Steaming hay can be very beneficial
Written by Antoinette Foster BSc Nutrition, Nutritional Therapist and Medical Herbalist
If you are stabling horses, having a well-ventilated barn is very important for horses prone to respiratory conditions or those who have been diagnosed with EA. You may be better off having horses with these conditions turned out.
If they are stabled, hay can be a major source of small particles in the air and steaming hay will decrease the dust and mould content.
Hay replacements such as hay cubes are also an option to provide dust-free fibre intake. Also consider the option of increasing chewing time and feeding smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day.
Supplying steamed hay in slow-feeder hay nets is also recommended, and feeding as low to ground level as possible is also ideal as the horses are more likely to inhale particles if they are chewing hay from a hay net or hay feeder at chest height or higher.
In fact, eating any feed or hay at chest height or higher can cause all sorts of health issues. Eating in a natural, head-down position also assists with clearance and drainage from the respiratory tract.
An important nutrient that has been shown to be beneficial for respiratory health is omega- 3 fatty acids, for a few reasons. These fatty acids are absorbed into cell membranes throughout the body, including in the lungs, to support the integrity and pliability of the tissues.
Omega-3 sources, especially those which supply or are highly converted to DHA and EPA (specific long-chain omega-3s), have anti-inflammatory properties. Horses suffering from respiratory issues, including asthma or allergies, feeding, preferably cold pressed Flax seed oil with a well-balanced diet to support your horse’s respiratory health is an excellent inclusion and has very strong scientific support.
Many studies have suggested that steaming hay significantly decreases mould content and induces less tracheal mucus in horses. Steamed hay also induced BALF neutrophilia, and did not induce respiratory clinical signs. The relevance of steaming hay however warrants further investigations both in the context of prevention/therapy for mEA horses at training and for long-term preclusion of lately developing sEA.
Study results have shown the most effective way to reduce microbial allergens in hay is through steaming, due to the high heat application. In one study comparing the effect of soaking and steaming hay, only steaming effectively reduced the concentrations of both bacteria and mould contamination (Moore-Colyer et al., 2014).
In fact, submerging hay in water (soaking) can increase the bacterial counts in hay, and the longer the soaked hay sits before being consumed, the greater the increase. Hay steaming does decrease the mould counts. Therefore, employing additional management strategies to reduce allergen exposure and using appropriate medical treatments recommended by a veterinarian are also critical when managing horses with respiratory conditions especially asthma. There is also now growing interest in complimentary therapy products such as Breathe and RespiraFix in the management of respiratory conditions including asthma.
