My horse has been on orchard for 2.5 yrs. ( Ive owned him since July and continued with his same hay) Horse is a bit spooky and Im wondering if there is any associaton between orchard and spokiness and might timothy make an improvement?
I haven't noticed any difference between the 2 other than the time of year each is available. In my case, if the horses are a little spooky, they need more work and desensitizing. What exactly is he spooking at?
I have mine on second cutting orchard(lower in sugar/ starch than first cutting) and haven't noticed any spookiness. Might be a lack of magnesium causing the spookiness.
I have no idea about those specific varieties of hay Luke, and it also depends where/how they're grown, but sugars & starches are a lot higher in some grasses than others, and higher NSC levels usually mean the horse needs more magnesium. 'Rich' grass can also be quite high in potassium. Too little Mg & too much K are known to effect behaviour/emotions negatively. Of course other minerals & balance also comes into it too.
Timothy and Orchard are nearly identical as far as nutrition and calories. Most hay fields here are largely made up of both these grasses with a little of this and that mixed in. Nothing "hot" about them. Just good forage.
Magnesium might be the answer or it could be just lack of exposure to things making the horse spook.
Rider confidence has a lot to do with it as well.
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