Trying to prevent laminitis

[shadowboy]

So I was doing more research as spring is round the corner and I came accross this
"Dr Pat Harris, a leading authority on equine nutrition, discussed the nutritional aspects of laminitis at a recent meeting of the British Equine Veterinary Association......" that paper goes on to say "These may be broken down more slowly in the hindgut and may therefore be safer than other grasses that contain smaller molecules. Levels of 14-20% fructan in fresh grass are not uncommon. Haylage is likely to contain less fructan than grass because it has already started to ferment. Hay is likely to have levels between those of grass and haylage."

So that makes it sound as though haylage is better than hay which is the complete opposite to everything I have been taught! This horse owning malarky confuses me more every day is was so much more straight forward 20 years ago!

 

[Fauvea]

From what I understand, if you start out with the same grass, haylage should have less sugar than hay. But the problem is that haylage is often made from very rich grass and the result is therefore generally richer than hay.

 

[shadowboy]

From what I understand, if you start out with the same grass, haylage should have less sugar than hay. But the problem is that haylage is often made from very rich grass and the result is therefore generally richer than hay.

ah ok, thanks for that, what you have said makes sense!

 

[Erin]

But the sugar content will still generally be lower because the sugars are used up in the fermentation process.

http://www.horsehage.co.uk/QandA.html

 

[Ali2]

There's absolutely no data there! It's all may and likely!

There does seem to be a commonly held belief that haylage has more sugar than hay. Haylage made from the same grass as hay will have less sugar because some of the sugar will have been fermented as part of the preservation process. Haylage is therefore more acidic than hay which may (may again, I have no data!) be detrimental to a laminitic if the hind gut is already compromised in terms of gut flora and is more acidic as a result.

 

[shadowboy]

Well I feed Timothy hay to the fatty mixed with straw so hopfully that should be safe enough for him. He has lost weight on this combo too!