Hay and haylage are both forms of conserved forage commonly fed to stabled horses or those on poorer pasture. The difference between them is the way in which they are conserved. With hay, water is removed to 15% or below and with haylage, air is removed so that anaerobic bacteria can ferment the sugars and create an acid that preserves the forage. It is crucially important for your horses health to feed good quality forage. If it's dusty, mouldy, smells like tobacco (caused by microbial activity) or you are unsure, do not feed it! Its always worth getting your forage analysed to see whether it is making a worthwhile contribution to your horse's diet and whether you will need to supplement their diet with additional feed, i.e. if your hay has a low protein level, feeding an alfalfa-based diet will complement this.

Also known as flash drying, this process is used to retain the freshness and feed value of alfalfa as well as reducing the moisture content to minimise the risk of moulds developing. It involves heating the newly harvested material at 800°C for 4-5 mins, after which it is either pelleted or left as chop with a light molasses coating to bind the highly nutritious leaf to the stem so that it is not lost as dust.