Is Your Horse Suffering Reactions to Pickled Forage?

Organic Horse Hay Makes A World Of Difference To Horse's Health

It's been a busy hay season at our organic hay farm between dodging the rain deluges earlier in the year then the dry weeks late in the season. These elements all combined to provide a very up and down experience. 

For horse owners as the summer season ends the season of stocking up on forage supplies is just beginning. Question is, how many horse owners are aware of just what their hay contains and of what negative effects it is having on their horses' health? Bottom line up front - horses do better on small squares of organically grown and produced hay than hay produced by commonplace farming methods that include use of preservatives. And here's the reasoning behind that statement.

Working Hard To Do Better

Why did we begin this endeavor of hay farming in the first place? And what difference has it made to the health of our horses? I think a LOT.

We've been producing our own hay at our farm in the Catskill Mountains of New York for nearly 25 years. Only small squares, because rounds and large squares cannot be cured for horses without the use of some sort of preservative. At least according to most farmers out there. Based on our knowledge of how grass cures and what it takes to ensure it is mold and dust free and how long it takes to properly manage its moisture content that's a reality that we can appreciate. Large rounds and large squares pose more problems to horses then just the risk of botulism.

It is always a relief to conclude the hay season. Despite ours ending rather abruptly with the breakdown (again) of the discbine gear box, a rather expensive component (likely cost to replace more than 5K). Farmer's life and all that. Unfortunately things only break when you need them most, when you are using them.

There are times when we question our logic in continuing with hay production just because it is extremely difficult at times to navigate the real time issues that occur. Certainly not a business for everyone. But the welfare of the horses in our care including our own keep us at it. That plus we care about the horses that belong to our loyal band of customers. These folks have first hand experience of the difference organically grown hay and also importantly, organically harvested hay makes in their equines' health. These are the reasons we keep going. 

As professional horse trainers/competitors and horse breeders we know what our horses ingest makes all the difference to their overall well-being.

My youngest son and daughter-in-law were visiting and helped hubbie out unloading the last few wagons of the 2nd cut a few weeks ago. Aside from just a few other wagons where I was able to contribute some help mid-season, hubbie did all the work himself. Alone. That's pretty impressive at any age, but certainly as you age up into your 60's. The year for me was a bumpy one, with two surgeries split a few months apart by necessity. So I was unable to do much to help which was very frustrating. 

Injuries during hay season occur of course. And that is another reason I am always happy to have the harvest and stacking completed. At some point earlier this season hubbie took a head dive roll off the haystack when a bale on the edge of the stack rolled out, resulting in damage to his wrist that put him out of commission for a month or so. Thankfully there was no perceived ill-effect from his headfirst landing. His head missed the metal apron of the wagon by inches. A guardian angel was there for sure. This was not his first accident in the farming of hay, never mind raising and training horses. But it was a stern reminder that what we do is rated higher danger wise than even the occupation of construction.

Why do we care so much about working hard handling small squares versus machine friendly large rounds or large squares? What are the advantages of good old-fashioned organically produced and harvested hay? Hay that is cured by Mother Nature to the proper moisture content - clean and green and yummy stuff that all horses apparently prefer over other hay produced with pickle juice/dry-down agents/salts and the rest?

Sharing Customer Reviews

We'll share what our customers have reported to us. Though of course we cannot claim organic hay is going to prevent or fix any specific medical issue, customers continually report findings of better health in their horses when they switch from feeding hay treated with preservatives/chemicals to our organically produced product. We are sharing this info because we believe it. Research studies in Europe support this viewpoint and the years of customer reports we've had that also advise similar positive aspects we figure are worth a mention.

Here's what our customers report has happened when they make the switch to organic hay from preservative treated forage:

• Horses with heaves find relief from breathing issues, in some cases resolving to such an extent that any medications such as steroid use etc. can be stopped.
• Horses suffering with hives have resolved completely with hives disappearing altogether.
• Horses with digestive upsets such as diarrhea and endoscope diagnosed gastric ulcers (EGUS) recover good digestive health and processes and maintain it.
  
• Better respiratory performance of competition horses including race horses.
• Horse happiness with horses regularly showing a preference for organic hay over any other type.
• Better metabolic health of the horse, especially senior horse issues.
  

The downside of organic hay production are many for the farmer as we know firsthand. Much lower yields than conventional hay production for a start plus longer curing periods requiring more expense to produce with machine time and wear and tear and labor. Risk of losing crop during the curing process to a rain event are high as it takes Mother Nature longer to cure hay by 1/2 days than using preservatives. And of course small square bales require significant labor to stack and store and then double handle to the customers' rig.

For the end-user customer this all means a higher cost per bale. But as there is little to no wastage of the hay due to poor harvesting methods meaning mold or dust in the hay requiring it to be thrown out, or horses messing about with the hay because they don't like the added chemicals or pickle juice tastes etc. the overall economic impact is likely minimal. In some cases it can actually save money. And that is without consideration of the health and well-being aspect of the horses. Horses that ingest top quality organic hay certainly have a leg up on the wellness factor.

 

Provenance concerns for forage are always an issue. Mixed hay rations that are delivered in large quantities by hay dealers are often a mixed bag of suppliers. Many horse owners have no idea what method was used to produce the hay. In some cases the small squares they receive are re-baled large bales the middleman has made to himself boost revenues. Horse owners often don't know where or how the hay was made. 

For the horse owner seeking hay supplies by buying directly from the producer may mean more work - picking up rather than having hay delivered for example. But money can be saved buying direct, and knowing the provenance of the forage can give true peace of mind and many overall benefits.

Bear in mind that products such as bagged forage and other stuff produced for the big retailers like Tractor Supply Company by their only supplier to my knowledge, Standlee, clearly states on the packaging that chemical ingredients are used in all their products. Check yourself. I think you'll be surprised at just what is in there.

At our farm we sell out every year. There is no shortage of customers. And our repeat business makes up a good percentage of that. So there isn't a hard sales push here. Though we always welcome new customers as there is a small attrition rate as people move or sell off their horses. But sharing knowledge of what a positive difference organic hay can make to your horses' health is important to us. 

Our own horses consistently live to ripe old ages without major health issues except occasionally when euthanasia has sadly been required due to tragic injuries caused in two cases when one horse has kicked another and another where an equine chiropractor damaged a horse's stifle during a session. We are confident that our breeding and performance horses' good health records are a direct result of more than just training and general management practices. What a horse ingests makes such a difference to the health of his microbiome and thus his overall well-being.

Get pro-active. Remember your horse can only eat what you put in front of him. By utilizing the 80:20 ratio importantly feeding 80% of feed and forage in daytime hours versus 20% during evening/night times to avoid ulcers, combined with good choice in forage and feed, your horse can avoid many unhappy days of unhappy health issues that cost money and heartache to resolve.