Herb Infused Hay For Horses
For further information about herb infused hay for horses and our products, please select the links below.
If there is something you cannot find, please get in touch using the contact links found at the top & bottom of the page.
HAYVAPE INLINE HERB INFUSION CHAMBER
The Hayvape inline herb infusion chamber is a completely unique device conceived, designed & developed by Hayvape’s founding directors Sarah & Matt. Currently patent pending and proudly manufactured right here in the UK.
It connects inline between the steam generator and the hay steaming box to allow the infusion of the aroma of herbs or similar into your horse’s hay during the steaming process.
The device is simple, yet incredibly effective in how it performs. The optimum specification of the chamber gives you the maximum flavour output.
QUICK START GUIDE
Connect the chamber between the steam generator and the hay steaming box. Ensure that the steam generator connects to the upper connection (nearest the screw cap) and the hay steaming box connects to the lower connection. If you have purchased one of our complete systems, this will already have been done for you at our factory.
Add your chosen dried herbs to the supplied basket until it is about ¾ full. This will allow for the herbs to swell slightly as they are steamed and become re-hydrated.
Screw the cap on hand tight until you feel some resistance on the rubber sealing ring. (do not over tighten to avoid possible damage.)
Steam for the required time to achieve to operating temperatures specified by your hay steamer manufacturer. Our systems can reach the required 90°C within 30 mins. Maintain this temperature for a minimum of 10 minutes.
Once steaming is complete, turn off the steam generator. Leave the entire system for 2 minutes (or times stated by your own manufacturer) before opening any component. This will allow the steam to settle and avoid possible scalding. Do not attempt to remove the stainless-steel basket until it has cooled properly.
KEY FEATURES
- Unique design.
- Heat resistant materials.
- Food grade plastics used for chamber and cap.
- Stainless-steel mesh basket.
- Nitrile rubber gasket.
- Works with any currently available hay steaming system.
- 2-year warranty.
HAYVAPE STEAM GENERATOR
The Hayvape Steam Generator has been designed to be one of the most productive, safest and easiest to use steam generators on the market. It produces steam at just the right pressure for fast effective steaming of the hay.
Fitted with a special, two-stage anti-scald system which helps prevent the sudden escape of hot steam and water should the user tamper with the cap when the steamer is in use.
The hot steam tank, made from marine grade alloy that will not rust, is fully shielded from the user by a secondary outer plastic casing, whilst four castors provide excellent manoeuvrability.
Completely self-contained with no loose parts.
QUICK START GUIDE
Simply fill with filtered water and connect to the power supply. The generator will steam-up in 10 to 15 minutes and continue to run for up to an hour and a half before switching off automatically when a low water level is reached.
The user then simply disconnects the generator from the power supply, waits 2 minutes to allow the steamer to cool, and then refills. This eliminates the need for the user to remember to constantly check the water level and removes the need for troublesome switches, buzzers or sight glasses. Even if the generator is left connected to the power supply with a low water level it will safely switch on and off as the heating element cools down and heats up.
KEY FEATURES
- Simple “plug & steam” operation
- Thermal overheat cut-out.
- Anti-scald system.
- Stainless steel heater element.
- Completely self-contained.
- Covered steam tank.
- Deep drawn marine alloy construction.
- 4 castors for easy manoeuvrability.
- 2-year warranty.
HAYVAPE HAY STEAMING BOX
The Hayvape hay steaming boxes are robust and designed to last. Made from polyethylene plastic with stainless steel hinges and catches for continued reliability and preformation.
With a choice of sizes available to suit everyone from the hobbyist to the large yard owner/managers. We even have a compact travel system just right for steaming one hay net at a time, so that you can keep you horse happy whilst away at shows and events.
QUICK START GUIDE
KEY FEATURES
- Permanently fixed stainless-steel steam tubes.
- Removable stainless-steel hay support mesh.
- Pre-installed Hayvape infusion chamber.
- Secure & lockable, double action stainless-steel catches.
