A review of the scientific literature and common management practices to explore the link between feeding practices and horse behaviour.
This paper looks at:
Videos:
New study shows that feeding Haygain steamed hay reduces the incidence of horses developing IAD by 63%.
The abstract of this new study by Dr Dauvillier and Dr van Erck-Westergren was presented last month at the Journées de la Recherche Equine in Paris, and parts of which were previously presented at the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in June 2016.
Spring steam!
As Spring arrives horses can spend more time outside grazing but be aware of the sugar rich grass, which is low in fibre. You will need a Haygain hay steamer.
Steaming hay in the Haygain hay steamer drastically improved the hygiene quality of whole bales of hay. The microbial contamination was reduced to zero for fungi and yeasts and by 98.84% for bacteria.
European Workshop for Equine Nutrition, Cirencester, 2010
The only nutrient lost after a 50 minute cycle in the Haygain HG1000 was WSC (sugar), which was a small but significant reduction
Proceedings of British Society of Animal Science Conference, 2013
Steaming reduces the RAO-affected horse’s response to hay, coinciding with a reduction in viable fungal content of hay
Proceedings of the Annual ACVIM Conference, 2012
Soaking hay for 9 hours followed by steaming for 50 minutes is the most effective method for reducing WSC and microbial contamination
PLoS One, 2014
A 50 minute steam in the Haygain HG1000 was effective at reducing respirable particles in all hays, whether slightly dusty or very contaminated
European Workshop for Equine Nutrition, 2010
The HG600 steamer is the most effective treatment for improving the hygienic quality of the hay, while soaking was found to vastly increase bacteria
6th European Workshop for Equine Nutrition, 2012
This study found that the HG 600 is significantly more effective at reducing microbes in hay compared with home-made steamers and soaking
Proceedings of the European Equine Health and Nutrition Congress, 2013
This study underlined that horses preferred to eat steamed hay compared to haylage and dry hay
Proceedings of British Society of Animal Science Conference, 2013
Steamed hay was preferred over dry and soaked hay: once tasted, Haygain hay was always the first to be consumed
Advances in Animal Biosciences, 2012
Steaming hay in the HG600 significantly reduces microbial growth, even after 4 days of being left open
Proceedings of British Society of Animal Science Conference, 2013