Could haylage be making my horse irrational?

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Tayto

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This is my first winter as a horse owner and my girl is on haylage in the field and stable.

I recently posted about her being a brat for the farrier and it wasnt until the other day that I wondered if there is maybe a link between haylage and her irrational behaviour?

8 weeks ago (before starting on haylage) she was clipped and actually fell asleep while being clipped. Someone even stopped passed the stable to ask if she had been sedated as she was soooo chilled out!

Fast forward to a few days ago, she got clipped again. The circumstances were exactly the same as last time, same stable, same person etc and she acted like a total witch! She wouldnt stand, was snorting at the clippers etc.

This sparked a discussion with the lady clipping her as to what could of caused this change in behaviour. Then I told her about this behaviour with the farrier and she suggested that the haylage could be making her act like this. (The visit from the farrier was a few weeks after starting on haylage).

Further to these 2 situations, she has been a bit more excitable/nervous than normal i.e. when we hacked the other day, we met some other horses which normally she would have a look at and carry on but this time she stopped dead, her whole
body went rigid and I could not communicate with her, she was just fixed on these horses. She then started to sort of tremor and felt as if she was going to explode!

Also, usually when she is being lunged, she is a star but the last 2 times I have lunged her, she has gone from a chilled out to walk to flat out canter in a split second. It took me a good 20mins to get her listening to me last night when lunging. I ended up walking her over poles to try and focus her mind which eventually worked but I had to be careful to not use too high a tone of voice or she would go into a frantic trot. She was so jittery to start of with, I couldnt even move the lunging whip and she would shoot off.

The addition of haylage is the only change in diet/management that I can think of that would spark this behaviour.

All the usual checks have been done by vet & physio so I dont think it is pain related.

Has anyone else experienced this or something similar with haylage?

I am a bit worried that it is the haylage causing this uncharacteristic behaviour as the yard only supply haylage so I cant change her onto hay............

I have also put her on a haylage balancer incase the haylage was upsetting her stomach - her droppings were slightly runny and it seems to have dried her up a bit.
 
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Mine have had a bale of Haylage put out, since the beginning of this week. They normally have hay in their stables. Two are completely unaffected. The old boy is presently as high as a kite, he's not been like that for five years, not since he was last on haylage. So yes for some, it can make a huge difference!

I know the field this haylage came off too, it's a proper old field that hasn't been fertilised for years, with old horse friendly grasses!
 
yes and it makes my horse very footy as well. Some people get away with feeding it without a problem so guess it depends on the horse. Some haylage can be very high in sugar which doesn't suit all horses.
 
Haylage can be quite rich, a reason it's not good for laminitis sufferers or good doers. I have found some horses can have a temperament change on it as averse to hay. Quite heating at times for some.
 
Is there any chance she will settle once she gets used to it or is that me clutching at straws?!

It's rubbish as I have no other choice but to have her on haylage or move yards so she can have hay which is a bit extreme and I don't want to do!

I am just a bit worried about hacking her with the unpredictable behaviour. When we had a canter at the weekend she got really strong and I didn't have much breaks which isn't like her. Usually she pulls up really quickly when cantering in the woods, infact I usually have to push her on!
 
Yes - haylage sends my TB into orbit - she is highly strung anyway, but haylage just tips her right over the edge from controllable to lunatic. However I can feed her the bagged high fibre haylage from the feed store and she is fine with that as it is meadow haylage. It's the ryegrass haylage that sends her loopy. Both mine are on hay and doing well on it.
 
could you explain your concerns to YM/YO and ask if you could get your own hay for a few weeks on a trial basis? If she settles back down, you have the problem and could try to negotiate to either get your own hay (with or without livery reduction) or if they could make an exception for you, based on safety! Otherwise you may have to move. If there is no change back on hay, you'd have to look into other reasons.
 
I would try asking if you can go on to hay many yard owners will have come across horses that cannot cope with haylage and most will try to be helpful. One of mine could not cope with haylage at all and bronked on the spot in excitement at getting it. Another got the runs. I always feed hay now.
 
There is ad lib haylage in the field so not much I can so about that but if she was in hay in the stable it might help a bit. YO made a comment to me when I moved there a few months ago that some people complain their horses went into orbit when the haylage comes out but she said it was a load of rubbish and haylage is the best thing for them. So I am bit scared to ask her about buying my own hay.... Need to take a deep breath and just grow a set! Specially if it means I can have my sane horse back!
 
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Your yard owner clearly fails to understand the basic principles of stable/horse management. The nutritional value of the haylage will be dependent on the grass it is grown from. If it comes from fertilised race horse seed hay of course it will blow your horses mind and potentially could cause laminitis etc.

Find yourself another yard where your horse can be fed hay.
 
Another that had a totally horizontal horse that went bonkers on tiny amounts of hayledge. YO gave e him a slice as a treat and he bucked all the way round the school ( he usually didn't bother to canter ) next time I rode.
 
What did your vet & physio suggest when they looked at your horse? Surely if your vet came out he/she would have discussed diet/management issues?

Also, this years hay crop was very good quality, we had a damp spring followed by a lovely hot summer, perfect growing conditions! Lots of growers for two cuts and usually the 2nd cut is less potent than the first so If possible, ask if there is any 2nd cut Haylage available. And unless they are out 24/7 I would question do they actually need hay in the field?

Also, mine are being total idiots this year when it's bright & sunny, the sun is lower, and shadows longer etc, whereas when it's dull they are totally normal (to ride I mean).
 
If I was to purchase my own hay - what questions should I be asking to ensure I get good hay?

Also, roughly what is a good price for a small bale.... I have seen 100x50x40cm bales for sale for £3.50
 
ask about their ragwort policy, how they store it, and how dusty it is. Not that that guarantees anything, ideally you would take a look but clearly it's not practical to look at many different places!
 
