Conference noted::equitation

    What's "horse hage?"

    
    	Could you tell us where she used to get it so we don't
    	recommend the same place? I know there is a place in CT
    	and one in western Mass, (ie around Brookfield area).
    
    	Sherry
    

    
    	I believe Ellie Roberts does or did use hage for her horses,
    	she told me about the one in western mass (unless my memory is
    	severely fading!)
    
    
    	I saw you once and then I couldn't find you! I thought the first
    	2/3's of the speech were very good, but then when he started to
    	preach about his brand, that seat got really hard all of a sudden!!
    	
    	=)
    
    	Sherry
    

    Kiirja,
    
    I used to get it from Hillandale Farm in Connecticut (203) 774-8171. I
    hope that's not the place that's not selling it anymore. If you find a
    source for it, please post it here for reference. Horse Hage and living
    outside seemed to "cure" my horse of his heaves, but I suppose they
    could come back some day.
    
    -Andrea-

    Hillandale Farm claims to be the only place in New England that has
    Horse Hage.  When they run out, they get some from someplace in 
    Canada (but it's not as good as theirs -- too much molasses).
    
    If there is a place in Western Mass who is an authorized (right term?)
    producer, I'd love to know who and where.  The process was developed
    in England (official hay supplier to the crown I think) and the people
    there license producers other places.  When Back Bey developed dust
    and mold allergies, my vet told me that this was a "miracle cure".
    I don't know about that, but my horse only has to have drugs in the
    coldest, dampest part of winter.  So I say it's pretty good stuff.
    
    The process for producing it is, they cut the hay, leave it to dry for
    only a very short time (measured in hours).  When they bale it, there's
    a little sprayer that mists molasses on the hay before the baler picks
    it up.  Then the bales come inside, get compressed to about 1/2 normal
    size, and put into a heavy gague clear plactic bag.  That gets sealed
    and goes into a white heavy gague plastic bag.  As it was explained to
    me, the white plastic keeps out the ultraviolet rays and any molds that
    grow are good molds.  It does smell a little bit like sileage but I
    grew up around a dairy farm and I like the smell.
    
    I just received a mailing from Hillandale saying that they are now
    taking back the plastic bags (clean) and recycling them.  They also
    have hypoallergenic bedding and are working with a grain supplier to
    develop a special feed.
    
    And that's just about everything I know.
    
    gwen
    

  I talked to my friend this weekend, and it is Hillindale that she was
  getting her Hage from. As I said in the base note, they are planning 
  to get some again, but not for several months. So she needs a few 
  bales to tide her over. Thanks to everyone who sent leads...some 
  were dead ends, but we are pursuing two of them. Several people told 
  me that their horses did get better and when I told my friend that 
  she was happy to hear it. This horse is over 25, but a tough old
  goat. He does spend his days outdoors and was also on Respond for a
  while but it made him lose weight and get sick. 

  I'd be very interested to find out the name of the place in 
  western MA if anyone runs into it. Thanks!

We have several horses in our barn (and our vet has several more at other clients) on
a product called horsehage.  These horses all have allergies to hay that simple 
watering of the hay will not cure.

Horsehage is made under license from a company in England and is essentially
hay cut while 'wet' and bagged while 'wet'.  Bagging means almost a vacuum seal -
double layers of incredibly heavy polyfilm.  The place in Conneticut that was
making it has just simply decided to not do so anymore.  Leaving many people
out in the cold.

Does anyone know of anyplace else in the country that sell/distributes it?
Are there any other hay substitutes?  

We do not have a problem with nutrition - it is just that they like 
having something to munch on and provide variety in their life.

thanks for any leads....

Marsha

    I have been buying "HI-A" and "HI-FI" from Agway....it is made here
    with the know how from a company in England.  The HI-A is alfalfa and
    the other is hay(?) cut and then dried at extreme high heat and sprayed
    with molasses.  My horse love it...I feed them that with a little hay
    and complete pellets.  
    
    I don't know if this is what you are looking for but it's worth a call.
    
    Agway in Chelmsford # is 508-256-9991.  Ask for Deeana..she uses it to
    feed her horses and was the one who told me about it...
    
    

Hillendale is apparently not making horsehage any longer.

People have been calling for several weeks with no answer - not even the machine.
Finally, our vet (Sandra Pratt) got hold of a real life person who told her it
was not profitable and they decided to stop making it.

This was done with no notice to their client base.  (But their total lack of
business responsibility is a whole 'nother topic!).

One of the people in our barn has written to the company in England expressing our
dismay at the situation, asking if there is anyone else we can turn to and 
inquiring about the possibility of setting up a buyers cooperative.

I will let you know the results of our inquiry.

(And thanks for the lead on the Hi- products.  Will check them out....

A little more on the Alfa-A and Hi-Fi products - 

	Alfa A is chopped alfalfa mixed with molasses. The alfalfa is
	supposedly grown and processed to be bug and dust free. It's grown 
	in Maine.

	Hi-Fi is chopped timothy and alfalfa, mixed with molasses. Again,
	bug and dust free.


	Obviously, there is a nutritional difference between the two. The
	company that makes it is called Dengie. I have the fact sheet at 
	home.  The closest dealers to the greater Maynard area are either
	Rhode Island, or the Agway (?) in Peterborough, NH.  The price on a 
	bag of Hi-Fi is $10, the Alfa A a little more. (A bag is about the 
	size of a bag of shavings.)


kathy

    re .11
    
    The Chelmsford Agway has this stuff, and is closer to Maynard than
    either Peterboro, NH or Rhode Island!  They were giving out free
    samples (small) of it a few weeks ago....
    
