Additionally, our increasingly changeable climate means that good quality hay is becoming difficult to find. Repeated exposure to the dust, dust mites and fungal spores in poor quality hay can damage your horse’s respiratory system.

The solution has either required the purchase of highly expensive Haylage, medications or the soaking of all hay the horse may eat. This arduous job usually entails soaking hay in gallons of UN-reusable water (*) and struggling to hang nets up. In winter this is an even less appealing task when you end up with freezing hands and dripping wet clothing. Added to this is the possibility of exposing our horses to Bacteria, Fungal Spores and Dust Mites that are not killed by the soaking process, plus the expense of supplementing vital minerals that are leached out of the hay during soaking!

We have all been told, “If you steam your vegetables you retain all the ‘goodness’”. When we soak hay we lose much of the nutritional value beneficial to our horses and throw it down the drain! In comparison, steaming hay ensures that all the nutritional goodness is retained thus ensuring a well balanced, natural diet.

We also know that steam is used by the Medical and Veterinary professions for sterilization, they do NOT simply wash their instruments in fresh, cold water. The same principles and benefits apply to steamed hay. Simply soaking hay in fresh, cold water does not kill fungal spores, dust mites or bacteria, but steaming the hay does, resulting in cleaner, healthier forage for your horse.

Our Hay Steamers have been designed to be easy to use and maintain. Each system comes complete and ready to use with a full set of operating instructions. The steam is introduced to penetrate the hay at approximately 100 degrees centigrade. Steaming at these temperatures ensures that fungal spores, bacteria and dust mites are neutralized and all potentially airborne dust particles are sufficiently dampened down. The hay is then lush and ready for the horse to enjoy, complete with all its vital minerals.

NOTE: (*) Waste water from soaked hay or hay nets contains nitrates and other contaminants. Nitrates are classified as effluent by the water authorities and should not be allowed to discharge in to any waterway or water contained in any underground strata. Click Here for more information from DEFRA

CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE "HEAVES" - "BROKEN WIND" - "COPD"

Hay contains microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi as well as tiny particles of feed grains, plants, feces, dander, and pollen. These tiny particles become aerosolized in hay dust and elicit an allergic response when they are inhaled by COPD horses. While it is believed that the hypersensitivity reaction seen in COPD horses is in response to many different allergens, the primary microorganisms involved in the etiology of heaves are Aspergillus fumigatus, Thermoactinomyces vulgaris, and Faenia rectivirgula. Aspergillus fumigatus is a mold that grows on dead and decaying matter such as poorly cured hay. It is thermophilic ("heat-loving") and can thrive in the high temperatures achieved in decomposing vegetation. A. fumigatus forms spores which become airborne and can be inhaled. These spores are antigenic (they are recognized as "foreign" by the immune system and provoke an immune response) and allergenic. Both Thermoactinomyces vulgaris and Faenia rectivirgula are bacteria which produce spores that become airborne and can be inhaled. All three of these species of microorganisms are numerous in moldy hay.

This article was prepared by Rachele J. Baker under the direction of the faculty and staff of the Equine Pulmonary Laboratory. For the full article click here

Hay for horses: the effects of three different wetting treatments on
dust and nutrient content

“Hay is the most common source of fungal spores for the horse and it may contain over 65,000 particles per milligram. Even the cleanest looking hay contains dangerous mould spores, which are so tiny they travel deep into the lungs. Hay should be completely soaked in clean water before being fed, but not for more than half an hour as this causes minerals to be leached out.”

Abstract taken from: Effects of soaking hay fodder for horses on dust and mineral content by M. Blackman, and M. J. S. Moore-Colyer. Read more...