Im afraid I would be moving yards if the YO refuses to accept that not all horses can be fed the same thing! My TB would change overnight if fed anything with sugar in it, which includes haylage! Texas' suggestion is a good one, ask if you can try with hay for a couple of weeks, to either prove or disprove there is a connection, then if the YO wont accept the evidence (assuming we are all correct in our thinking) move, pronto!
 
sooo.... spoke to YO about supplying my own hay and it went down like a lead balloon. I am willing to continue paying the same livery cost etc, all I ask is that I can have a small space to put a wheelie bin to store a small bale in. She was not impressed and said she would need to discuss with her OH.

She will still be getting haylage in the field but there are a lot of bullies in the field and she doesnt get near it that much in the short space of time she is turned out so I think we can cope with that if she is getting hay in the stable.

I feel sick - I really dont want to move yards as I only moved there 4 months ago and my horse had only been at my previous yard for 3 months so dont want to upset her by moving her for a third time in such a short space of time :(

God sake - I dont understand what the issue is, surely the YO's actually come off better as I am paying for haylage that I am not using!

The YO's OH suggests just giving my horse a handful of haylage in the stable - so I am expected to stable her for 16hours with only 1 handful of haylage.... surely thats a recipe for ulcers and stress for the poor girl!
 
Especially if she isnt getting much to eat when she is turned out, you are quite right, she does need a decent amount to eat in a 16 hour period. I think you really do need to stick to your guns, its unfortunate but obviously if this is your first winter with this horse you werent to know, and if she really is haylage intolerant and the YO wont bend, you will have to move. It does seem a bit of a daft rule but their yard, their rules I suppose and you will have to do what suits you and your horse. Haylage can be quite rich and doesnt suit all horses so I am a bit surprised it is an enforced diet.
 
Haylage is generally higher in protein than hay but it is lower in sugar as the process by which it is made, ie fermentation uses up the sugars. This is an excerpt from the Rockley Farm blog(barefoot rehabilitation) on the differences between hay and haylage.

"Hay

•has a lower moisture content than haylage (should be 80% DM or higher);
•needs several days of continuously hot, dry weather to be properly made;
•MUST be correctly stored as humid, damp conditions can make it mouldy;
•has more spores/dust than haylage so should be soaked or steamed before feeding;
•can be high in sugar/starch (water soluble sugars can also be reduced by soaking);
•is lower in digestible energy and protein than haylage made from the same grass.


Haylage

•should have a higher moisture content than hay but lower than silage; 40-65% DM is necessary for it to be suitable for horses;
•is partially dried (as if for hay) but is baled earlier and immediately wrapped. Good haylage can therefore be made where weather conditions are too precarious to make good hay (like Exmoor!);
•does not contain the level of spores/dust found in hay;
•has a lower level of non structural carbohydrate than hay made from the same grass; this is because the fermentation process converts sugars into fatty acids. Haylage need not be soaked because (a) high levels of water soluble sugars are not present and (b) once wet, it goes off and becomes unpalatable extremely quickly;
•provides more digestible energy and protein than hay made from the same grass;
•bales can be stored outside for months at a time but must NOT be punctured.

As always, your own horses are the best judges of what is "safe" forage but don't automatically discount haylage - it can be fantastic stuff ;-)"

I feed my retired mare and filly on haylage (meadow haylage, not ryegrass haylage because I can't rely on a good supply of hay where I live) without any problems. It is more acidic than hay which might affect some horses and of course if it's higher in energy (you can get lower energy haylage) then that's going to affect them also I would think.
 
what else do you feed ? ,maybe the combination of good hard feed can be altered to mainly fibre to bring protein content down.Worth trying before you have to consider moving.
 
It really doesn't sound as if your YO and OH know much about horses. I would move asap. There is little to be gained from staying there and everything to be gained from moving, as far as your horse is concerned. If her behaviour is concerning you, imagine how SHE feels!
 
OP for your health and safety and that of your horse I suggest you vote with your feet. If your YO and the OH are so inexperienced as to not to realise that haylage can be a problem for some and that 16 hours with only a handful of haylage will make a horse ill, what other essential matters of horse welfare are they unaware of?
 
Tayto said:
YO made a comment to me when I moved there a few months ago that some people complain their horses went into orbit when the haylage comes out but she said it was a load of rubbish and haylage is the best thing for them.
Click to expand...

A very sweeping comment - which has a tiny ounce of sense in it (but not much!) Haylage is not just haylage! Neither is hay - although it's variability is easier to see. If you get your haylage from a professional producer, you can choose the level of protein/energy most suitable for your horse - otherwise it can be anything from low feed value bulk - to rocket fuel!!

See the difference at http://www.bailliehaylage.co.uk/index.html

The best experiment would be to limit overnight haylage - or mix it with straw (if you can get some decent clean straw.) You shoud then see a change in 5-7 days.
 
Yes it can - depends on what the grasses are in it and when it was cut. We have lovely dry haylage cut from old meadow hay and none of my horses react to it at all. However my neighbour, who has a different supplier, bought a batch that has sent all his loopy (and he likes his horses hot so is usually the last to comment on these things!!).

I would try soaking it, or mixing it with old hay or straw, until you can get the situation sorted out.

I would suspect your YO has bought the haylage in bulk and would be a real pita to get it replaced, hence the reluctance to admit the haylage maybe at fault.
 
My tb is doing a bit well. However the grass is still growing and thats key to remember.
I have cut him down overnight so now instead of 2 nets he gets one stuffed full double netted and a small tub bucket as well. He has a small amount left in morning but he has now chilled out in just a few weeks of this change.
I would try and mix hay and haylage at night.
 
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