by Madelaina, age 12

We all know what makes a barn or stable; the stalls, the tack room and the loft are just the normal basics. We all know what each of these complexes is for, but what’s behind the scenes we don’t know. And that’s why I’m going to introduce you today to a whole new area in the loft.

First of all, the loft is where all the hay is kept for the horses. Hay, as you probably know, is dried grass, fed to the horses as a substitute for lawn, providing as much use as fodder. This food is a wild mixture of several different types of grasses such as timothy, rye and alfalfa. The dried stems of oats, barley and wheat can be found in the assortment as well, taking the form of straw.

Sensitive to weather, especially when harvested, hay in drought conditions no longer contain seeds and leaves as they are prohibited from growing. In these situations the high proportions of dried stems have limited nutritional significance.

You can tell whether the hay is good quality when it isn’t too green, not so uncouth and still contains plant heads, leaves and stems. Poor hay is the opposite–dry, bleached and roughly stalked.

But the biggest negative side to hay is that it can not be fed to horses when either dusty or moldy, and this applies to every kind of hay there is. Dirtiness can cause coughing in horses who have consumed it and may even result in permanent lung damage called heaves. This disables a horse from breathing properly and affects its exercising rate. After this experience, a horse might even react negatively to clean hay. So my advice, watch out! However, as long as the hay is clean and clear of mold, it can be stored in dry conditions for a long time after harvesting and loose no nutritional value.

But then again, not only is the loft a common place for hay bales, it is also a wonderful place to view the whole of the stable and meadows from!

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