- Heavy duty stainless-steel hinges.
- Integrated carry handles.
- Full rubber gasket.
- Drain plug.
- 1-year warranty.
DRIED HERBS – APPLICABLE TO ALL HERBS SOLD BY HAYVAPE
Various size bags available. All herbs sold by weight unless otherwise specified.
Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy Free, Naturally Gluten Free.
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS:
Store in a cool dry place away from sunlight.
Can be refrigerated or frozen (in a sealed air tight container) to extend the shelf life.
CAUTION:
Processed & packaged on premises that handles nuts (including peanuts), seeds, cereals, soya, egg, dairy and other known allergens & products containing gluten. Hayvape Ltd request that our manufactures take all reasonable and practicable precautions to prevent cross contamination of any allergens.
Hayvape Ltd does not knowingly supply, use or handle any genetically modified ingredients or derivatives. Our products are 100% natural and free of any artificial flavours, preservatives or additives.
Please be aware that while Hayvape Ltd. take every care to ensure the product information that is displayed on our website is correct, manufacturers often change their product recipes. This may affect nutrition, ingredient, and allergen information. Therefore, you should always check product labels before use, and not rely solely on the information presented here. If you have any questions or specific concerns, please use the contact form or telephone number displayed on our website sale sales receipt.
Last Updated by Hayvape Ltd. V1.1 August 2020
Hayvape stock accessories and spare parts should something get lost or damaged.
Please see our online shop for current items available to purchase or feel free to contact us and we can discuss your requirements.
If there is something you are after, but are struggling to find it, let us know and we can look into a bespoke solution or point you in the right direction to one of our suitable partners.
Hay Steaming
For further information about steaming hay and all of its benefits, please select the links below.
If there is something you cannot find, please get in touch using the contact links found at the top & bottom of the page.
Steaming hay has been scientifically proven, by multiple recognised bodies, to substantially reduce harmful, naturally occurring bacterial and fungal spores. These can lead to a variety of illnesses and diseases which can cause long term health issues in your horse.
The reduction in both bacterial & fungal spores and hay mites can be over 98% when steaming hay to a temperature of over 90⁰C for 10 minutes or more. During our testing, both in-house and independently, we have been able to achieve temperatures of up to 98.5⁰C for sustained periods of 30 minutes within an hour-long steaming session.
Dust is another factor to take into account when considering the health of your horse. Some horses will be very prone to complications caused by the inhalation of fine dust particles when eating dry hay – especially if the hay is lower quality, or particularly old.
Pulmonary diseases such as COPD are known to be caused by dust, fumes and chemicals entering the airway and passing into the lungs. The introduction of hot water in the form of steam significantly reduces the airborne dust particles in hay.
Remember how that dust gets up your nose when loading a hay net? Sneezing or coughing? Having to brush all that dust from your jodhpurs afterwards? You wouldn’t want to breathe that in whilst eating your dinner, so why should your horse?
The high sustained temperatures achieved in our steamers also softens the hay dramatically. Softer hay with the higher moisture content is actually easier on the mouth and digestive tract. The tougher (and often sharp) dry hay will naturally require greater amounts of water to be consumed whilst eating which results in dilution of the stomach acids, which in turn causes a slower intake of nutrients by slowing digestion.
All of our products are manufactured from high quality materials, assembled by experts and fully backed by a 1-year warranty.
We use the same food grade plastics for the main steam box and the vape chamber that kitchen utensils and storage containers are made from.
Food grade nitrile gaskets and rubber hoses ensure that the steam stays inside the system and doesn’t leak or vent out possibly causing harm.
304 and 316 grade stainless steel grates, steam tubes and fixings inside the unit rule out contamination from corrosion. We don’t use chrome plated or galvanised mild steel components anywhere as these will ultimately fail, or worse still, leach harmful chemicals and carcinogens into the hay.
Nobody else offers such an innovative product to infuse the great flavour of herbs into hay and satisfying the needs of fussy eaters.
