Palatable
Palatable is a term used to describe feed that is agreeable to the taste of horses. Some feeds are not appetizing to some horses, while they are to others (for example, not all horses like carrots). Some foods are not palatable to any horse because of thier taste and/or texture qualities. To ensure that your horse is getting proper nutrition, you need to ensure that the feeds you feed are palatable to your horse.

Leam-Stem Ratio
There should be a greater number of leaves tehn stems in your hay. Leaves provide the majority of nutrients so it is important that hay contains a high ratio of leaves.

Colour
The hay colour should be a clean green, not brown or black. Green colour signifies that the hay was harvested at the correct moisture content and stored properly. It also is an indication that it was able to cure without rainfall which can reduce the quality of nutrients.

Purity
Hay should contain minimal foreign plants such as weeds and other undesirable grasses.

Cleanliness
Hay should not be dusty or mouldy. Smelling the hay can help one to detect the cleanliness.

Different hays have different qualities for different animals. Hay can be broken into two categories; legumes (alfalfa, red clover, trefoil and sainfoin) and grasses (orchard, brome, fescue and timothy). Hay used in Canada is often grown in moxtures consisting of varying proportions of legumes and grasses. The three most common types of hay for horses in Alberta are alfalfa, timothy and brome grasses. Other types include crested wheat, fescue's, rye grasses and orchard grasses.