is less likely to be inhaled. Blundell et al., 2012 however, found hay steaming to be much more effective at reducing respirable dust particles in hay than soaking. Soaking hay also has undesirable consequences in terms of bacteria levels; tests show soaking increases bacterial concentrations by 1.5-fold to fivefold. In addition, the nutritional value of soaked hay is decreased as it leaches out water-soluble carbohydrates, protein and minerals. Also the post-soak liquid from soaked hay is classed as an environmental pollutant as it has a high biological oxygen demand. A prolonged soak has been shown to produce a post-soak liquid 9 times more polluting than raw sewage and should not be put down storm drains. In the UK DEFRA advises that the run-off from hay soaking should be directed to an impermeable lagoon or a sealed effluent tank. The liquid can then be removed by a licensed contractor for off-site disposal. Blundell et al. confirmed similar findings to Warr and Petch for soaked hay waste water and found far reduced polluting effects of waste water from steaming. They concluded additional environmental benefits of steaming through the volume of water required for treatment. Hay steaming uses around 4 litres of water per cycle, most of which is absorbed by the hay or released into the air as steam leaving just a small amount of non-polluting waste water. Wyss et al. (2016) warned soaked hay left for up to three days before being fed or horses finish consuming it, has very high bacterial counts and is considered highly spoiled, no longer be suitable for feeding. Soaked hay is generally less palatable to horses than dry hay whereas steamed hay has found to be very palatable. Moore-Colyer and Payne (2012) studied the palatability of dry, steamed and soaked hay in a group of polo ponies who were normally fed haylage. 1 kg of each forage option was given simultaneously in three different corners of the stable. This was repeated 3 times for each horse so that each forage option was given in each corner to avoid positional preferences. The results clearly demonstrated the horses preferred to consume steamed hay to dry or soaked. Observations revealed that once steamed hay was tasted it was always the first consumed. In concurrence with these results, Brown et al. (2013) investigated the palatability of dry hay, steamed hay and haylage and found steamed hay was the first