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Wetting hay reduces allergens that contribute to asthma and decreases nonstructural carbohydrate content. Despite its benefits, soaking for even short periods of time can result in substantial loss of nutrients.

“When horse owners decide to soak hay, they should do so with the knowledge that important nutrients will be leached from the forage, including phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, sodium, and copper,” explained Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D., a nutritionist with Kentucky Equine Research . “To replace the nutrients lost from the water bath, nutritionists recommend that a high-quality vitamin and mineral supplement be fed with soaked hay.”

Further, soaking results in the production of significant wastewater. “High-temperature steaming, on the other hand, produces little wastewater, fails to leach nutrients, lowers nonstructural carbohydrates by as much as half, and decreases aeroallergens known to cause asthma,” Crandell informed.... More