Photo courtesy of Lindsay Beer-Drury/Haygain.
In an ideal world, we could all care for our horses without worry over the costs. That planet, however, is not well populated. Most of us need to manage our horses on some sort of budget.
Haygain can help.
The global horse health company is well known for how its Haygain Way products support equine respiratory, digestive, joint and overall health. How it helps the budgeting side of the horse management ledger is also important, especially now with the escalating price of everything.
Here are Five Ways the Haygain Way can help save costs while improving health.
More nutrients: Nutrient preservation is one of many reasons Haygain High Temperature Hay Steaming is replacing soaking for reducing dust and other respirable irritants and allergens in hay. Research results establish that the only nutrient decreased in a standard steam cycle is water soluble carbohydrates: by an average of 2.3%. (This varies based on hay type, harvest location and other factors.)
Conversely, soaking hay depletes nutrients. Feeding soaked hay often requires that lost nutrients be replaced with supplements that bump up the feed bill.
Less Waste: Studies determine that horses prefer steamed hay over dry or soaked forage. That means less waste. The Forager Slow Feeder by Haygain contains hay off the stable floor. Forage is not ruined by being trampled into bedding, manure and urine.
Less Bedding: ComfortStall Sealed Orthopedic Flooring has built-in cushion for the horse’s comfort and joint support. Only enough bedding to absorb urine is required. Less bedding hauled into the stable equals less soiled bedding that must be removed and hauled away. Horse owners report quickly recouping their ComfortStall investment in bedding and labor savings.
Less Water: Hay steaming uses far less water than hay soaking. A steaming cycle requires 4 litres of water, compared to approximately 60 to 100 litres to soak the same quantity of hay. Most of the water used in soaking hay is wasted and, worse, at a considerable cost to the environment because it is loaded with pollutants.
Fewer Vet Visits: Prevention always beats a cure and Haygain is all about that.
Respiratory irritants are the biggest cause of respiratory disease, and hay is the biggest source of respiratory irritants in the horse’s environment. Reducing them by up to 99% with Haygain Steaming is an effective step in prevention and management of conditions on the Equine Asthma Spectrum.
The Forager Slow Feeder enables horses to eat as nature intended: slowly, in small bites and over several hours. That results in constant chewing, which produces a constant steam of saliva. The saliva helps protect the lining of the stomach from ever-present gastric acid to reduce ulcer risk.
Haygain Steamed Hay has up to triple the moisture content of dry hay. The added water in the diet helps keep forage moving through the digestive tract, reducing the risk of colic. More moisture in the diet means more hydration, too.
ComfortStall Sealed Orthopedic Flooring provides comfort and support for deep rest and sleep. While research on sleep and rest for horses is light, it makes sense that it would impact equine immunity and overall well-being as much as it does for people.
With the cost of living increasing for people and their horses, savvy yard managers recognize the return on investments in their horses’ health. Haygain High Temperature Hay Steamers, the Forager Slow Feeder and ComfortStall Sealed Orthopedic Flooring are embraced worldwide as among the best investments a horse owner can make. Dividends include healthier horses and bank balances.
