Marksway HorseHage High Fibre Blue – Dust Free Forage 23.8kg

Marksway HorseHage High Fibre – Blue Bale

HorseHage High Fibre is the blue bale: a selected mix of grasses cut for fibre rather than for protein and energy, fermented and compressed into a heat-sealed bale. It carries the HoofKind logo, which HorseHage use to mark the varieties whose sugar and starch are low enough for horses and ponies prone to laminitis.

The analysis is why people buy it. HorseHage declare 7–10 MJ/kg of energy and 7–10% protein against 34–40% MAD fibre, with starch at 1–2% and ESC sugar under 7.5%. That lets a good doer eat a proper bulk of forage overnight without the calories, and without the guesswork of field hay.

Performance & Benefits

• The lowest-energy of the HorseHage grass varieties at 7–10 MJ/kg.
• Starch 1–2% and ESC sugar under 7.5%, which is what earns it the HoofKind logo.
• 34–40% MAD fibre — long fibre the horse has to work at.
• No chemical additives, mould inhibitors, flavourings, molasses or inoculants.
• Fermented and heat-sealed rather than dried, so it is fed as it comes with no soaking or steaming.
• Consistent bale to bale in a way that field hay is not.

Suitable For

• Native ponies and good doers who need bulk without calories.
• Horses and ponies prone to laminitis.
• Veterans, and horses resting or convalescing.
• Riding club and Pony Club horses in light to moderate work.
• Not enough energy or protein for a hunter, a heavy horse or breeding stock — HorseHage Ryegrass is the variety for those.

Feeding

• Feed as forage. As an absolute minimum, feed the same weight of HorseHage as you would feed hay.
• Change over from hay across 5–7 days, increasing the HorseHage as you reduce the hay.
• HorseHage state that a bale gives an average 500kg horse its overnight forage for three days.
• Do not soak or steam it. It is fed straight from the bale.
• HorseHage recommend a balanced vitamin and mineral supplement alongside, as with any forage-led diet.

Composition & Analysis

• Composition: a selected mix of high-fibre grasses, with no additives of any kind.
• Energy 7–10 MJ/kg. Protein 7–10%. MAD fibre 34–40%. Starch 1–2%. Sugar (ESC) under 7.5%. Dry matter 60%.
• HorseHage state that these represent typical samples and will vary between batches.
• HorseHage publish no bale weight on their own website. The 23.8kg shown in the product title is the supplier's figure.

Care & Caution

• Once a bale is opened, use it within 5–7 days. The same applies from the moment a bale is holed, even if it has not been opened.
• Store unopened bales on pallets rather than directly on ground that can puncture them.