What is good hay? How to recognise quality forage

Good hay smells sweet and fresh, has a green-to-golden colour, plenty of leaf, few coarse stems and little dust or mould. But the most important qualities of hay — its sugar, protein and fibre — are invisible. Two bales that look identical can be worlds apart nutritionally.

That's why the only complete answer to “is this good hay?” is a laboratory analysis. Prime Hay tests every batch, so “good” isn't a guess — it's measured.

What you can judge by eye, nose and hand

• Smell: sweet and fresh, never musty, sour or mouldy
• Colour: green to golden; avoid bleached, brown or blackened hay
• Leaf vs stem: plenty of leaf, not thick woody stems (a sign it was cut too late)
• Dust & mould: shake a flake — little dust, no white mould or spore clouds
• Dryness: crisp and dry, never damp or warm

What you can't see — and why it matters most

Sugar (NSC), protein and fibre decide whether hay is safe for a metabolic horse, whether it will hold a horse's condition, and how much concentrate it needs alongside. None of these are visible. A bright, leafy bale can be too high in sugar for a laminitic horse, or too low in protein to maintain topline. Only a lab analysis tells you.

How Prime Hay guarantees quality

Every batch of Prime Hay is laboratory-tested for sugar, protein and fibre, double-pressed and low in dust, and consistent from one delivery to the next. A current batch analysis is available on request — so you know exactly what your horse is eating.

Frequently asked

Related guides