Devon Haylage is available in small bales from good stockists throughout the South West of England. Large bales are also available, according to a minimum delivery. Please contact Devon Haylage for details of your nearest stockist and to discuss your individual requirements.

Visit www.devonhaylage.co.uk

Forage is by far the most important part of your horses diet. By focusing on this aspect of their feeding regime and choosing quality forage, you can be confident that the largest proportion of your horses’ diet is bringing sustained health benefits.

It has been widely recognised that good quality haylage produced specifically for the equine market can improve the health of horses. Good haylage should be consistent in quality, fibre content and dry matter. Haylage with a high dry matter is safer and more economical to feed. The natural fermentation process inhibits the development and spread of dust and fungal spores whilst increasing the digestibility of the fibre resulting in better utilisation of energy and improving rear gut health. As hay is dry it goes through no fermentation process so there is therefore a much greater chance that high levels of dust and fungal spores could be present and may affect the horse. This can lead to a gradual decrease in health and performance.

Good haylage would have been entirely produced by the company on their own farms specifically for the equine market, ensuring 100% quality control and assurance from ‘Seed to Sale’. The dry matter content is one of the most important things to look at when choosing haylage. Choose a haylage with a high dry matter. Firstly you are paying for haylage rather than water, secondly it is more economical to feed as your horses’ required daily fibre intake will be met more easily and thirdly the drier the haylage is, the less chance there is of secondary fermentation occurring once the bag has been opened. The drier it is, the safer it is.

There are also several different types of haylage available on the market. Generally, haylage made from meadow grass does not make good haylage. There is a higher chance that unwanted and dangerous weeds such as Ragwort may be present in the crop and Meadow Grass affects fermentation, thus affecting the nutritional and microbiological quality of the haylage. Additionally, the grass protein level needs to be monitored closely and tested if using permanent pasture grass. Horses do not need generally need high protein forage. Two species of grass, Ryegrass and Timothy, each grown specifically for the equine market make good haylage. For a high fibre product, each should be cut once the seed heads are fully developed and left to wilt until the desired dry matter has been reached, preferably 70-75%.

Information relating to the nutritional and microbiological quality of the haylage should be readily available from the haylage company. This way you can be assured that the haylage company is operating responsibly and you can decide on the most suitable haylage to feed your horse. It may be that you have a horse suffering from or prone to laminitis. Laminitis can be an all year round problem especially if the horse is over weight (Obesity Dependant Laminitis). A laminitic horse must be fed the right forage.

Timothy Haylage produced by Devon Haylage has been tested for the plant sugar Fructan and could be the ideal high fibre forage to feed your horse all year round to help prevent and help recover from laminitis. Everyone knows that too much starch and too much grass can trigger laminitis, but it is now known that it the level of Fructan in the grass which is the real culprit. When the rate of photosynthesis is higher than the rate of respiration such in times of drought or on a sunny but cold frosty morning, glucose and fructose in the grass accumulate. Fructans are glucose and fructose molecules formed into chains of differing length. Horses do not have small intestinal enzymes to digest fructans so they therefore enter the hindgut for digestion (fermentation) by bacteria. It is thought that toxins from this fermentation enter the bloodstream and damage blood vessels and organs throughout the body. Timothy is a native grass and contains less Fructans than other grasses like Ryegrass and Fescues. Devon Haylage sent a sample of their Timothy haylage to Germany for testing of the Fructan level. The results showed that the level of Fructan was below the detectable level of 0.5g/kg (0.05%). This result indicates that fermentation within the haylage had occurred and the micro-organisms involved had utilised the majority of Water Soluble Carbohydrates (WSC (starch, fructose and sucrose)) within the haylage. Forage with a WSC content below 10% is considered safe to feed to horses suffering form Cushing’s, Equine Metabolic Syndrome and Laminitis. Hay is unlikely to have a WSC content below this as it is likely it was made from a variety of grasses which may be naturally higher in Fructan and if it was dried quickly, the sugars would not have had time to metabolise fully and will still be present in the hay. Remember even hay could be unsafe for laminitics, as the Fructans would not have been utilised as no fermentation takes place in hay.

Significant health benefits can be achieved by paying close attention to the type and quality of forage you feed. As hard feed rations can also be reduced whilst feeding haylage, you will be getting value for money. Look for a quality product that has sound nutritional information available.