Haylage can provide horses prone to weight gain or laminitis with an excess of energy provided by their forage. People cutting down the amount fed to reduce unwanted weight gain risk their horses having insufficient forage, which can lead to an increased risk of stomach ulcers and other digestive problems.

Is hay or haylage more fattening?

Haylage is, however, higher in protein, and more digestible than hay giving it a higher DE content. As a result, horses generally tend to do better on haylage, so it's often not ideal for overweight horses and those prone to weight gain, metabolic and laminitic horses, unless it is a high-fibre, lower DE variety.

Does soaking haylage reduce calories?

For horses whose calorie intake needs controlling, it is suggested that soaking hay for as long as 12 hours will help leach out many of the calories, leaving just the fibre element. What about Haylage? ... To reduce the risk of hay going mouldy the moisture content needs to be reduced to about 16% or less.