If you’ve ever thought to yourself, why is haylage so good for horses (and their owners) we have the answers for you here!
Haylage is dust free
A very important statement for horses that suffer from any respiratory illnesses including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Firstly, let’s look at why dust is bad for your horse:
- Irritation
- Inflammation
- Damage which could include irreversible scarring
These issues can lead to a series of problems with the wellbeing and fitness of your horse. The dust from feed can irritate the lining of the respiratory tract and can have real impact on the overall performance of your horse.
Using a dust free forage is one of the most effective ways to combat and help reduce your horses’ exposure to dust and respiratory diseases. Haylage is dust free and nutritious whereas more traditional forages such as dry hay are one of the biggest contributing factors to the disease. Eating hay and shaking the hay will result in concentrations of dust in the breathing zone of your horse.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re competing at the highest level or hack once or twice a week, we know that your horses’ health and fitness will always be your number one priority.
It’s delicious
Many horses find haylage much more palatable than hay or other types of forage. Finding something that your horse really enjoys eating is a great way to encourage grazing. Horses are naturally grazers and need to eat little and often to protect their gut health. Eating regularly promotes saliva production which buffers the stomach acid produced. If a horse goes for long periods of time without eating it can result in high levels of stomach acid which can lead to stomach ulcers.
You know what you are feeding
Typically, you won’t get a nutritional analysis for hay whereas every bag of haylage produced by Silvermoor is analysed by an external laboratory and each bag is printed with these details.
This is a very important factor as owners can adjust feeding rations accordingly for different diet types and health requirements.
Here at Silvermoor we have complete control over the product from seed to bagging. Everything is grown and produced at Silvermoor’s farm and bagged on-site only leaving when it is sent direct to the customer or retailer.
Easy to use
It is common that equestrians soak hay to make it less dusty and more palatable, there is no need to do this with haylage. It can simply be fed as it is.
Easy to store
Haylage can be stored outside. Due to its robust recyclable plastic packaging wet weather does not affect the product, and as long as it is stored out of direct sunlight it is safe. Hay on the other hand needs to be kept undercover and out of the elements.
Great for travelling
Travelling to and from events and competing can be stressful for your four-legged best friend. Keeping the continuity of their feed is a great way to make them feel at home wherever they are. Packs of haylage and especially the 18kg Silvermoor packs of haylage, are easy to handle and store when travelling. Giving you and your horse peace of mind when out on the road.
High moisture content
Getting water into your horse on a hot day or after strenuous exercise can be tricky, to say the least, if your horse isn’t always keen on drinking! Offering them a forage like haylage which has a high moisture content can be a great way of increasing their water intake. Not only is it a good way to up their water intake but the high moisture content also reduces the risk of impact colic.
The choice
There are five different types of haylage to choose from here at Silvermoor, each one is tailored for a specific type of horse. We have something for everyone.
