When grass runs short — which in the UK means most of the winter, and often high summer too — your pony's forage comes from a bale. The two main choices are hay and haylage, and new owners are often unsure which their pony needs, why one costs more, or whether it matters. It does matter, especially for the laminitis-prone natives that make up most family ponies. This guide explains the real difference, what each costs, how to store them safely, and how to choose the right one for your pony.
What is the difference between hay and haylage?
Both start life as the same thing — a field of grass, cut and left to dry. The difference is how much they are dried before baling:
- Hay is grass cut and dried in the field until it holds only around 15% moisture, then baled and stored dry. It keeps for up to a year and is the traditional winter forage for most ponies.
- Haylage is grass cut and only semi-wilted — dried to around 40–55% moisture — then tightly wrapped in plastic. Sealed away from air, it ferments slightly, which preserves it. It is dust-free and higher in energy, but once opened it must be used within a few days.
In short: hay is drier, cheaper, keeps for ages and suits most native ponies; haylage is moister, dust-free, higher in energy and better for ponies with breathing problems or those that struggle to hold weight.
Which is better for a laminitis-prone pony?
For the typical good-doing native — the Welsh, Shetland, Dartmoor or New Forest that makes such a good first pony — hay is usually the safer choice, for one important reason: you can soak it.
Soaking hay for 30–60 minutes before feeding leaches out a proportion of the water-soluble sugars that trigger laminitis in susceptible ponies. Haylage, by contrast, tends to be higher in energy and sugar and cannot be soaked, which is the opposite of what a good-doer needs. If your pony is overweight or laminitis-prone, well-made meadow hay — soaked if necessary — is generally the right call.
If you must feed haylage to a laminitis-prone pony (for example, one with a dust allergy), choose a product specifically marketed as low-sugar or high-fibre, ideally with a forage analysis, and restrict the total amount. Never assume a haylage is safe for a good-doer just because it is forage — talk to your vet or a nutritionist.
Read our guide to managing the good-doer for the full picture on grazing and weight, which matters just as much as the choice of bale.
When haylage is the better choice
Haylage genuinely comes into its own for certain ponies:
- Ponies with respiratory issues (coughs, allergies, "heaves"/equine asthma) — haylage is virtually dust- and spore-free, which protects the airways. This is often the single biggest reason owners switch.
- Poor doers that struggle to hold weight — the higher energy content helps put and keep condition on.
- Older ponies that find the softer, moister forage easier to chew.
Even for these ponies, remember that fibre still comes first — haylage is forage, not a shortcut to cutting hard feed. See our feeding guide for how forage fits into the whole diet.
How much should you feed?
The rule of thumb is the same as for grass: a pony needs roughly 1.5–2.5% of its bodyweight in dry matter from forage each day. For a typical 300kg pony that is about 4.5–7.5kg of hay daily. One catch with haylage: because it holds more water, you need to feed a greater weight of it to deliver the same amount of actual dry fibre — so do not simply swap like-for-like by weight, or your pony will effectively be on short rations.
Good doers should have their forage weighed and fed through small-holed nets to slow them down; poor doers can have ad-lib. Weigh it rather than guessing — a luggage scale and a haynet remove all the doubt.
What do hay and haylage cost?
Prices vary by region, season and quality, but as a broad guide:
- Hay: often the cheaper option per feed, and it stores for months, so you can buy a year's supply "off the field" in summer when it is cheapest. A small conventional bale might be £4–£8; big bales work out cheaper still per kilo.
- Haylage: generally more expensive per feed, partly because you are paying to transport and store the water content, and partly because of the wrapping. It also cannot be stockpiled once opened, so there is more waste if you have only one pony.
For a single native pony, hay is usually the more economical choice. Forage is one of the steady running costs of ownership — our cost of keeping a pony guide puts it in context alongside bedding, farriery and the rest.
How to store hay and haylage safely
Good forage is only good until it spoils, and mouldy forage is genuinely dangerous:
- Hay must be kept dry, off the ground (on pallets), with air circulating around it. Damp hay goes mouldy and dusty, and mouldy hay can cause respiratory disease and colic. Check bales for a musty smell or grey/white dust before feeding.
- Haylage must stay completely sealed until you use it — the fermentation that preserves it only works without air. Any hole in the wrap lets air in and mould develops fast, so check bales for punctures (birds and cats are common culprits) and tape any small holes immediately.
- Once a haylage bale is opened, use it within about 3–5 days in winter and 2–3 days in summer. It develops mould quickly once exposed. Never feed haylage that smells sour, looks slimy or has visible mould — spoiled haylage can, in rare cases, cause fatal botulism.
Switching between forages
As with any feed change, switch between hay and haylage gradually over 7–14 days, mixing increasing amounts of the new forage with the old. The gut microbes need time to adapt, and a sudden change is a classic colic trigger. This matters especially when you buy a new pony and its forage suddenly changes with the move — try to find out what it has been eating and change it slowly.
The bottom line
For most family ponies — good-doing natives in light work — well-made hay, soaked if the pony is prone to laminitis, is the safe, economical default. Reach for haylage when your pony has a dust allergy or genuinely struggles to hold weight. Whichever you choose, feed it by weight, store it so it never spoils, and change forages slowly. Pair this with our complete feeding guide and, if you are setting up a stable, our guide to bedding options.