    -ellie

    I received a letter yesterday from Bob Booth of Hillandale Hay.
    This is what's happening:
    
    Dear Ms. Cook,
    
    We apologize to you for the tardiness of this communication with regard
    to our intentions for HorseHage in 1993.  We have spent the last month
    doing a thorough analysis of our business since inception in 1985, and
    we want to share our findings with you.  Our conclusion is that we can
    no longer afford to produce HorseHage at a loss.
    
    Over the last eight years my family and I have invested heavily in
    HorseHage because be have believed and continue to believe that this
    specialty hay product is of superior quality and has unique advantages
    compared to regular hay, such as longer shelf life and portability.
    Our growing customer base is testament not only to the quality of the
    product but also to the success of the education process we have all
    been involved in.  Today, HorseHage is in demand by horse owners and
    not just for horses with respiratory problems.  Favored by good weather
    in the summer of 1992, Hillandale Hay produced a record 720 tons,
    operated a close to production capacity, was sold out by early Fall,
    and experienced excess unfilled demand for several hundred additional
    tons.
    
    Unfortunately, a detailed year end audit revealed that despite record
    production the anticipated decline in unit production costs was still
    not sufficient to yield a profit.  Since we can no longer afford to
    subsidize HorseHage into the future, we are restructuring and
    examining the following potential solutions:
    
    1)  Reprice HorseHage upward to reflect the product's premium nature;
    a $7.75 per bag or $310 price per tone (transportation not included)
    would yield a modest profit at average production rates.
    
    2)  Increase production capacity in order to drive down unit costs;
    this solutions is somewhat problematic due to the scarcity of suitable
    land within reasonable proximity to our production facility.
    
    3)  Incorporate efficiencies of production and delivery that have been
    successful for the Westaways in England; we are sending our detailed
    1992 profit and loss statements to the home office for their financial
    analysis.
        		or
    4)  Some combination of all of the above.
    
    We have decided to product regular dry hay in 1993 instead of HorseHage
    in order to stem the red ink and to give us time to analyze each of our
    options.  We are distraught over our inability to meet the needs of our
    customers and their sick horses, and we are therefore attempting to
    secure smaller quantities of HorseHage from England.  Our success in
    this endeavor may be dependent upon our ability to meet restrictive
    customs regulations, but in any case the delivered cost will approach
    $9.00 per bag due to transatlantic shipping costs.  Please let us know
    if you have special needs.
    
    We need customer response to the circumstances I have outlined. 
    Specifically, how many customers will be able to pay $7.75 per bag or
    $310 per ton and in what kind of size would these  customers order?
    Your response will be a critical variable in the determination of
    HorseHage's future.
    
    Finally, we would like to thank each of you for your loyal patronage,
    for your many valuable insights over the years, and especially for your
    patience during this very trying period.  We can make no promises, but
    we are hopeful that some combination of the above solutions will allow
    us to produce HorseHage in the future.
    
    
    Sincerely,
    
    H. Robert Booth
    
    P.S.  Not so incidentally, we should produce over 15,000 bales of
          quality dry hay this summer.  If you are seeking a supply
          source, we would be anxious to accommodate your interest.

At the risk of being called a skeptic, I have some real doubt about Bob Booth.

We have been in contact with the UK company.  They are under the impression 
that Hillendale is not producing horsehage because Bob is sick!

We have also received word that a pallette is coming in from England but when
we talked with England, they indicated that import of agricultural products
was a nightmare and would be almost impossible.

So, bottom line - I will believe it when I see it.

We are finding many places that are producing this type of product.  Only problem
is that they are packaging it in large quantities for cattle!  Will let you know
what the outcome of discussions around re-packaging.

Marsha

    Well, call me a cynic, but I tend to agree with Marsha...I'll believe
    anything Bob says when I have the stuff in my barn.  I think that the
    Booths are having some family problems that are prompting this.
    
    Also, the first time I met the Booths, Becky (Bob's wife) told me
    that there was someone in Canada that produces HorseHage.  Of course
    she told me that it wasn't as good as theirs but...
    
    And, if they didn't think they were getting enough for it, why didn't
    they just raise the price?  People who sell dry hay feel free to do
    that.
    
    gwen
    

    Gwen, your last question occurred to me too.  If it was going to cost
    $9/bag (or whatever) to import, why not just raise the price to that
    level for stuff produced here (and simultaneously avoid the headache of
    importing it)?
    
    On the other hand, although initially the "family problems" theory made
    sense, if that isn't going to interfere with producing hay, then why
    would it interfere with production of horsehage?
    
    mary

    Mary,
    
    re: production of hay vs. HorseHage...who knows.  But Bob's wife
    was the person on the phone, doing all the scheduling, billing, etc.
    I don't know this for a fact, I'm just speculating based on the fact
    that she has a new phone number, that they have separated.  And who
    knows what kind of problems that could cause.  Or what kind of hell
    you would have to go through to contact anyone to actually buy hay
    from them.  I don't know that anyone has actually gotten through to
    the farm by phone.
    
    And it's really a shame.  I believe everything Bob said in the letter 
    about their commitment to the quality of the product and their belief
    in it.  And I know that HorseHage improved Back Bey's quality of life
    immensely!  The Booths just seemed like such nice, caring people. 
    Becky even came to West Springfield to see Bey shown.  Who ever knows
    what happens to people?
    
    gwen
    

    Sounds like they are going through tough times then, in which case
    don't be too hard on them. (I know that's easier said then done, since
    its interfering with your life.  But it does seem to go that way with
    small startups of high quality products.) They're not sleeze, just 
    in upheaval.
    
    mary

    
    Is there a maker of Horse Hage in Canada?