A white substance (often appearing in ‘spots’) is likely yeast which is not a cause for concern and as long as the haylage smells ok, this can be fed. If you are at all concerned, please contact the M&T team and we would be happy to help.

If you open a bale of haylage and it does not look or smell like it should, this might be due to a damaged seal which has allowed air to enter the product, causing spoilage. Please return the product to the stockist, or if bought directly, to M&T.

Horses that have a history of laminitis and are therefore prone to laminitis require a forage that is ideally less than 10% water soluble carbohydrates (WSC) sugars)). For this reason, not all forages or haylages for that matter are suitable. While soaking hay for 12 hours can reduce WSC levels it cannot guarantee to reduce these to below 10% and therefore safe to feed. For those prone to or with a history of laminitis, we recommend M&T’s Timothy Hay. Our Timothy Hay is analysed and the WSC levels monitored to ensure that the end product is below the 10% WSC threshold. Timothy Hay should be fed alongside a low starch and sugar concentrate ration (ideally a balancer or vitamin and mineral supplement) and provided alongside sensible grazing restriction during high risk periods. If you have any concerns or queries about feeding a laminitic, please contact our nutritionist.

While haylage is typically lower in sugar in comparison to hay, making sugar itself unlikely to be the cause of fizzy behaviour, an early cut haylage will be more digestible and therefore provide more nutrients and digestible energy (calories) in comparison to most hay. However, the type of energy provided by haylage is ‘slow release’ and therefore less often associated with fizzy behaviour. As haylage provides a good level of digestible nutrients we often recommend that this can reduce your reliance on concentrate feeds – reducing ‘bucket feed’ when feeding haylage and thereby often reducing starch intake can help to reduce the likelihood of fizzy behaviour. If you are having difficulty getting to the bottom of fizzy behaviour or would like advice before changing to haylage, contact our nutritionist for a full diet review. Also, remember we also have later cut haylage available such as Low Energy Haylage which offers a lower energy option.

A common misconception is that haylage is more palatable and sweet-smelling due to being higher in sugar. This is in fact incorrect. Haylage is typically lower in sugar in comparison to hay, the reason being that during the ensiling process (post baling when haylage is wrapped and left to ferment), the bacteria that facilitates fermentation utilises sugars within the haylage converting them to lactic acid and volatile fatty acids making the end product of haylage lower in sugars. It is important to note, that while typically lower in sugar, as haylage is usually cut when the grass is less mature, it tends to be more digestible and therefore higher in energy than hay and therefore horses tend to do well on it. However, later cut or high fibre varieties of haylage are also available such as Low Energy Haylage offering a lower energy/calorie alternative.

As haylage provides a good level of digestible energy and nutrients we recommend that this can reduce your reliance on concentrate feeds – often meaning that when changing to haylage the amount of hard feed fed can be reduced. This can be of great benefit to those with sharp or fizzy horses or horses with clinical issues looking to source less energy/calories from starch (cereals and concentrate feed) and more from slow-release sources such as fibre. Be mindful when reducing the hard feed ration to still ensure your horse is receiving a balanced diet – if you have any concerns, please feel free to contact our nutritionist.

During the winter months, depending on your horse’s routine and workload, his nutritional requirements may also change. For those who are stabled over the winter months with reduced grazing, nutritional requirements may drop (unless workload is increased), where this change in requirements is not reflected in the diet, this can commonly lead to excess energy/calories presenting in either unwanted behaviour or weight gain. If this is the case, you might want to take a step down from your current forage onto a slightly lower energy/calorie forage. See our product guide for details.

Another factor to consider during the winter months is the reduced activity (often due to limited turnout and fewer riding opportunities) and how this might impact the horse’s digestive tract. We also know that during the colder months our horses tend to drink less. Both of these factors can pose risk to gut function. Forage choice can be instrumental in mediating this risk. Haylage having a high moisture content can help to increase water intake and keep the gut moving.

