Why steam hay at all?
Why should you steam the hay?
Since we've received numerous questions about steaming hay, we'd like to address the topic in more detail. We also had some questions at the time and were unsure what the best approach was: feeding haylage, soaking the hay, or steaming it. We were completely stumped and needed a quick solution, just like you probably are now. Therefore, we'll try to explain it as simply as possible.
Let's start with the hay.
Hay is the most important roughage a horse needs to survive. A horse should be provided with 1.2–2 kg of hay per 100 kg of body weight to maintain its vitality and health. Hay quality can be categorized as botanical and microbiological. The nutrients present in the hay constitute the botanical quality, while the microbiological quality refers to the number of bacteria, fungi, and spores. Over time, respiratory diseases in horses become increasingly prevalent due to the unfortunately declining microbiological quality of hay.
Many horses can compensate for this for years and only show the first signs of respiratory disease later in life. Scientists call these "silent asthmatics," and it is estimated that over 50% of horses are affected. In most cases, action is taken too late.
Unlike humans, horses breathe only through their nostrils and therefore inhale unwanted particles into their lungs much more quickly and frequently. For this reason, many horse owners proactively use steamed hay.
So now my horse has a respiratory illness. What do I do now?
1. Soak the hay
Many people soak their hay hoping it will bind the dust. This does work, but what else happens? The nutrients are washed away. If the soaked hay isn't fed immediately, bacteria multiply in this damp environment! Which is exactly what we don't want. And the time involved shouldn't be underestimated either.
2. Haylage
It's difficult to get perfect haylage. There are several things to consider during harvesting. Some horses (like our Haflinger) experience significant digestive problems when fed haylage, such as loose stools or diarrhea. The excess protein in the horse's gut disrupts the "good bacteria flora," leading to loose stools and diarrhea.
3. Steam the hay
The hot steam almost completely kills fungi and bacteria. Dust is the main irritant for horses' lungs. Steaming binds the dust, thus reducing its concentration. Unlike soaking, for example, steaming hay preserves its nutritional content! The hay is therefore optimally prepared for feeding.
Yes, but what exactly are these "creatures" that we want to kill so they don't harm our horses?
Bacteria:
- Not visible to the naked eye
- Spiral, spherical or rod-shaped under the microscope
Drawing:
- 0.2 and 700 micrometers
- Structure: Cell wall, cell membrane, cell organelles, cytoplasm, ribosomes and, in some cases, flagella for locomotion.
- The cell wall contains many proteins that are destroyed by the heat. The bacterium is no longer viable.
Mushrooms:
- Structure: Network of fine hyphae (cell threads) that form a large network (mycelium)
- Distinction between yeasts and molds
- Example in medicine: Penicillin is produced using fungi.
- The so-called yeasts thrive at around 25 degrees Celsius. They die at around 45 degrees Celsius.
- Even mold fungi cannot withstand temperatures above 50 degrees.
Conclusion:
By steaming the hay, we achieve several things at once!
- Bacteria and fungi are killed.
- Increased saliva production through longer chewing protects the stomach from excessive acid exposure!
- Removal of hay dust particles
- The nutritional value of the hay remains.