As a pony owner, you don't need it specifically pointed out to you that the hay you feed your horses must be free of dust as much as humanly possible. That is a obvious truth. But the actual fact that hay is a natural product grown and baled in fields of mud, makes it very tricky to keep it completely free of dust. Hay is vegetation which has grown in dust. Dust is dry dirt. Dust problems get exaggerated if it had rained a couple of days before baling the hay. Hay can get mouldy if it gets exposed to water. I am a mould and mildew expert, and can smell them at long distances. It doesn't need such sensitivity to make out the presence of mold and mildew , however , because they telegram themselves in a number of ways.
If some part of the hay from a bale feels heavier than the other parts, you know you have a potential difficulty with mould. Sniff around, and if there is mold, you will be able to make it out. If it appears to be present, open up the bale and give it a close inspection. You will be able to make out mold or mildew easily. Don't feed the hay to your horses if it shows the slightest signs of mould.
Prevention is always far better than cure. If the hay looks dusty, but does not smell dusty or mouldy, you can try to get rid of the dust by soaking it or hosing it down with water. You can always return the hay to the supplier.
If you are dealing with light amounts of dust, shake the bale out and dampen it. Ideally, you would never have dust in hay. We are not living in a perfect world nonetheless , because if we were you'd be getting hay cut shortly after a good rain and cured in a sunny dust-free environment before getting baled.
That sort of hay would remind you about green grass, odour-wise.
If some part of the hay from a bale feels heavier than the other parts, you know you have a potential difficulty with mould. Sniff around, and if there is mold, you will be able to make it out. If it appears to be present, open up the bale and give it a close inspection. You will be able to make out mold or mildew easily. Don't feed the hay to your horses if it shows the slightest signs of mould.
Prevention is always far better than cure. If the hay looks dusty, but does not smell dusty or mouldy, you can try to get rid of the dust by soaking it or hosing it down with water. You can always return the hay to the supplier.
If you are dealing with light amounts of dust, shake the bale out and dampen it. Ideally, you would never have dust in hay. We are not living in a perfect world nonetheless , because if we were you'd be getting hay cut shortly after a good rain and cured in a sunny dust-free environment before getting baled.
That sort of hay would remind you about green grass, odour-wise.
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Horses are Heather
Toms passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of
articles with other horse lovers, like all things about cheap horse rugs
Toms passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of
articles with other horse lovers, like all things about cheap horse rugs
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