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  Discussion on Soaking hay to lower sugar levels
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Member:
suznhopf

Posted on Saturday, Oct 30, 2010 - 8:00 am:

I've heard from a number of knowledgeable pony owners that if you soak hay for 30-60 minutes that it will break down the sugars so that they are more easily digested and have less of a simple carbohydrate effect on the horse's stomach. Can anyone tell me more about this process or refer me to articles regarding this?

I have a TB mare that had a serious colic issue about two years ago. Ever since I have found that she has a very high motility rate, and hear lots of gurgling (loud) sounds in her belly. I am wondering if the sugar content of the hay contributes to this. She gets free choice grass/alfalfa hay, and is on a high quality concentrate, in low quantities. She gets 1.5 lbs of 20P/20F, and 1.5 lbs of MoorGlow (flax,beet pulp and soy product) a day. I am wondering if she has a low tolerance for the sugars in the hay that is causing the gurgling.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Oct 31, 2010 - 9:18 am:

Hello Suzanne,
What do you see that makes you judge you have a high rate of motility and what kind of serious colic event did you have two years ago?

In general soaking hay does not convert the sugars to anything more digestible. Soaking dissolves some of the nonstructural carbohydrates (mostly digestible and nondigestible sugars) and so dilutes the amount that remains in the hay when it is fed. I do not know of any reason why this might effect motility to any significant effect, it is fiber in the diet that seems to have most control over gi motility.
DrO
Member:
suznhopf

Posted on Sunday, Oct 31, 2010 - 9:39 am:

The colic event occurred on somewhat green hay, when the horse was turned out in a new paddock and most likely stopped drinking water in 90+ heat. She coliced, and was treated for 48 hours on the farm by my vet. She was not improving, so she went to Haygard in Lexington, where she was put on IV for 24 hours. At that point the surgical vet recommended to proceed with surgery, and she was both impacted and had displacement of the large colon (though no torsions). After the surgery her manure was loose for a full year, and she had tremendous gut sounds. You can hear the sound standing about ten feet away from the horse. She appeared to have ulcers when she came home (would lay down after eating a small amount of grain) so we treated her for six weeks with omeprazole generic paste, and that helped it appears with the ulcers. She has not had a colic incident since, and that was well over two years ago. The gut sounds have diminished quite a bit in frequency over the years, but they are still much louder when I do hear them than any other horse I have ever had.

After the colic I experimented with different feed rations, and was able to get her manure from "loose cow patties" to normal by putting her on the Mooreglow and the 20P/20F feed called "Enhance." I believe in feeding free choice hay, and she gets about 15 lbs of grass alfalfa mix a day, and another 10-15 lbs of first cutting grass. This is a high stress TB mare that is a bit difficult to manage and train as she can be excitable. I thought soaking the hay might help her attitude as well as perhaps stop the loud gut sounds. All my hay is bought off the farm, so I know the conditions under which it is cut, cured and baled. My hay is generally cut in the morning and cured over a 18-24 hour window before baled. I am going to try to work with the farmers next year and encourage cutting later in the day, but they wont do it if the window to put up hay does not look right for that. They have schedules too.

Should I just not worry about the loud gut sounds? I still think dissolving and removing the sugars might be beneficial to this horse's training program and feel it is worth a try.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 3, 2010 - 7:55 am:

With the sounds having gone on for over a year and diminishing in intensity, it does not sound like anything to worry about. What type displacement did your horse have and what procedures were done during surgery? Does the sound originate from the same general area of the abdomen?

If you do start soaking your hay note that if your horse is currently in the condition you desire you will need to make up for the energy lost, possibly with vegetable oil. Also vitamins and minerals can be lost so supplementation should be considered.
DrO
Member:
jaynew

Posted on Thursday, Jun 9, 2011 - 4:00 pm:

I'm on here researching hay and have a question about what Suazanne said about having the farmers cut the hay later in the day.

My understanding is that the fructon levels are greater later in the day because of photosynthesis (provided it's not a cloudy day). So by cutting later, wouldn't that negate the goal (lowering sugars) she was attempting to accomplish by soaking the hay to reduce the NSC, by cutting the hay when the fructon levels are the highest, thus making her hay have a higher amount?

I'm only asking about this because I want to make sure that my understanding is correct.

THanks,

Jayne
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Jun 11, 2011 - 2:54 pm:

Hello Jayne,
Fructan production in cool season grasses is a complicated interplay of many factors but in general you have the principle right: all nonstructural carbohydrates, including fructan, tend to be at their lowest levels in the morning.
DrO
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