The practical side of yard life
Buying hay bales for a horse yard
Quarry Stables · Practical guide
The questions to ask a supplier, what to look for on delivery and how to keep track of your stock.
Start with what you can use
Before ringing round, write down how much usable dry storage you have, what the delivery vehicle can reach and how the bales will be moved. Ask whether the price is per bale or by weight and what delivery adds. The cheapest bale can be the dearer option if its usable weight is lower or you lose part of the load to poor storage.
Talk to the supplier before ordering
Ask when the hay was cut, how it has been stored and whether the load comes from one batch. Find out whether you can see a sample and what the supplier will do if a batch arrives damaged or visibly poor. If a horse needs a particular type of forage, discuss that with its vet or a qualified equine nutritionist. Appearance alone can’t tell you whether the forage suits that horse.
Make delivery day easier
Agree a drop-off point that keeps the vehicle and the horses apart. Set aside a dry storage space and have a plan for moving the bales. When they arrive, check the count and look for damp patches, mould, obvious contamination and unusual dust or smell. Set suspect bales aside and contact the supplier before feeding them.
Keep a simple running tally
Put the supplier, batch or delivery date and opening stock on a board. Mark the older stack so it gets used first, and record rejected bales separately. After a fortnight, your tally will tell you how quickly the yard is actually using hay. That’s a more useful basis for reordering than guessing when the barn looks empty.
Sources and further reading
Back to the Yard Journal · Read next: The morning the hay arrived