Herb Infused Hay For Horses

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.