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Conference noted::equitation

Title:Equine Notes Conference
Notice:Topics List=4, Horses 4Sale/Wanted=150, Equip 4Sale/Wanted=151
Moderator:MTADMS::COBURNIO
Created:Tue Feb 11 1986
Last Modified:Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2080
Total number of notes:22383

706.0. "Soaking Hay & NE Winters" by NHL::SILVA (I finally got a PONY of my OWNY) Wed Sep 07 1988 13:56

    My QH mare has alot of allergies to the dust etc in her hay.
    The Vet recommended soaking it in water.  This has worked out well
    as far as controlling the allergies is concerned but winter is coming
    and I wonder what you "more experienced" horse folks would recommend.
    Should I even try to soak it through the winter?  Or is there an
    acceptable substitute for the hay altogether?
    
    ALL suggestions welcome!
    
    Cheryl
    
    
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706.1Wet down in winterBOEHM::SCHLENERWed Sep 07 1988 14:337
    I still soak Jasper's hay in the winter. However, instead of dropping
    the flakes into a bucket of water, I just sprinkle water over the
    hay. (Enough water to keep down the dust).
    It really does work wonders. Ever since wetting down his hay, Jasper
    hasn't had a coughing fit yet!
    				Cindy
    
706.2ALFALFA CUBESEMASA2::NICKERSONWed Sep 07 1988 14:498
    When we sent one of our mares out for training, the trainer didn't
    feed hay at all.  He fed alfalfa (sp?) cubes.  I personally perfer
    the hay to keep them busy but she suffered no ill effects and didn't
    learn to crib either.  Mind you she was worked a good hour every
    day.
    
    GOOD LUCK
    
706.3Have you heard of Horse Hage?LANDO::HARRISWed Sep 07 1988 16:5523
    When my horse was diagnosed with heaves the vet recommended  soaking
    the hay or feeding Horse Hage. Horse Hage is hay that is baled before
    it is dry, wrapped in plastic, then shrink-wrapped in another layer
    of plastic. Each bale weighs about 40 pounds. The hay has a very
    strong odor because it ferments in the bag. It took a couple of
    days for my horse to get used to the smell and taste, but now he
    adores it. It has a much higher moisture content than regular hay
    and also retains much more of the nutrients. When you feed this
    you can feed less grain. Horse Hage also made my horse's coat really
    shiny.
    
    I know of only one place where you can get Horse Hage. It is grown
    and baled in Connecticut. They deliver 50 bales on a pallet; the
    whole pallet is also wrapped in plastic. Another plus is that you
    can store the entire pallet outdoors. 
    
    If you're interested in this stuff and want the address of the company
    that makes it, or if you want to buy a bale from me (I'm in Stow,
    MA) and see if your horse eats it send me mail.
    
    Good luck,
    
    Andrea
706.4Hmmmm...Hage Hay Could Be The AnswerCSMADM::SILVAI finally got a PONY of my OWNYThu Sep 08 1988 09:0916
    Thanks Andrea.  I would have sent Email but have been having
    trouble reaching LANDO:: for several days now.  Can't even open
    the other (notesfile) conferences on that node. 
    
    YES, I am interested in hearing (& seeing) more about this Hage
    Hay.  I live in Harvard, so we're practicly neighbors.  
    
    I'll keep trying to reach you.  I'm on THRILL::SILVA and
    WJO::SILVA
    
    Thanks Again,
    Cheryl
    
    
    ps: Anyone else out there use this Hage Hay???
    
706.5Hage Hay sounds costlyTALLIS::MJOHNSONThu Sep 08 1988 16:041
Dare I ask ... how much does hage cost per bale?
706.65.25 per baleLANDO::HARRISSun Sep 11 1988 20:2311
    Yes, it's expensive at $5.25 for a 50-lb bale. This price includes
    delivery. You have to get at least a ton at a time. 
    
    I find it well worth the expense. My horse couldn't eat hay any
    longer because of his heaves, and eating pellets wasn't satisfying
    his need for fiber and he was getting really bored. So, feeding
    horse hage was a lot cheaper than letting him chew down the barn!
    Because of the high nutrients, you can feed less grain. This may
    offset the cost a little bit. 
    
    Andrea
706.7Just wet it downDWST01::DADDAMIOHopelessly optimisticWed Sep 21 1988 19:418
    One of our horses developed heaves because of dust.  We shake out
    her hay and wet it down with the hose - all year long.  No problems
    since we started doing it.  It doesn't seem to freeze in the winter
    - at least she didn't have any problems eating it!  Unless your
    horse has really severe problems it might be cheaper to wet it down
    than to buy Horse Hage.
    
    						Jan