EMS pony - unsoaked hay?

Thanks for the reply. Mine is OK on hi fibre Horsehage but I need to feed hay as well to keep the cost down. Up to now she has had the Horsehage and soaked hay through the winter. As her EMS is under control and her weight is OK I was just wondering if it is essential to soak the hay. (She is retired so cannot exercise)
 
Now that my lad is under control and his weight is good, I'm feeding him his hay that's not been soaked. It still gets dampened as he prefers it this way rather than totally dry though. I've only tailed off on the soaking this past month or so, but will still continue to soak in the months when i know the grass out there is nutritionally 'up' so to speak! His hay is of low value nutritionally (it's last year's crop and it suits him just fine...a tummy fibre filler!). He's obviously topped up in vits and mins department accordingly throughout the year.

I just keep a close eye on him and his weight,..and his feet and do what i need to do as and when! I too have a Tricklenet and use it when i need him to just slow down a bit!!
 
I had the hay analysed last year and it was OK but I guess that each year could be different even though I buy it from the same place?
 
Have they any of last year's bales left? If not,..yes, you can always get it analysed again if it's this year's, as as you've said,..no two year's crops will be the same. :)
 
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This is the advice on The Laminitis Site:

Forage:

Hay is likely to form the bulk of the diet for an EMS/PPID/laminitic horse. Late cut, native species grass hay is likely to have lower sugar levels than early cut improved species (e.g. ryegrass) grass hay. High fibre haylage may also be suitable. Forage should ideally be analysed (ForagePlus (UK) and Equi-Analytical (USA) analyse ESC as well as WSC and starch) and contain no more than 10% total sugar and starch. If the amount of sugar/starch isn't known, it may be best to soak the hay to reduce sugars. Do not soak haylage as there may be a risk of secondary fermentation.
 
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