Pasture Testing for Optimal Nutrient Management

With spring upon us, it may be time to evaluate your horse’s diet and Equi-Analytical can help! Equi-Analytical, based in Ithaca, New York, is a feed and forage testing laboratory that can provide you with a complete nutritional analysis of your hay, pasture, feed, and even treats! Horse owners can collect samples and send them directly to Equi-Analytical for analysis. We will test your sample and then return a report to you with information on the protein, fiber, fat, sugar, starch, and mineral content of your feed or forage sample.

Now that the grass is growing, many horse owners are transitioning their horses to a pasture-based diet. Pasture testing may not be as common as hay testing, but it’s no less important to a horse’s diet. Unlike dry hay, pastures grow throughout the season and their nutrient content can change drastically with different growing conditions. We recommend sampling your pastures throughout the season and sampling from each pasture that is being grazed. Your local extension office may be able to help determine the frequency and number of samples to take at your barn. Two key components to pasture sampling are to only collect what your horse is eating and sample at grazing height. For full sampling instructions, refer to the Equi-Analytical website.

The next question is: what to do with the results? There are several options for evaluating your analysis, including working with a vet, an equine nutritionist, or a feed company representative to help you figure out how to supplement your horse’s diet appropriately. You may also go to our website to compare your pasture analysis to our Feed Composition Library. As mentioned, the Equi-Analytical website also has full instructions for sampling hay, pasture and feed.