soaking hay - how long?!

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enchantedunicorn

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I want to remove the sugars from my horse's hay in order for him to lose weight! The vet told me to try and soak it for 12 hrs but is this really necessary - i don't want to get rid of the dust spore in particular mainly the sugars. I soak the haynet ,in the evening, with a hose and then put it hanging, dripping wet outside of my horse's stable ready to eat the next morning- is this good enough to reduce the sugars or does it need to be constantly soaked in a bucket for longer? My friend told me it does need to be constantly soaked in a bucket to remove the spores - but I'm not sure if she was referring to the dust!
 
It needs to be properly soaked in a container full of water, this must be tipped away and changed every time, ideally for about 12 hours overnight or all day then rinsed off with running water to remove as much of the sugar as possible. Rinsng with water from a hose will do nothing other than to dampen any dust and possibly take out a little of the feed value but not enough to help with weight loss.
 
There was a study which showed that a high percentage of the sugars were removed in the first (I think) 40 minutes, so anything from there upwards. Just make sure you rinse it well - no point in soaking out all the sugars if they remain on the surface. I generally have three nets in progress, on just put in to soak, another just been rinsed and put to dry and a third just been fed, so they get 12 hours soaking and another 12 rinsed and drying.
 
I go by the colour of the water to indicate if sugars are being removed, I found one-two hours was fine. You have to soak, a hose is no use.
You are also removing minerals, so top up the diet with a broad based daily supplement. Very important if soaking for 12 hours.
The type of hay is also relevant, poor hay [stalky not dusty] is great for natives.
Best way to monitor progress is to use a weigh tape weekly and record loss of weight, more gentle exercise eg road work at a smart walk will help.
 
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I was told 8 hours is ideal by May vet. Because although soaking longer takes out the sugar it also removes the essential proteins that the horse needs- but the proteins are slower to lead out than the sugars and so by eight hours 20% of the sugars are out but only about 10-15% protein as you won't want to take too much of this out.
 
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