Since we’ve been asked a lot of questions about steaming hay, we’d like to discuss it in a little more detail here. We also had some questions at the time and weren’t sure what would be best. Feed canned hay, water the hay, or steam it. We were like an ox facing a mountain and we had to find a solution quickly. Just like you probably do now. That’s why we want to try to explain it as simply as possible.

Let’s start with the hay.

Hay is the most important forage a horse needs to survive. A horse should be provided between 1.2 and 2 kg of hay per 100 kg of body weight to maintain its vitality and health. Hay quality can be divided into botanical and microbiological quality. The nutrients present in the hay form the botanical quality, while the microbiological quality is the number of bacteria, fungi and spores. With the passage of time, respiratory diseases in horses become increasingly important because, unfortunately, the microbiological quality is increasingly poor.

Many horses can compensate for this over the years and only show the first signs of respiratory disease in later years. Scientists also call them “silent asthmatics” and it is believed to already affect more than 50% of horses. Things are usually done too late.

Unlike humans, horses only breathe through their noses and therefore absorb unwanted particles into their lungs much more quickly and frequently. This is why many horse owners take the precaution of providing them with steamed hay.