When the Archers, that classic Radio 4 tale of everyday country folk brings into its storyline the theft of hundreds of hay bales from Brookefield you know that there's a real truth lurking behind this fictional event.
The theft of hay and straw has steadily increased over the last year; only last month �4000 worth of straw was stolen from the vicinity of Oswestry. While the idea of theft from farms and stables usually brings to mind chainsaws, tractors, quads, trailers and diesel, thanks to the less than ideal weather conditions we've had in the UK in the last couple of years the yield of hay and straw has dropped and as a consequence sent prices soaring.
Last winter small hay bales were on sale for �10 and in some parts of the country owners were limited to 2 bales per week per horse. This year still in a fairly mild autumn, the price of this years crop is already nudging �6 in some areas.
Straw too has risen dramatically in price. Only two years ago you could buy it at 50p a bale but now you're more likely to pay �2 and by the end of the year this price could double. Not only a victim of the weather, straw is also now being used as fuel for carbon neutral power stations and for insulation.
So it's not surprising that thieves are targeting these often unprotected supplies. Having a full barn is now a very precious and expensive asset.
Which is why it's important we seriously start to think about how best to secure our winter feed and bedding if we don't want to see it disappearing overnight. Taking the strings off makes both hay and straw very difficult to steal. Be suspicious of strangers turning up out of the blue asking to buy a bale or two, they may not be as innocent as they appear. Also beware of anyone asking if you would like to buy hay or straw for cash. The horse community can be very trusting and you may think you've got yourself a bargain but at what cost to someone else's horse? Also don't assume that your insurance company will cover the cost of stolen hay or straw; it's worth checking up on your policy.
Fibre should be the basis of every horse's diet as their digestive system is not made for high levels of concentrated feed or low amounts of grass and hay. So it's also worth considering how we can make our hay go further especially if we are in for another rough winter. The idea of padding out a haynet with barley straw is one idea worth thinking about. The advantage of barley straw is that is is low in calories but high in fibre but on the downside it's not good for a horse susceptible to colic.
Have you got any suggestions you would like to share on keeping hay and straw safe? Do you have some bright ideas for making them go further? Then discuss them in the Horse Care group. We appreciate any tips whichever country you live in. As the cost of keeping horses rises we all need to pull together.
By Prue 'Dazzle' Boyd.
Source: http://blog.trotontv.com/2011/10/hay-hands-off.html
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