Should You Soak Hay? When It Makes Sense for Your Horse

Soaking hay has become increasingly common among horse owners, particularly those managing horses with metabolic disorders, laminitis risk, insulin resistance, or respiratory concerns. While soaking hay can be beneficial in certain situations, it isn't always necessary—and when done incorrectly, it may reduce valuable nutrients along with sugars.

Understanding when hay soaking is appropriate can help you make better feeding decisions while ensuring your horse receives the nutrition they need.

Why Do Horse Owners Soak Hay?

There are two primary reasons horse owners soak hay:

1. To Reduce Sugar Intake

Owners managing horses with:

• Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS)
• Insulin resistance (IR)
• PPID (Cushing's disease)
• A history of laminitis

may soak hay in an effort to reduce water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC), including sugars.

2. To Reduce Dust

Soaking can also help reduce airborne dust particles for horses with respiratory conditions such as:

• Equine asthma
• Heaves
• Dust sensitivity

Adding moisture to hay may improve airway comfort by reducing dust inhalation during feeding.

Does Soaking Hay Reduce Sugar?

Yes—but the results are highly variable.

Water-soluble sugars can leach into the soaking water, potentially lowering the hay's sugar content. However, the amount removed depends on several factors, including:

• The type of hay
• Initial sugar levels
• Harvest maturity
• Water temperature
• Length of soaking time

Some hays show meaningful reductions in sugar after soaking, while others change very little.

For this reason, soaking should never replace laboratory hay testing.

Test Hay Before You Soak It

One of the biggest mistakes horse owners make is automatically soaking every bale without first knowing its nutritional value.

Hay analysis provides far more useful information than guessing.

In many cases, a properly tested hay with appropriate sugar levels may not require soaking at all. Conversely, some hay may still contain excessive sugars even after soaking.

Testing first allows owners and veterinarians to make informed feeding decisions based on actual nutrient values rather than assumptions.

Can Soaking Remove Other Nutrients?

Yes.

Soaking doesn't remove only sugars. It can also reduce valuable water-soluble nutrients, including:

• Potassium
• Sodium
• Magnesium
• Phosphorus
• Other soluble minerals

If soaked hay is fed long term, the overall diet may require mineral balancing or additional supplementation to replace nutrients lost during soaking.

When Does Soaking Hay Make Sense?

Hay soaking may be appropriate for horses that have:

• Significant insulin dysregulation
• A history of laminitis
• Respiratory sensitivity to dusty hay
• Hay known to contain moderately elevated sugar levels

In these situations, soaking can be a useful management tool while sourcing a more appropriate forage.

When Might Soaking Not Be Necessary?

Not every horse benefits from soaked hay.

If your horse has:

• Normal metabolic function
• A healthy body condition
• Access to high-quality forage that has been tested
• No respiratory concerns

then soaking may provide little additional benefit and may unnecessarily reduce important nutrients.

What About Hay Steaming?

Hay steaming is another option that has become popular, particularly for horses with respiratory issues.

Unlike soaking, steaming primarily helps reduce:

• Dust
• Mold spores
• Airborne particles

Steaming generally has much less effect on sugar content than soaking, making it more suitable for respiratory management than metabolic management.

Best Practices for Soaking Hay

If your veterinarian or equine nutritionist recommends soaking hay, remember to:

• Use clean water.
• Discard the soaking water after use.
• Avoid excessive soaking during hot weather.
• Feed soaked hay promptly to reduce spoilage.
• Continue monitoring your horse's body condition and overall diet.

Most importantly, evaluate the entire feeding program—not just whether hay is soaked.

The Bottom Line

Soaking hay can be an effective management tool for some horses, but it isn't automatically necessary for every horse.

It may help reduce water-soluble sugars and airborne dust, but it also changes the nutritional profile of the forage.

Whenever possible, start with clean, consistent, high-quality hay and have it professionally tested before deciding whether soaking is needed.

Good forage management begins with understanding what's actually in your hay—not simply assuming every bale should be soaked.

At Blue Mountain Hay, we believe better nutrition starts with premium forage. Explore our Horse Hay Collection to find clean, consistent hay grown for quality and performance.

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Duren and Dr. Tania Cubitt, internationally recognized equine nutrition scientists at Performance Horse Nutrition

Content produced in collaboration with
Petzbe Agency