Any changes to the diet should be made gradually but we know as forage represents such a large proportion of the diet, that any changes in this part of the ration should be even more considered than changes to the bucket feed. We recommend introducing the product over a 2-4-week period. Longer for those with any history of digestive issues (colic) and for those where the new product will be their sole forage source. It is recommended that initially the new product is mixed in with the current forage and over a period of 2-4 weeks the quantity of the new product is increased, and the original forage decreased. Keep an eye on your horse’s manure during the changeover, any significant difference in consistency or smell may indicate that the gut is struggling, if this is the case continue to increase but at a slower pace.

Depending on what forage you have changed from, it is quite common for horses to find haylage, in particular, a very palatable option, and so you might notice them tucking in more eagerly and perhaps eating more! Firstly, remember that if you are changing from hay to haylage, it is likely that you will need to feed slightly more in order to ensure his appetite for dry matter is met, as such he may need to eat slightly more. Secondly, it is great that you are monitoring his intake, continue to do so and typically your horse will self-regulate his intake within a couple of weeks. In the meantime, you can employ methods to slow his eating. If you are still concerned he is eating too much, please get in touch and our nutritionist would be happy to advise.

There are a number of reasons why this might have happened, firstly, if the transition from your old forage to new forage was too quick. In order to digest fibre, the horse relies on a population of microbes in the hindgut which do not like change. Subsequently, changes to the diet should be made gradually over a 2-4-week period, if possible. If your horse has a sensitive digestive system or has shown symptoms of digestive disruption (like loose droppings) post-diet changes previously, a longer transitional period is recommended. Initially, the new product should be mixed in with the current forage and over a period of 2-4 weeks the quantity of the new product should be increased, and the original forage decreased. Keep an eye on your horse’s manure during the changeover, any significant difference in the consistency or smell may indicate that the gut is struggling, if this is the case continue to increase but at a slower pace.

Another factor that may have contributed to loose droppings is where haylage is underfed. As haylage is higher in moisture compared to hay, more needs to be fed in order to meet minimum fibre requirements. If minimum fibre requirements are not met, this can cause loose droppings. On the packaging of M&T haylage products, minimum feeding rates based on moisture content are stated to help ensure requirements for nutrients (crucially fibre) are met.

Haylage might be described as a hybrid of hay and silage – it is grown and cut similarly to hay, but it is baled before it is dry, then bagged or wrapped much like silage. Due to this process, haylage retains much more nutrients than hay with a higher moisture content. This makes haylage an excellent option for those looking for a palatable, clean and nutritious forage and can help to reduce reliance on concentrate feeds.

While both essentially preserved grass, there are many differences between hay and haylage. Some of the fundamental differences stem from the methods through which these grass products are preserved, hay through dehydration and haylage through fermentation. In order for these processes to be successful, haylage is typically cut slightly earlier (when it is less mature) and hay slightly later (more mature). The end products themselves vary significantly in dry matter (the amount left when moisture has been removed) haylage tending to be lower in dry matter (have more moisture) than hay. This higher moisture content brings with it many benefits, one of which is that it has minimal dust content, making it ideal for performance horses, those with respiratory problems and stabled horses full stop! Haylage also tends to be more palatable with the added benefit of boosting moisture intake which can be key for performance and older horses. A common misconception is that haylage is more palatable and sweet smelling due to being higher in sugar. This is in fact incorrect. Haylage is typically lower in sugar in comparison to hay, the reason being that during the ensiling process (post baling when haylage is wrapped and left to ferment), the bacteria that facilitates fermentation utilises sugars within the haylage converting them to lactic acid and volatile fatty acids. It is important to note, that while typically lower in sugar, as haylage is usually cut when the grass is less mature, it tends to be more digestible and therefore higher in energy than hay and therefore horses tend to do well on it. However, later cut or high fibre varieties of haylage are also available such as Low Energy Haylage offering a lower energy/calorie alternative.

While hay is traditionally considered a poor relation to haylage in terms of nutrient content and digestibility, this is not always the case. A wide variety of hay products can be produced, ranging from highly digestible, early cut, ryegrass varieties which are a popular choice for race and performance horses to high fibre, low calorie and sugar timothy hay, which is sought after for good doers and those prone to laminitis. All M&T hay products are dust extracted producing a clean and palatable forage.

