It goes without saying that we all realise the importance of fibre in our horses diet, however with the latest information and facts, it can be a tad confusing choosing the right source of fibre to suit your horse.

When it comes to hay or haylage, the golden rule is to buy the best you can because poor quality forage can cause your horse to become sick, lose weight, respiratory problems and even colic.

So do you feed hay or haylage? And what is the difference? Haylage is simply damp hay however nutritional differences can vary greatly between different types of hay and haylage.

The advantage of haylage is that it is damp which means it contains fewer mould spores that can contribute to irritation of the sensitive areas of your horse such as lungs.

However, hay and haylage aren't your only options for fibre for your horse. New Zealand feed and saddlery shops now offer some quality chopped fibre-based products that are formulated to provide a similar level of nutrition as hay or haylage, they can also be fed up to 100% of the horses diet.

Should you soak your hay?

When it comes to the respiratory health of your horse, there is no doubt that research has shown that soaking hay is beneficial. Soak your hay for 20-30 minutes and the mould spores will have swelled enough to prevent them being inhaled into the horse's lungs.

Another reason to soak hay relates to fatty horses! Soaking hay reduces the amount of sugar the hay contains.

Soaking hay is a rather messy and heavy job which is why steaming is another option. Steaming hay has been shown to be very effective at reducing mould and dust spores to safer levels for your horse.