Our steam generators are made by an industry leading company with rigorous testing procedures and quality assurance certification. Complying with all relevant standards for electrical safety they also include thermal protection safety cut-outs to ensure the units cannot overheat or burnout.
Our herbs come from some of the foremost companies that specialise in the production of dried herbs and foodstuffs suitable for human consumption.
We are proud to say that Hayvape is designed & manufactured in the UK. Supporting UK companies where possible with our sole aim to bring you the best products and services possible.
Steaming hay is a quick and efficient process of attaining high temperatures for the aforementioned health benefits. Soaking does indeed reduce dust levels within the hay, but cannot achieve the sustained high temperatures required to kill the bacteria and fungal spores.
Whilst you will initially reach a high temperature if pouring boiling water onto the hay, within a minute or two, the temperatures will actually drop to a level in which bacteria can multiply faster than at ambient.
Cold soaking only helps to reduce dust and slightly soften the hay, but does nothing to remove the harmful contaminants.
If the hay is submerged under water, the dust nearest to the outer edge of the hay net will naturally float away and often settle on the surface. Once the hay net is removed from soaking, it is pulled and out of the water, straight through all the dust floating on the surface!
Some of our most commonly asked questions…
Q: Why do I need to steam hay?
A: Steaming hay drastically reduces the number of airborne particles including dust, spores and microbes which are naturally present in dry hay. It also has the benefits of using heat to kill off harmful bacteria.
Q: Does soaking hay work as well?
A: Soaking hay does work to reduce dust, but most fine dust particles float in water. Whilst the hay is submerged, they float to the surface. When the hay is removed it gets pulled up through all of that rubbish and it collects straight back on the surface of the hay. The lack of sustained high temperatures mean that the harmful bacteria will still be present.
Q: What does the steam do to the herbs?
A: The steam heats, softens and rehydrates the herbs. During this process the force of the steam that is pushed through and around the herbs contained within the Hayvape chamber, carries the flavour and aroma through to the hay.
Q: Which herbs do you recommend?
A: We have had some great results on our test horses using peppermint. We have heard good reports from people who have tested Chamomile, Lemon Verbena, Meadowsweet & Comfrey.
We have even had great success using garlic granules in the system, but be prepared for a heady aroma around the yard when using garlic.
Q: Do you sell herbs?
A: Yes, we do. All of our herbs come from specialist herb growers and are proven to be top quality in terms of flavour and great value too.
Q: What if I want herbs that aren’t listed on your website?
A: Please give us a call or use our contact form for any special requests. We work with multiple suppliers and growers both in the UK and around the world, so should be able to source exactly what you are after.
Q: Do you sell spares or upgrade parts?
A: Yes, we do. Should something get lost or damaged, then we are able to send out the replacement parts you need. If the item isn’t listed in the shop, please give us a call or use our contact form.
Q: I want one of your systems, but can’t afford it. Do you do offer payment plans?
A: We currently don’t offer payment plans or finance agreements. Some of the companies that you can use as payment methods offer their own finance options.
We do occasionally have refurbished ex-demonstration systems available. These might just be parts or complete units and will be shown in the clearance section of our online shop.
Q: Is there any way to “try before I buy”?
A: We do arrange visits to local yards to showcase our system. Why not get a group of your friends together and make an afternoon of it? We bring all the kit to your yard – all you need to supply is an electric socket and some hay!
We also arrange travelling further afield, but this normally carries a week or two lead time depending on our existing schedule at the time of booking.
We also try to get to as many events and shows as we can. Please follow us on Twitter for details of where we will be going next.
Q: Are you a sustainable company?
A: Although our products have plastic, aluminium and stainless steel in them, everything we sell is fully recyclable.
Our packaging is 100% recyclable / bio-degradable and we use expanded card and paper everywhere possible so that you can even chuck it in the muck heap or into existing bedding.
If you have bought something from us that you no longer need or has been damaged, we will happily take it back for free and ensure of its proper disposal to a registered recycling agent.