In addition to the choice of hay or haylage increasingly, there is also the choice of different grass species. Generally speaking, forage can be broadly categorised as either meadow or seed hay/haylage. While a meadow forage typically refers to a forage taken from permanent pasture containing a variety of grass species, a seed hay/haylage refers to forage taken from pasture specifically sown for hay/haylage production. Typically, a seed hay or haylage can provide a more consistent end product but meadow varieties are still popular for their traditional mix of grass species.

Seed forages are however increasingly popular offering a flexible choice for horse owners, a choice in a variety of grass species often making it easier to select the most suitable product. Timothy and ryegrass are the most common species available. Timothy grasses tend to be lower in overall energy/calories when compared to ryegrass forages, making timothy-based forages often more suitable for the better doer and leisure horse.

Descriptions of products may contain details such as early or late, first or second cut; these descriptions provide an indication of digestibility and nutrients. The number of the cut, first or second (or even third) refers to whether it is the first crop taken or a subsequent cut from a particular field. These descriptions are typically only used for more intensively grown grass crops which are cut once, then left and what is regrown is then cut again. While cut ‘number’ can have some bearing on nutritional content, the maturity of the grass when it is cut is more significant. In the simplest sense, late or early cut refers to whether the grass is cut earlier in a more vegetative (growing) state which is typically more digestible (better for the poor doer), or later in a more mature state which is typically more fibrous and less digestible (more suitable for the good doer).

Horses require a minimum of 1.5% of their bodyweight in dry matter in fibre per day. All of our packaging has recommendations depending on the typical dry matter of a particular product. As dry matter (the amount of moisture in forage) varies for each product, it is impossible to provide a general recommended amount for all haylage. Please see minimum quantities per day below for the different products and bear in mind that if your horse requires more weight/condition/energy, you can feed any of our products on an ad lib basis.

How long a bale lasts is dependent on numerous factors including, workload, age, bodyweight and body condition. However, as a rough guide, a bale of haylage (when fed as the sole forage source) will last 2-3 days for a 15hh (approx. 450kg) horse. For those with multiple horses, our larger bale sizes may offer a more economic option.

As with haylage, the length of time a bale will last depends on horse workload, age, bodyweight and condition, among various other factors. However, as a rough guide, a bale of hay when fed as the sole forage source will last 1.5-2 days for a 15hh (approx 450kg) horse. For those with multiple horses, our larger bale sizes may offer a more economic option.

Our wrapped haylage and hay products can be stored outside, while our strapped products require inside storage. Ideally when storing M&T products, ensure that packaging is regularly checked for damage and stored in a situation which minimises this risk. Any damage to packaging which may compromise the seal can lead to spoilage of the product. Where good storage conditions allow, these products can easily be stored for 12 months.

Key factors which will have a bearing on how long haylage lasts once opened are climate and product type. For this reason, the length of time haylage can be fed once opened, is given as a range of 3-7 days.

In warmer climates or during the summer months in the UK our haylage products will last for a minimum of 3 days once opened. In colder climates or during the winter months in the UK, this can easily extend to 7 days.

The type of product (its moisture content and pH) will also impact shelf life once opened. Products such as Low Energy haylage tend to last longer once opened compared to Haylage Elite. Talk to our team to help decide on the right bale size for you, to help optimise your horse’s ration.

Any changes to the diet should be made gradually but we know as forage represents such a large proportion of the diet, that any changes in this part of the ration should be even more considered than changes to the bucket feed. We recommend introducing the product over a 2-4-week period. Longer for those with any history of digestive issues (colic) and for those where the new product will be their sole forage source. It is recommended that initially the new product is mixed in with the current forage and over a period of 2-4 weeks the quantity of the new product is increased, and the original forage decreased. Keep an eye on your horse’s manure during the changeover, any significant difference in consistency or smell may indicate that the gut is struggling, if this is the case continue to increase but at a slower pace.