Types of hay -does this exist?

[trottingon]

Hi

My little 11.2 welshie holds weight a bit too well and gets a terrible cough off dry hay so I always soak his hay firstly to help his cough and secondly to try to remove some of the sugars to try to help keep his weight down. I try to get second cut hay as first cut can be too rich.

There are two children who part loan him so I need to keep his feed regime simple and make sure I don't increase his energy levels.

It's tough soaking hay in this icy cold weather. If I could put him on a bagged haylage I would but it's too rich. So my question is....Is there such a thing as bagged hay which is moist in some way or doesn't need soaking but without too much goodness/calories/sugars in it that you would recommend (or not recommend!)?

Thanks.

 

[TGM]

You can get Timothy grass Horsehage which is lower in sugar than rye grass Horsehage. I've used it successfully on a laminitic Welsh A with respiratory problems. It is pricey though!

 

[honetpot]

Our summers have been so unpredictable that farmers are cutting hay very late in the season, one year in October. I would ask for late cut meadow hay, some will be sold as wrapped hay, haylage tends to be wetter. You can get timothy haylage, http://www.efeed.co.uk/products/haylage if its a small pony it could work out less wasteful to buy small bales.

 

[JillA]

I've got 3 year old wrapped, August cut hay which has a little moisture in it but isn't as rich as "proper" haylage. If you are anywhere near (NE Shropshire) you could fetch some from time to time - a couple of slices would last 10 days or so.
Lots of farms had late cut hay last year if you could get some, you could steam it (wall paper steamer in a plastic dustbin, or even just a kettle of hot water) to kill any spores. Easier than soaking.

 

[Shay]

The other option is to steam the hay. Works just as well as soaking and is far easier in this weather. Professional steamers are expensive but there are lots of instructions to make your own with a wheelie bin and a wallpaper steamer. Haylage is certainly far easier - but we never found anything low sugar enough for a welshie with cushings. (You can soak haylage if you have to - but it does defeat the point!) We did have success with Lucie Bricks from Simple systems rather than hay - compressed blocks of hay which take them a while to chew through. No dust (other than what they create chewing) and low sugars. You can soak them too for the dentally challenged.

 

[Palindrome]

Second TGM, horsehage/horse haylage is what you are after. I have tried the timothy and high fibre from Marksway and the timothy and meadow horsehage from Easypack. All are good and very palatable, could potentially be mixed with some oat or barley straw to lower calories if needed.

 

[ester]

I thought steaming maintained the calorie content?

 

[JillA]

I thought steaming maintained the calorie content?

It does, but the calorie and protein contents will be lower in later cut forage and/or straw.

 

[Goldenstar]

How about using hi fibre bloks which are oat straw and hay .

 

[ester]

It does, but the calorie and protein contents will be lower in later cut forage and/or straw.

yup I just wondered depending on the ops hay whether Timothy horsehage might be better for the time being

 

[trottingon]

Thanks for all the replies, I've just had a look at Horsehage and it looks like their High Fibre seems the best, very similar to their Timothy so I'll see what my local saddlers and feed merchants stock.

I'm still open to other ideas or brands if anyone else has any!

Thanks