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The great debate with horse food options has always been centered around ‘hay or haylage’.
The main concern for many horse owners regarding food is how to provide a balanced, healthy diet which also provides the most competitively-priced option.
Usually this choice is determined by the British weather. Hay is in the region of 15% moisture whilst haylage contains up to 50% moisture. Horses also have to eat more haylage to gain the same amount of fibre they would from eating the drier hay option.
The main benefit of haylage it that because it contains more moisture, it is easier to harvest and to harvest earlier in the year. Horses find it simple to digest, and the fibre content is usually higher in haylage due to the fact it contains younger, greener grass plants resulting from an earlier harvest.
Horses have evolved to spend large parts of the day grazing, and this activity demands a regular supply of fibre to keep the horse’s digestion system consistent and efficient. The way horses breakdown much of the plant materials consumed relates to the microbes present in their hind gut, and this area of the digestive system is vital for processing horse food.
Because horses are now largely stabled and exercised intensively, rather than in the foraging way they have been designed to evolve over time, it is even more important for fibre to be a regular and consistent part of their diet, to ensure they are in the best possible condition throughout the year.
Fibre remains one of the most valuable natural feeds for a horse. Microbes in the hind gut break down fibre into energy, but the bacteria in the hind gut is a fragile balance which needs careful attention and dietary focus on a regular basis, to ensure the horse is getting the most it possibly can from the food.
Hay and haylage vary in quality and price, and the old maxim of ‘You get what you pay for’ is largely true here.
Any quality issues can have a huge impact on the health of a horse, and careful checks must be carried out on hay and haylage - particularly bagged fibre feeds – to ensure no bacterial infection has taken place. Any mould or smells should be reported immediately to the manufacturer, so the batch can be monitored.
One of the more popular recent methods of reducing mould or bacteria from hay and haylage is streaming. Steaming in a high quality steamer is increasing as a way to retain nutrients in the hay, which means the horse gets the most nutritional benefits possible from the hay.
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We understand that no two horses are alike - which is why our horse insurance policy can be as individual as your horse.
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