We do not send a physical kit for this analysis. Please wait for us to email you the instructions on how to best collect your sample and how to return this to ourselves. This email will also include a link to our form, where you can enter details about your horse(s), this will help us to calculate your bespoke feed recommendations*.
This Wet Chemistry Nutritional analysis gives information on the nutritional value of your hay. Particularly relevant is information on sugar (ESC and WSC separately) and starch levels for laminitic horses.
Forageplus wet chemistry nutritional analysis for horses gives information on the nutritional value of your horse’s hay or haylage. This procedure utilises traditional wet chemistry analytical methods to determine nutrient levels in forage for feeding horses. It includes levels of protein, fibre, carbohydrates, moisture, dry matter, digestible energy, crude protein, estimated lysine, acid detergent fibre, neutral detergent fibre, Ethanol Soluble Carbohydrates (ESC), Water Soluble Carbohydrates (WSC), starch and non-fibre carbohydrates (NFC).
This information is vitally important when feeding laminitic horses. An ESC sugar and starch content of over 10% has been found to be unsuitable for laminitic horses and keeping starch and sugar content to under 10% can make a dramatic difference to these horses. This report will tell you whether you need to soak your hay or whether soaking has been enough to make your forage suitable for a laminitic horse.
Please click here to watch our video on How to Collect Your Sample
The analysis also measures protein levels and digestible energy levels for horses so that performance horses, good-doers or horses which are hard to keep weight on can be fed accurate amounts of forage for reducing or maintaining weight. Please note that this is purely a report of the nutritional levels in your forage showing percentage and gram amounts in your sample.
A nutritional report will allow Forageplus to decide whether your horse needs additional protein and hard feed or whether just supplementing with minerals will be sufficient to cover all your horse’s nutritional needs.
Knowing the percentage level of ESC and starch in hay has been shown to be extremely important when feeding forage to horses prone to laminitis. A combined level under 10% means that you may not have to soak and rinse the hay to reduce sugars. Commonly reported total levels of sugar available in other nutritional tests are not sufficient to determine whether forage is suitable for laminitic equines.
Approximately 50-100 grams of a representative sample is needed.
This representative sample will need to be taken from a larger sample which comes from 6 – 10 bales. Reports normally take 10-14 working days.
*Feed Suggestions
Our bespoke feed suggestions are based on forage analysis (and where applicable, in addition; water analysis results). We formulate suggestions unique to your individual horse’s requirements. Feed suggestions are given at the discretion of the company and are not included in the price of any forage or water analysis report.
It is important for safety and horse welfare that the information provided to Forageplus is up-to-date and as accurate as possible. Failure to provide sufficient information and or photos may result in us being unable to provide you with feed suggestions.
The timeframe for completion of feed suggestions is dependent upon demand. Each feed suggestion request will be placed in a queue and will be responded to as soon as possible.
We can only begin to calculate feed suggestions once the analysis report has been completed. The timeframe for completion of feed suggestions is dependent upon demand.
The feed suggestions will normally take 1-2 weeks longer than the analysis report but this is totally dependent upon employee annual leave and the level of demand for this free service.
**To avoid any extra charges due to increases in lab fees please use any analysis kit, bought from Forageplus, within 6 months of purchase.
For customers outside of the UK – the analysis process will be the same will full instructions sent via email once we receive your order.
Carrie Place (verified owner) –
I have been using both the Nutrition & Mineral Analysis for years with Forageplus. I find them to be accurate & helpful with enabling a healthy diet for my Cushings effected Donkey & my Charity Cob who used to be difficult. Now we are on the right track having advice from the team who go the extra mile which I’m thankful for. Previous advice from other Professionals resulted in prolonging negative symptoms.With Forageplus analysis & advice & feeds I am happy & so are my Ponkeys !!