Forage quality is the foundation of equine nutrition and welfare. Testing hay and understanding its nutritional content enables targeted management that prevents both deficiency and excess in horses.
The quality of forage fed to horses directly affects welfare through energy balance, musculoskeletal health, metabolic function, and gut health. Horses fed hay without knowledge of its nutritional content are being managed by guesswork, with welfare consequences in both directions: insufficient energy causing weight loss and cold stress, or excessive non-structural carbohydrates triggering laminitis in susceptible horses. Laminitis is one of the most painful conditions in equine medicine and its connection to dietary management makes it a welfare problem with clear preventive opportunities. The relatively low cost of hay testing (approximately comparable to one veterinary visit) against the welfare and financial cost of managing laminitis or nutritional deficiency makes testing highly cost-effective. Owner investment in understanding what horses are eating is a foundation of responsible equine welfare management.