19/09/2026
🐴Un résumé intéressant des questions qu'on peut se poser sur le trempage du foin ! Et son intérêt en fonction des pathologies de vos compagnons ! Merci à Clare
(Et oui c'est en anglais! Mais cliquez sur traduire 😉 )
HAY SOAKING TRUTHS 🟨💧
If I had a pound for every time I get asked about this, I'd be rich!
There always seems to be nutribaloney circulating about soaking hay - for example whether or not it should actually be soaked.
Some Q&As to help...
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Q: Does soaking hay strip it of nutrients?
A: Yes - that's the whole point (unless you're soaking for up to 30 mins for respiratory health) - we're long- soaking to reduce BOTH calories (energy) & water soluble carbs (sugar & fructan)
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Q: Can we replace the useful nutrients lost e.g. minerals?
A: Yes - that's why we add a balancer or vitamin & mineral supplement to the diet, because soaking may reduce some mineral levels
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Q: Do we soak for just sugar reduction?
A: No No No No!!!! For overweight horses & ponies or those with insulin dysregulation we soak hay to reduce calories (energy) as well as water soluble carbs (WSC) = sugar AND fructan!!
(Fructan is not sugar. It's made up of sugar units joined by bonds that are not broken by digestive enzymes, but fermented by gut microbes.
The reason some may get confused about fructan is they either think it's a sugar or they think it doesn't affect insulin response... both are incorrect).
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Q: Is it safe to test hay for just sugar & starch and then feed it to laminitis / ID / EMS horses & ponies if it's under 12%?
A: Absolutely, categorically NO!! This is really important. Both calories and fructan (WSC) can be highly variable in hay and you could cause laminitis by feeding unsoaked hay of unknown energy (calorie) and WSC content. Furthermore, analysing hay is only an estimation of what that particular sample contained and results should be used with care.
To focus solely on sugar and starch and insulin response and forget calories (dietary energy) and body fat level for all horses and ponies - especially laminitics - is plain bad advice and shows a complete lack of nutrition knowledge and understanding.
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Q: Do I need to be worried about soaking hay, about mineral losses??
A: Absolutely not. We just need to balance soaked hay with suitable products. Soaking hay is sometimes the only way we can get unhealthy overweight, laminitis-prone, EMS/ID horses & ponies to lose weight without half-starving them.
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Q: How long should I soak my horse's hay?
A: 15-30 minutes for allergies e.g. equine asthma. 2 to 12 hours for reductions in water soluble carbs (sugar and fructan) AND energy (calories). The length of time depends ENTIRELY on your horse's response. You're aiming to feed enough to avoid more than a 4h fast daytime and 6h fast overnight, whilst maintaining a healthily-slim body condition. Soak for as little time as you can but for as long as necessary (max 12h, less in hot weather)
I hope this helps to calm the worry about soaking hay and clarify some nutribaloney.
If you want to join me for a no-nutribaloney experience where you will leave behind confusion, doubt and going around in circles about nutrition and feeding, then comment confidence and I'll message you,
Feel free to share 🐴🍏🟨💧
