LOW CARB HORSE HAY PROJECT & CERTIFICATION FOR GROWERS
Bridging the communication gap between horse owners and forage growers since 2017.
The goal of LCHH is to make more high quality, low carb forages available to horse owners in the United States. We are doing that by standardizing what is "low carb", providing research data, and providing a platform for crowd sourcing. We will expand resources as interest grows.
LCHH CERTIFICATION LEVELS
*As analyzed on dry matter basis (NIR or wet chemistry) by a qualified forage laboratory.
Low Carb Horse Hay (LCHH) was created to help build a steady supply of verified low carbohydrate hay products and meet the emerging demand. LCHH specifies 1 of 3 carbohydrate levels based on peer-reviewed research, so the horse owner can make the best decisions for their horse's needs.
LEVEL 1: LOWESTÂ CARBOHYDRATE FORAGES
NSC < 10%
Water Soluble Carbohydrates (WSC%) + Starch (%) on a dry matter basis is less than 10%. These are the lowest non-structural carbohydrate (NSC%) forages available. These coveted products are the most appropriate for horses suffering from severe disease.
LEVEL 2: LOWÂ CARBOHYDRATE FORAGES
NSC < 13%
Water Soluble Carbohydrates (WSC%) + Starch (%) on a dry matter basis is between 10% to 13% total non-structural carbohydrates. These forages are below the national average and appropriate for some sugar-starch sensitive horses at low to moderate risk for disease.
LEVEL 3: MODERATE CARBOHYDRATE FORAGES
NSC < 16%
Water Soluble Carbohydrates (WSC%) + Starch (%) on a dry matter basis is between 13.0% and 16% NSC. These forages may be appropriate for some horses at low risk for disease. Forages above 16% NSC are not recommended for any sugar-starch sensitive horse.
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VIDEOS & ARTICLES BY LCHH
Presentation for Western States Alfalfa & Forage Symposium | November 2019
TEFF AS A FORAGE CROP: ADVANTAGES TO AGRICULTURAL AND EQUESTRIAN COMMUNITIES
Teff grass is an emerging livestock forage crop with several economic, environmental, and rotational advantages to growers. Learn how to make high quality, low carb teff grass hay for the horse industry by understand our research results.
Hay & Forage Grower | April/May 2020
HORSES ARE GETTING FAT- HAY GROWERS CAN HELP
Most forages produced for horse are not analyzed for nutrients, and it's understandable. For starters, most growers and distributors will not have the same lot and/or field available long enough to warrant the hassle. It may be the extra time and expense, but also horse owners don't often ask for or are interested in seeing a forage test. So, why test your forages?
Flying Changes Magazine | 2017
TEFF AS A VIABLE FORAGE SOURCE FOR HORSES
Let me tell you a story. A story about my friend Nancy and her horse Marquee. One day Marquee, an arabian-morgan cross, showed up lame and a trip to the veterinary clinic was made. The veterinarian diagnosed Marquee with a severe case of laminitis as a possible result of insulin resistance. Find out what helped Marquee recover.
Three keys to making low carb teff grass hay
Hay & Forage Grower
Teff grass is a warm-season annual that has thin stems and shallow roots with an open seed panicle. It’s very sensitive to frost. In the Pacific Northwest, it’s planted late May to early June and then harvested about 45 days later. Generally, two cuttings are taken, although some years allow for three. Click the link below to read more.
LCHH VIDEO SERIES: CARBOHYDRATES IN HORSE HAY & FEED
Carbohydrates explained in 1,2, 3 parts! Videos are only accessible for OCEN Community Members, Farm Plan Members, and Veterinary Plan Members.
Carbs? Sugar? Starch? NSC, WSC, ESC? The jargon of carbohydrates is massively confusing. Understand the difference between these numbers in simple, meaningful terms and know what to look for when shopping for low carb horse hay. Â
Natalie Sullivan, the nutritionist behind On Course Equine Nutrition, spent over five years researching HOW to produce high quality, low carb teff hay. She is dedicated to making low carb horse hay available to more owners by closing the communication gap between the horse and forage industries. Today, she consults with forage growers around the country to make low carb horse hay and how to market it to equestrians and equine professionals. Her lectures will focus on carbohydrates in horse hay, forage analysis interpretation, and growing and harvesting factors that influence carbohydrates. She hopes that these lectures will remove some of the stress and frustration of sourcing good quality, low carb forages. She will also share her research story of teff grass and how to encourage local hay growers to produce more. If you have metabolic horses that require very low NSC forages, then this lecture series is for you!