Twelve tons of Crump Ranch Meadow Grass hay is on the way to Sweetgrass Ranch and should arrive early tomorrow afternoon, courtesy of G & G Hay Supply.
Unlike a lot of grasses grown for hay here in the West, Meadow Grass is a native high elevation grass which is a low carbohydrate, low starch alternative for insulin resistant horses.
Why is this imporant? My two year-old filly, Jetblue, experienced many small colics leading up to a major life-threatening episode this past January. Jetblue had to be rushed to Oregon State University for emergency surgery. There were three subsequent colics, too. Putting Jetblue on a low carb, low starch diet appears to be working for now -- we've had three colic-free months.
Last month, while in Central Oregon for a horse show, I picked up a bale of Crump Ranch Meadow Grass hay. Since that time, Jetblue has been feasting on one flake every evening as a supplement to her soaked Orchard Grass hay (soaking in cold water for one hour reduces the carbohydrate level of hay by about a third).
Laying in a good supply of hay before winter is an important and time-honored task, a slice of rural life shared by all those raising livestock or keeping horses. Finding our 2012 supply was a bit more challenging, given Jetblue's needs, but not impossible.
There's nothing quite like a packed hay storage to generate some pretty strong feelings -- imagine stocking a bare pantry. I'm feeling more settled already! Photos of the Meadow Grass hay arrival coming tomorrow...
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