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Horse owners time and again consider timothy the gold standard in grasses for horses, primarily when it is cured and harvested as hay. As a pasture grass, timothy produces abundant leaves, particularly in midsummer, so it is useful when other plant species lose growth momentum. Timothy does not tolerate close grazing well, however, and growth might slow in late summer and autumn.

First identified in North America in the early to mid-1700s, timothy occurred naturally in England and likely elsewhere well before then, and the plant was often referred to as cat’s tail or meadow cat’s tail. Timothy now grows on most continents. Various cultivars have been recognized by botanists, and if a specific cultivar is moved too far from its comfort zone, in terms of temperature and growing conditions, plants may not realize their full production potential.

Though timothy is sometimes planted in pure stands, it is often established as part of a mixture, frequently with a legume. Hay producers have found that timothy sometimes grows better when planted with a legume, and this could be due to the ability of legume plants to transform atmospheric nitrogen into fixed nitrogen, which then can be used by plants.

Like most grasses and legumes, early-cut timothy hay provides more energy and protein than late-cut hay. For timothy, the early-cut stage would be considered the early head stage.

Like all forages fed to horses, timothy hay should be free of mold, dust, and weeds. Timothy hay is appropriate for all classes of horses, including young, growing horses. Through consultation with an equine nutritionist, horse owners can determine how best to include timothy into the diets of horses.

Need feeding advice? Ask a Kentucky Equine Research (KER) nutrition advisor today!

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