Podcast #031 – Molds, Mycotoxins And Soaking Horse Hay

Reducing the extra body fat on our horses is the best, if not the only, way to improve and eliminate metabolic syndrome. But is there a cost to their health in the increased production of molds with mycotoxins when doing this?

I attended a symposium put on by the European Equine Health & Nutrition Congress in the Netherlands that addresses molds and mycotoxins in forage. I thought this would be where I could get all the answers to the questions horse owners had asked about mold development in soaked hay. However, all I got was confusion and little evidence based answers. The clearest answer I received, which was directed to my question asked in the Q&A section, was given by a representative of the hay steaming company Haygain.

If you are frustrated at the end of this podcast I understand as I am frustrated too. However, some insights were gained and some validation achieved.