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68: The Dos and Don'ts of Soaking Hay for Your Horse
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This week, we are following up on our last discussion about sourcing the right hay for your horse by focusing on the practice of soaking hay.
Soaking hay is a common strategy for reducing sugar levels for sugar-sensitive horses. This practice is helpful for horses with insulin resistance, acute laminitis, or high-insulin PSSM.
Join us to learn how to soak hay to improve your horse's health and ensure longevity while avoiding the associated risks.
When and Why to Soak Hay
Soaking hay can be helpful, but it should only be done when necessary, in cases of acute laminitis, severe insulin resistance, or PSSM, where high sugar levels in hay contribute to the problem. Soaking is not something you want to rely on long-term or use just in case. You must always consider whether it is doing more good than harm and use it as a short-term tool when you do not have a better option.
Keep It Temporary
If you need to soak hay, do it for a limited time, perhaps two weeks. If sugar is the issue, you will typically see changes in your horse within 24 to 48 hours. If nothing improves after soaking the hay for several weeks, the problem may not be sugar-related. If you continue to soak at that point, it could deplete essential nutrients.
Be Aware of Nutrient Loss
Remember that soaking does not only remove sugars. It also pulls out vital minerals and amino acids. Since hay is less nutritious than fresh forage, soaking can make it even more deficient. For horses with metabolic conditions, PPID, or PSSM, the loss of nutrition could cause a slow and steady decline in their overall health.
Think Beyond Sugar
Sugar is only part of the story. Inflammation, poor hoof balance, and limited movement can also drive high insulin and hoof pain. If insulin remains elevated and symptoms persist, chronic inflammation could be the cause, not sugar. Always step back and assess the whole horse.
Use Soaking Strategically
Limiting your hay soaking to 15–20 minutes is usually enough to reduce sugar without removing too many essential nutrients. Soaking is ineffective for lowering protein and should not be used to manage dust- a quick spray with water works better. Avoid long-term soaking, as it can do more harm than good by further depleting an already nutrient-poor feed.
Have a Plan
If you are soaking hay, take the opportunity to put a longer-term plan in place to support the metabolic health of your horse. It might involve switching to hay with a lower sugar content, adding essential nutrients, reviewing your trim schedule, and encouraging more movement. The goal is to rebuild resilience rather than relying on an ongoing restriction.
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