“We don’t steam hay because our horses have problems, we steam their hay to prevent them having problems.” So says world #1 ranked show jumper, Henrik von Eckermann of Sweden.

He and his wife and fellow show jumper, Janika Sprunger, were early adopters of Haygain steaming and consider it a key part of their horses’ care at CYOR Stables. Between them, they have 12 horses at their training base in Kessel, the Netherlands. Their position at the peak of international show jumping sport might conjure visions of having many, many horses but they keep their count small on purpose.

In February of 2020, France went into ‘confinement,’ or you may understand it as ‘lockdown.’ My family and I duly followed the rules and congratulated ourselves on our decision 13 years before to buy a farm in rural Deux Sevres, France, where we live in splendid isolation with our horses at Haras Du Ritz.

Holistic equine care considers the interconnectedness of everything involved in the horse’s health. That explains why Kuehler Veterinary Services carefully considered what their patients would live on and stand on during treatment at their new KF Equine Fitness and Rehab facility in Auxvasse, Mo.