Steam-Powered
Horse Health
Protecting the delicate equine respiratory system
is one of hay steaming’s many benefits.
World Equestrian Games hopeful Lauren Hough can’t quite recall
how she learned about the benefits of steamed hay, but when she
did, it made immediate sense to the 2000 Olympic show jumper.
In addition to travelling to and from her stables in England and
Wellington, Florida, Lauren and her horses are on the road most
of the year. “It’s a safety measure for us,” she explains. “When
you’re travelling a lot, you don’t have the same hay and steaming
eliminates the risk of a cough or infection coming from
breathable particles. We all recognized it as very beneficial.”
idding hay of respirable irritants is
exactly what Haygain® Hay Steamers
were developed to do. The 50-minute,
high-temperature steaming cycle
came from a quest for forage that’s
free of dust, bacteria, mold and fungal
spores that are, to many people’s
surprise, prevalent in even the finest
quality, most expensive hay.
Along with stall bedding, hay of all
types is the biggest contributor to respiratory
issues in horses. As conditions
on the newly defined “Equine Asthma
Spectrum” become better understood,
so does the recognition of how frequently
horses suffer – often without
obvious symptoms—from compromises
to their respiratory tract.
Conditions on the mild end of the
Spectrum often present no outward
signs. “A horse can have a serious
problem with their respiratory system
without having obvious symptoms to
where the owner can’t pinpoint what’s
going on,” explains Emmanuelle Van
Erck-Westergren, DVM, PhD, ECEIM.
“The horse can have lower airway
inflammation and not necessarily have
a cough, nasal discharge or heavy
breathing.” Multiple studies confirm
the presence of Inflammatory Airway
Disease in indoor-stabled horses with no
symptoms.
There’s ample research to confirm
hay’s contribution to respiratory health,
but a science degree isn’t necessary
to figure that out. Shake a flake of
even the best quality hay and the visible
poof of particles proves this point.
These cause or contribute to everything
from an occasional cough to careerending
Respiratory Airway Obstruction,
EQUINE Health
aka “heaves,” the start and end points
on the Equine Asthma Spectrum.
That’s why steamed hay is also a must
in the stable of Grand Prix dressage
rider and veterinarian Dr. Wren Burnley
and her husband, FEI trainer and rider
JT Burnley. Along with her veterinary
degree and many years experience
caring for performance
horses, Wren is an asthmatic herself
and understands all too well
the impact of a compromised
respiratory system on an athlete.
Clean hay is a staple for their
own and client horses at Wrenwood
Dressage in Fulton, Kentucky.
It’s especially key for middleaged
horses competing at the
upper levels of dressage. By “middle
aged,” Wren means horses
that are just hitting their peak
from a training and performance
standpoint: 10-year-olds and up,
generally speaking.
“
Lauren Hough & Ohlala:
WEG hopeful Lauren Hough counts on steaming
to feed consistently clean hay no matter where
her globe-trotting horses are competing.
the United States Dressage Federation
Gold Medalist and American Association
of Equine Practitioners member explains.
“When you look at their respiratory
tracts, you see they already have
a start on scarring and the tissue has
lost some of its elasticity.” This is normal
in healthy horses performing at their
peak, like Fuerst Falco and Furst Tanzer,
FEI-level steeds in the Burnleys barn.
With even the earliest scarring and loss
of elasticity, dust, spores and other airborne
irritants can trigger inflammation
in the airway and lungs, compromising
comfort and performance.
Unlike the equine muscular or cardiovascular
system, the horse’s respiratory
system does not get more fit through
training or conditioning, Wren points
out. So, protecting it is the best option.
50 www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com
The Haygain
200:
The largest
of Haygain’s
three steaming
units, the
2000 steams
a full bale
or up to 88
pounds of
haylage.
Dr. Burnley also recommends
steamed hay for clients’ horses in
various phases of life, and not just for
respiratory health. Skin allergies, lack of
appetite and a tendency toward colic
are additional conditions for which
she’s seen steamed hay work wonders.
“Since I started to use a Haygain hay
steamer, I have seen many changes in
horses for the better.”
Proven increases in palatability over
dry or soaked hay make steaming a
popular option in veterinary hospitals.
Getting horses back on their nutrition
plan after a colic bout or surgery is critical
to recovery, but that can be tough.
“The problem for veterinarians is that
horses don’t like to eat immediately
after going through colic surgery,”
explains Chad S. Davis, DVM of Davis
Equine, LLC in The Plains, Virginia. “We
have tested Haygain steamed hay
against non-steamed hay to see if
horses would find it more appetizing,
and we’ve found that horses routinely
go back to eating the Haygain hay before
the dry hay post-op. It’s important
for us, from a veterinary standpoint,
R
Just as in older
people, older horses
have lungs that have
seen a lot more
respiratory challenges,
”
Appetite, Hydration &
“Low Carb” Needs
/www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com