Horse breeders and owners are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of feed quality. In particular, animals that are more sensitive and susceptible to diseases such as laminitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease require special attention to the levels of water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) and dust particles in their feed. One solution to eliminate WSC and dust particles is to soak the hay in water. In this work we focused on the analysis of WSC content in hay square bales soaked for 20 minutes, 60 minutes, 3 hours, 6 hours and 24 hours. Square and round hay bales soaked for 10, 20, and 60 minutes were used for dust particle analysis. The results show that the content of elements such as sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus decreases during soaking of hay. The content of WSC decreases especially in the first 6 hours of soaking, and after 24 hours the content is lower by about 50%. Results of soaking vary widely and do not indicate which soaking time is best for dust-sensitive horses and whether it is better to feed hay from round or square bales. However, we believe it is advisable to soak hay between 10 and 30 minutes. As for the results of our analysis comparing WSC content in square and round bales, we recommend feeding hay from round bales to horses prone to laminitis because the content is lower. In any case, if breeders and owners decide to soak the hay, we recommend adding appropriate mineral and vitamin supplements to replace the water loss.
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