements, and safer feeding for metabolic horses. Prime Hay tests every batch so you know the nutrition rather than guessing.
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