Steamed Hay & Performance
Three reasons high-temperature steamed hay improves horses' performance.
Kim Miller
Equestrian writer | Oct 1, 2020
Haygain is all about horse health and well-being. There's a lot of weighty, serious science that went into developing and refining our products and understanding their benefits. We also have a competitive side. So, we get pretty excited seeing steam-powered horses win weekend after weekend, as reflected in our Monday social media round-ups of ambassador highlights from the competition world.
Training, athletic ability and partnership with their riders deserve most of the credit for these horses' victories, but Haygain Steamed Hay is in that mix, too.
Here's three reasons high-temperature steamed hay improves horses' performance.
1. Respiratory function:
Horses' bodies are over 60% muscle, and muscles are fuelled by oxygen. Even a little bit of inflammation or obstruction in the respiratory tract restricts the flow of oxygen to those muscles, limiting performance. High-temperature hay steaming reduces up to 99% of the dust, mold, fungi, bacteria and other allergens that trigger inflammation.
(The average adult male body is 33-39% muscle mass.)
2. Nutrients:
Unlike soaking, Haygain steaming preserves hay's nutrients. As Olympic show jumper Beezie Madden says, Haygain "...gives our horses what they need from their hay and nothing they don't."
3. Hydration:
Even slight dehydration affects muscle and mental function. Steamed hay has four times the water content of dry hay. More water is great for gut function, too.
