Steam or water the hay?

A major criticism of both methods of hay preparation is the amount of work involved: in larger barns in particular, it is necessary for hay preparation to be easily integrated into the daily routine.

The major disadvantage of hay steaming lies in the purchase price of a suitable deviceThese are often not only expensivebut also only suitable for a certain number of horses due to their size. Steaming systems for whole hay bales are still under development, which is why it is necessary to stuff hay nets or steam individual portions of hay. In addition, the hay steamers lead to a increased power consumption. 

Watering the hay is possible in most stables (if a water connection is available) without any additional purchases. However, in order to soak the hay sufficiently, watering whole bales is only possible to a limited extent - ideally, hay nets should be used here too. In addition, watering the hay bales is associated with high water consumption. ‎

Even the least dusty hay is useless if the horses don't eat it. In fact, there can be considerable differences in the same hay depending on whether it is fed dry, watered or steamed. In particular, watered hay is not eaten well by some horses, while steamed hay is in some cases even eaten better than untreated hay. 

Anyone who waters or vapourises their hay usually wants to reduce the dust load first and foremost. In fact, both techniques are very well suited to minimising the dust content: steamed hay has 95-100% fewer respirable particles like dry hay. Even watering reduces the dust content to between 90% and 100%.

As a natural product, hay always contains bacteria, fungi and yeasts However, if the microorganism content increases too much, this can lead to increased respiratory stress. Steaming the hay in particular can help here, as it reduces* the number of yeasts, moulds and bacteria by almost 100%. However, to ensure that the microorganisms are really killed off, it must be ensured that the vapour penetrates the hay completely and that it is left for 10 minutes on at least 100°C for 10 minutes*. Although watering reduces the number of moulds and yeasts in the hay, the bacteria content increases. In particular the storage stability of watered hay is poor:especially at high temperatures, soaked hay should be fed within a few hours, otherwise it will spoil quickly.

Hay is the most important basic feedstuff for horses. Many owners therefore wonder whether soaking or steaming the hay affects the nutritional values. In fact, both methods lead to a lower lower energy contentof the hay, but this is not usually a problem for leisure horses and ponies. There is also a reduction in water-soluble carbohydrates, which is particularly pronounced when soaking. The longer the hay soaks, the more carbohydrates are washed out - but at the same time the risk of increased bacterial growth also increases. A lower carbohydrate content can have a positive effect on horses with laminitis or metabolic problems.

The change in the content of small intestine-digestible crude protein through steaming or soaking the hay is the subject of scientific debate. This is mainly due to the fact that the loss of small intestine digestible protein is strongly related to the time of harvest and the grass type of the hay. However, more recent studies indicate that steaming significantly reduces the availability of small intestine-digestible crude protein.

The mineral content mineral content also changes when the hay is watered or steamed. It has been shown that the mineral content drops more sharply, especially when watering. However, the loss of bulk elements can be easily compensated for with a suitable mineral feed. There are currently no studies that confirm a change in vitamin content when hay is watered or steamed. ‎