Friday 25th February 2011 - Published by Robert Trigg - Communications Executive
HOT WAY OF COOKING HAY GOES DOWN A TREAT WITH HORSES AND THEIR OWNERS
PROFESSIONAL equestrians are jumping for joy over a neat piece of kit that is helping to keep their horses healthy and save them money.
Horse owners say that a product which steams their animals’ hay, is saving them money, while providing their horses with a healthier diet.
The Happy Horse Hay Steamer, from Happy Horse Products - based in Budleigh Salterton in Devon - helps to preserve the nutrients in hay, while removing harmful bacteria.
Steaming – used by the medical and veterinary professions for sterilisation – is a process that is easily adapted when it comes to providing quality feed for horses.
Mr Cliff Cogger, Director of Happy Horse Products, explains:
“We have all been told, ‘If you steam your vegetables you retain all the goodness.’ – well, the same applies to hay.
Steaming keeps the nutrients within the hay, resulting in a higher-energy feed. This means you can save money by feeding your horse less to meet the desired digestible energy requirements. What’s more, the process takes just 35 minutes.”
With the steamer reaching 80 degrees in temperature, it removes 99.9% of mould and dust – a huge benefit for a horse’s health:
“Repeated exposure to the dust, dust mites and fungal spores in hay can permanently damage a horse’s respiratory system.’
Whether you choose to feed hay, haylage or steamed hay, there are advantages and disadvantages. But it appears that steaming is increasingly the top choice of professional and amateur riders.
Olympic Show Jumper Ben Maher said:
“I prefer to feed hay rather than haylage as I believe it’s a more natural diet. But we have then had to soak a lot of our hay to reduce dust.
By changing to a Happy Horse Hay Steamer, life has been made so much easier. The horses eat the steamed hay better, there’s less waste and there’s no coughing on the yard. With our steamer we’re saving time, water and money – I can’t recommend it highly enough.”
Happy Horse Hay Steamer
