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Who can benefit from feetfirst^TM hay

It is suitable for all horses and ponies including those needing a low sugar and starch diet for the management of laminitis, Insulin Resistance, Equine Metabolic Syndrome, PPID (Cushings), Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy, barefoot, good doers and native ponies, or a high forage diet for gastric ulcers or box rest.

According to independent nutrition experts, insulin resistance and laminitis are best controlled when the combined sugar (ESC) and starch levels in hay are below 10%**. This is the upper limit we set for feetfirst^TM hay.

What is different about feetfirst^TM hay

The grasses we use to produce feetfirst^TM hay have been scientifically selected to produce consistent quality palatable horse hay containing low levels of sugar and starch. Our unique grass mixture is based on Timothy and traditional pasture grasses. It does not contain ryegrass.

All feetfirst^TM hay is made from the same grass mixture so the composition of each batch is as consistent as possible.

Nutritional and Mineral Analysis

We comprehensively test every batch of hay so we know the level of sugar, starch and protein.

We also do a mineral analysis of each batch which is essential for customers who require bespoke supplementation.
Copies of both analyses are available to all our customers.

Why sugar and starch content is so important

Many equines are sensitive to sugar and starch due to the resultant rise in insulin levels. This can manifest as slightly ‘footy’ through to clinical laminitis.

If hay has not been analysed, it is impossible to know if it is suitable for Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) or PPID horses and ponies which are inherently at risk from laminitis.

Every batch of feetfirst^TM hay has undergone the most rigorous tests available and meets our standard of less than 10% combined sugar (ESC) and starch.

Why Water Soluble Carbohydrates are important for weight management

Most Water Soluble Carbohydrate (WSC) is digested in the hindgut where the fermentation process slowly releases their breakdown products (sugars) into the bloodstream. This slow release does not cause a surge in blood glucose so insulin levels respond more slowly. They do however still contribute to the energy content of the diet and this is reflected in the Digestible Energy (DE) value.

If your horse or pony is a very good doer and you want to increase the rate of weight loss, then soaking feetfirst^TM hay will remove some of the Water Soluble Carbohydrates and reduce the energy content of the diet. By varying the soaking times, you can adjust the energy content according to work load, grass availability and quality. Soaking for shorter periods or feeding dry will provide more energy whereas soaking for up to 12 hours will reduce the energy content as much as possible.