Hay and straw are NOT the same thing.

Hey there. Lots of people confuse hay and straw, using the two terms interchangeably. But they are two very different things, and they are not used the same ways. Both hay and straw are baled, but the similarities sort of stop right there.

Nice, grassy hay

Hay is produced from alfalfa, brome, orchard, timothy, and other grasses. It may contain some clover or even a little rye. Hay is cut when the grasses are still green and soft. It usually has lots of seeds. Horses, goats, cattle, sheep, and other farm animals eat hay for forage. It’s fragrant and yummy and filled with minerals and vitamins that make livestock thrive.

Straw, not hay (See sneaker for scale.)

Straw, on the other hand, is stalky and twiggy and hollow and coarse. It’s chaff, basically a by-product of actual crops (like barley, oats, or wheat) and has little or no nutritional value.

Still, straw is handy for lots of purposes. Use it to bed a foaling stall. Mulch a garden with it. Cover your freshly seeded lawn with it to protect emerging baby grass. Add it to your Halloween or harvest festival display. Pack it into your horse- or tractor-drawn wagon for tourists to sit upon. Stuff a scarecrow with it. Pile it up for winter insulation. Go ahead and weave a basket or make a porch chair with it, if you want.

But please don’t try to feed that straw to my horse … or yours.

Hey, now.

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Chief questions for conscientious horse owners

Horse owners don’t have to have all the answers, even when it comes to caring for their horses. Sometimes we simply have to ask the right questions.

Here are a few examples.

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How might I go about identifying possible equine boarding facilities in my area?

Take a look at these practical pointers: 7 ways to find a new horse boarding barn

How can I pick the right stable for boarding my horse?

Here’s help: Key questions to ask before choosing a horse stable

How can I be a better boarder at the barn?

Think about these helpful suggestions: 10 ways to be an active and attentive horse boarding client

Why is a Coggins Test required of my horse?

Consider this: Equine Health 101: What is a Coggins Test, and why is it important?

While we’re on the subject of equine veterinarians, is there a proper protocol for vet barn calls?

Here are some courtesy tips: 12 horse barn vet visit etiquette and safety no-no's

What if I am considering donating my horse to an equine therapy group?

Check out: 10 key questions to ask before donating a horse for hippotherapy

Perhaps these key questions will spur additional ideas and questions you might choose to consider, as you seek to care most effectively for your own horse.

After all, sometimes the most helpful information is readily available, if we will but ask.

You are invited to bookmark, follow, or subscribe to The Mane Point: A Haven for Horse Lovers. Watch for additional key questions for horse owners and additional practical helps in future posts.

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Taking on a gazillion spiders at the horse barn

I hate spiders. I’m not horsing around, when it comes to arachnids – or nearly anything that creeps and crawls.

But I won the first spider battle of the season.

I knocked off work early on this chilly spring Friday and tackled the tack closet mess.

My mare lives in a big, airy stall that includes its own tack closet. It’s extremely convenient, especially on days when I choose to saddle her Western. I don’t have to lug that cumbersome Circle Y out into the aisle. I just swing it up onto the horse, right there in her stall.

It’s also nice to have my own private space for storing all things horsey.

But it was time for clutter busting and spider warfare.

It is amazing how much extraneous and miscellaneous stuff can pile up in this unshared space during the cold winter months.

While my horse was turned out, I took everything out of the tack closet for sorting and cleaning. And I was amazed at all the curious items I found, besides all of the expected contents (such as horse tack and grooming supplies).

• One long-missing flannel shirt
• One pair of muddy galoshes
• Two dirty English saddle pads
• Two pairs of riding gloves
• Two unmatched reins (one Western and one English)
• Three extra halters
• Three hand towels
• Three riding helmets
• Lots of tack calling for cleaning

And nearly everything was covered in cobwebs.

Mostly, I found mouse droppings and spider nests, which I attacked with a vengeance. Determined to wipe out all things spidery before this season's generation hatched, I vacuumed every inch of the tack closet – then threw away the vacuum bag at the barn.

I probably should have burned it.

That’s right.

There was no way I was hauling that thing in my car with those contents. What if a gazillion baby spiders came to life in my car or (worse yet) in the broom closet at home? Perish the thought!

The vacuum bag was nearly full, anyway. I stopped counting the spider nests. And the shelf that hangs over the stacked saddle racks was fairly carpeted in mouse droppings. Bet that’s more than you wanna know. It was bad. (Hours later, I’m still feeling all creepy-crawly, even after a shower and change of clothes.)

Next, I filled a big bucket with pine cleaner and warm water and scrubbed the entire tack closet.

I tossed a ton of junk and cleaned everything worth keeping. I even stuck a few dryer softener sheets in there, as these are rumored to deter tack closet pests from setting up shop.

At least for now, my tack closet and all its contents are spotless and pest-free.

Now, I wonder if I could hire a barn cat to live in there …

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Muck boots march in mud

Oh, my. The Midwest is mired in mud. Muck boots to the rescue. Call ‘em galoshes, gumboots, or willies. This basic waterproof footwear is essential for barn folks in spring.

Manufacturers market multitudes of muck boots:

• CHB12 Muck Chore Boot
• Chooka Top Solid Rain Boot
• Flat Festival Wellies Wellington Rain Boots
• Kamik Rain Boot
• Nomad Puddles Rain Shoe
• Roper Barn II Equestrian Boot
• Sloggers Rain and Garden Boot
• Sorel Cheyanne Premium Rain Boot
• The Original MuckBoots
• Wellies Rubber Rain & Snow Boots 

Are you rocking the muck boot look?

Watch your step in those muddy meadows!

Most horse lovers know the misery of stepping right out of a muck boot and plunging a sock right into knee-deep mud.

The Mane Point: A Haven for Horse Lovers is participating in the April A to Z Blogging Challenge again this year. Stop on back, so you don’t miss a single post!

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