Steaming’s Effect on Horse Hay Studied

Researchers found that steaming appears to increase horses’ consumption of good-quality hay.
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Steaming
Martinson said the main benefit of steaming appears to be the increase in consumption of good-quality hay. | Photo: iStock
Soaking hay in water is a common practice used to reduce dust and non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) levels for horses with respiratory or metabolic conditions. But soaking can leach essential nutrients, such as phosphorus and magnesium, from hay and be labor-intensive.

In the last few years hay steaming has gained popularity as a soaking alternative, but how does it compare to soaking? University of Minnesota researchers, who recently studied soaking’s effect on hay, set out to answer that question.

“We had been receiving many questions from horse owners and professionals about the effectiveness of steaming on forage quality and no data (that we could find) existed,” explained Krishona Martinson, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Animal Science

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Casie Bazay is a freelance and young adult writer, as well as a certified equine acupressure practitioner. She also hosts a blog, The Naturally Healthy Horse. Once an avid barrel racer, she now enjoys giving back to the horses who have given her so much.

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