Does the hay look good, fresh and green? Or is it brown inside (the outside of the bale may be yellow or brownish due to sun bleaching), or do you see tell-tale white puffs when you open a bale? Stick your nose in it (not if you see the puffs of mold of course!). How does it smell? Like a dirty, wet basement? That’s mold. Fresh hay smells, fresh…like grass. Feel it. Is it stalky, are there prickers, dust, or other extraneous material? If it feels rough in your hands, how will it feel in your horse’s mouth? Good hay has a fine texture, feeling soft in your hands. In addition, it has a high leaf to stem ratio, as the majority of the digestible nutrients are found in the leaves.

When considering the 377 equine West Nile cases recorded across the United States in 2016,1 Dr. Hankins cautions, “The numbers are likely much greater. Some states only report West Nile virus cases if the disease is presented in neurological form.”