Clean hay means healthier horses.
That's common horse sense.
Roughage is the basis of horse feeding
An essential component of every horse's feed ration is crude fiber. Grass and preserved roughage such as hay and haylage are the most important sources of crude fiber in daily horse feeding and serve to keep the horse physically and mentally healthy and its digestive system functioning properly.
Horse Feed and Respiratory Diseases
Even good quality hay contains respirable particles, mold and bacteria.
If hay is pressed into bales when it is too moist, it creates ideal conditions for mold, which further exacerbates the problem and reduces hygiene. The mold produces spores that contribute to the formation of respirable dust. This causes allergies in horses and is extremely harmful to their respiratory health.
Unlike humans, horses can only breathe through their nostrils. This means that with every breath, particles and hay dust are transported into the horse's airways and lungs. This dust is also harmful to humans and exacerbates illnesses such as asthma and hay fever; if inhaled in large quantities, it can even lead to "farmer's lung".
Upon thorough examination, it is often discovered that many horses that appear to be healthy actually have respiratory problems that affect their quality of life and performance. This is because allergens in hay, such as fungal spores, cause respiratory diseases such as IAD and RAO ("huffiness"), also known as COPD.
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More than one in six horses has a performance-reducing respiratory disease
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An incredible 80% of horses that spend part of the day in the stable suffer from inflammation of the respiratory tract
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Respiratory diseases are the second most common cause of lost training days
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One in four people who work with horses also have respiratory problems
Why steam hay?
Traditional methods of cleaning hay, such as soaking, have been scientifically proven to actually increase the number of germs in the feed by more than 150% in less than 10 minutes. Steaming hay and haylage is the only scientifically proven method for hygienising roughage. Hay steaming improves the hygienic quality of roughage - the risk of respirable dust, mould spores and pathogens is reduced and very tasty, nutritious feed is produced.
In scientific tests, the hay steamers have been proven to eliminate harmful mold and fungal spores, bacteria and dust mites. Each hay steamer passes the steam evenly through the hay so that the entire feed is steam treated. Spores and bacteria are killed by the moist heat of the steam and the high temperatures reached during the treatment.
Hay steamers have been proven to have the following effects:
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Reducing symptoms in horses suffering from asthma such as asthma attack (RAO)
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Improving the palatability of roughage
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removal of fine dust particles
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Killing mold, fungal spores, bacteria and mites
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Preservation of the nutritional value of hay
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Extending the shelf life of haylage
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Suitability for laminitis, colic-prone and post-operative horses
Easy to use - fill with water, put in hay, steam, remove
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Fill the steam generator with clean tap water
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Place the bale/hay net/loose hay in the hay bin
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Close the lid of the hay container and switch on the device
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Let the device run for 60 minutes and check that the thermometer on the lid shows 80°C or more
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Turn off the device. Remove the hay and feed it immediately or within 24 hours.
The Irish Equine Centre has tested hay steaming on hay contaminated with Aspergillus, the most important pathogenic fungus found in hay, and has confirmed the effectiveness of steaming in eliminating the fungus. A study conducted at the Kentucky Equine Research Centre has shown that the number of chews on steamed hay increased. This leads to increased saliva production and therefore a buffering effect that protects the stomach from excess acid.
