Wetting/Soaking Hay for Horses with Respiratory Problems

My vet recommended I soak my mare’s hay for an hour, but I see some indications to just wet it down. Is it just unnecessary to soak or actually harmful in some way?
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

Q:My vet recommended I soak my mare's hay for an hour, but I see you indicating just to wet it down. Is it just unnecessary to soak her hay or is it actually harmful in some way? 

Cathi


A:There have been some published reports that soaking hay for an extended period of time results in a loss of nutrients. But if the goal is to eliminate dust particles in the breathing zone of the horse while the horse is eating hay, we have found that thoroughly wetting the hay immediately prior to feeding virtually eliminates the dispersion of particles while eating. 

Editor's Note: Soaking hay to reduce levels of certain carbohydrates is often recommended for horses with metabolic issues, particularly those with a history of laminitis. For more information, see the article "Cutting Down on Carbs (For Your Horse)

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Melissa Millerick-May, MS, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine (Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine) at Michigan State University.

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

Where do you primarily feed your horse?
277 votes · 277 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!