How do I know if my horse needs his hay soaked?
If your horse has been diagnosed by a veterinarian with any of the following health conditions, they may benefit from soaked hay:
- Laminitis or founder
- Equine Metabolic Syndrome, insulin resistance, or hyperinsulinemia
- PSSM (Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy) or MFM (Myofibrillar Myopathy)
- Obesity/being overweight
- Chronic breathing issues (including “heaves,” COPD, Recurrent Airway Obstruction, Inflammatory Airway Disease, or Equine Asthma Syndrome)
- HYPP
In addition, many owners have shared that they soak hay to get more water into their horse or to make chewing easier for their senior horse.
What is laminitis?
“Laminitis” comes from the words “lamina” and “itis” which together mean inflammation of the lamina. The lamina are tiny Velcro-like tissue in horse hooves that attach the inner coffin bone to the outer hoof wall.
However, veterinarians and scientists now estimate that 90% of laminitis is not caused by inflammation but by high levels of insulin in the blood (HI or Hyperinsulinemia). HI results from the combination of a 1) high sugar/starch diet plus 2) metabolic issues in the horse that interfere with how insulin controls blood sugar.
Read our articles on Laminitis. Learn what causes it, why sugars and starches are important, and how to prevent and manage it, including the value of soaking hay.
