Perfect Partners: Steamed hay and ComfortStall flooring offer multiple horse health benefits for meticulous Texas owner.
Kim F Miller
Equestrian writer
They all recommended ComfortStall
Anne Klein keeps her horses at a boarding and training facility in Austin, Texas, where stall construction and materials are not typically an individual boarder's decision. Even though it's not her own barn, Anne became curious about the wide-ranging impact that flooring has on her horses.
“What started with curiosity about flooring turned into a research project,” Anne laughs. “I asked veterinarians, equine body workers, homeopaths, farriers, friends and anyone who owns horses what flooring they recommend. They all recommended ComfortStall.”
At the outset of that research she had “no intention” of investing in flooring at a stable she didn’t own. In her conversations with equine professionals and owners, she heard first-hand stories about reduced hock sores, reduced stocking up, no urine soaking into the stall base, level stall floors, proprioception, air quality, shaving and time savings and more.
Anne could not be happier with how her horses have reacted to the flooring. Blankets dusted in shavings indicate they are lying down to rest and sleep more often. They're stocking up less and hock sores and occasional cases of thrush are gone, she reports happily.
ComfortStall and Haygain steaming partner really well,” Anne says.
Perfect Partners
Discovering the flooring led Anne to ComfortStall's sister product, Haygain Steamed Hay. Haygain’s high-temperature hay steaming rids hay of dust, mold, fungi and bacteria found in even top-quality hay. In hay or floating around the stall and barn aisle, these respirable irritants are the main cause of respiratory problems that affect a high percentage of active horses, often without obvious symptoms.
“ComfortStall and Haygain steaming partner really well,” Anne says.
She feeds primarily compressed Timothy hay and has noticed that the hydrating impact of the steaming process “plumps” the hay to where she's feeding less of it without seeing any loss of weight or nutrients in her horses. They get a bit less but eat more of what they get. Rumi use to dunk his hay in the water trough. That was great for hydration, but made a terrible mess, Anne recalls. Plus, wet hay can be a petri dish of bacteria growth if left uneaten for even a short period of time. Hay dunking is another thing of the past since Rumi began eating steamed hay.
Since her human children grew up and flew the coop, Anne's horses have become the main beneficiaries of her loving and attentive daily care. "I am really blessed to be able to own horses now that I'm retired," she reflects. Providing thorough care for them makes emotional and practical sense. “Whether your horse cost $200,000 or $5,000, the cost of that horse means nothing if you can’t ride it and enjoy it.”
How can Haygain help your horse?
Haygain is committed to improving the respiratory and musculoskeletal health of horses through research and innovation. Numerous scientific trials have shown that Haygain's high-temperature steaming eliminates 99% of dust, mold, bacteria and fungi in hay; effectively removing the health threat from respirable dust.
Developed by riders, for riders, we understand the importance of clean forage and a healthy stable environment for maintaining the overall well-being of the horse. Our hay steamers are recommended by many of the world’s leading riders, trainers and equine veterinarians. Find out more by clicking on one of the links below.
