The production of high quality fodder for horses is becoming more popular. Whilst the system of forage conservation is broadly similar to the ‘standard’ ensilage process, bale wrapping for horses is acknowledged as much more critical process demanding higher standards and quality of workmanship to guarantee good results.

It must be remembered that correct wrapping of high Dry Matter crops, such as Haylage, requires a minimum of 6 layers of film (2+2+2) to reduce the risk of film puncture from the drier crop stems as well as providing the highest air-tight seal to the bale.

As the Dry Matter (DM) content of forage for horses is much higher than ‘standard’ silage, the film must be able to provide the extra strength to cope with drier grass and stems, as well as grass stubble on the field.

Bales of horse haylage are often subjected to greater handling than silage bales. As a result, the film needs to be up to the task! Stablemate is specifically designed to withstand this extra handling, offering greater resistance against tearing and perforations.

As a rule, a horse should have at least 1 kg DM roughage per 100 kg body weight per day. For a horse weighing 500kg this means that regardless of whether the horse is given hay, haylage or both, the minimum ration of roughage should be 5kg DM per day. If the haylage contains 55% DM, the horse therefore needs 5 kg DM/0.55 = mimimum 9 kg haylage.