27/09/2026
We have some amazing Sainfoin & Timothy haylage in large bales . We recognise that many people cannot use the big bales especially on a product they donโt know much about . Soooo we have exciting plans to work with a processor to break these down and put into 20kg bags ๐คฉ. We will provide a full analysis to help people plan their feed ration .
As Iโm sure our regular clients are aware by now we are always looking to improve our product range , striving to produce forage to meet the increasingly varied needs of our clients โค๏ธ.
If you have a specific need for a forage mix that youโre struggling to find then we are always open to suggestions / requests ๐
We are often asked, โ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐ผ๐ถ๐ป?โ - whether it be out of interestโs sake, having come across it on our website, heard it mentioned on BBC Countryfile, or whether it has been specifically recommended for your horse. Sainfoin offers a wealth of benefits and is a unique forage type we are very proud to champion here at Simple System.
๐ ๐พ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ต๐ถ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ปโฆ Sainfoin is a legume forage with ancient roots (quite literally!) having been grown by farmers across the world for hundreds of years. It is native to South Central Asia and was introduced into Europe in the 15th century with records showing it was imported into England, from France, in 1652. The name Sainfoin comes from the French ''saint foin'' or sain foin meaning "healthy hay".
Historically it was grown by farmers as a hay crop, providing high quality forage to power heavy working horses. In the south of England, one in seven fields used to be covered with sainfoin but when tractors took over and new strains of higher yielding crops were introduced, the use of sainfoin started to decline. With reduced need for horses to work the land as well, its use as a feed ingredient nearly stopped altogether. However, with increasing interest in sustainable farming there is renewed interest in sainfoin with it providing benefit for not only the animals it feeds but also the land it grows upon.
โฆ ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ ๐น๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐ผ! Sainfoin thrives on alkaline soils, provides its own nitrogen and needs very little phosphate. Sainfoin has a deep tap root, making the plant highly drought resistant and hardy through the winter. These roots are also able to draw up minerals from well below the top soil, making it a highly nutritious and mineral-rich forage for our horses.
Farming with sainfoin has excellent environmental benefits and is known to be largely self-sufficient as a plant. Before the use of artificial fertilisers, sainfoin was commonly used to add fertility to the soil as it absorbs nitrogen from the atmosphere and transforms it into nutrients that other plants can make use of. Cattle fed sainfoin produce lower levels of greenhouse gases, helping to reduce the carbon footprint and our own sainfoin is often grazed by sheep in the winter โ this sustains them nutritionally through the harder months but also acts as a natural and chemical free way of managing weeds and ensuring new spring growth which we harvest for our horses.
Sainfoin is a firm favourite for bees / pollinators and is commonly used in "pollen and nectar" mixes for headlands in arable farming, where it provides a great food source for insects. Government grants also exist encouraging farmers to grow crops such as sainfoin to promote soil health.
๐ฆ๐ผ, ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐ผ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ? In short โ a wide array of horses can benefit from the addition of sainfoin to the diet. Sainfoin is a typically palatable forage, well suited to the fussier horse and at Simple System Horse Feeds we have found it very well suited to those that are allergy prone or itchy types, often suffering with their skin. Its typically high nutrition levels make it ideal for those in work, used for breeding or older/poorer doing horses.
More specifically its high protein level (and high-quality protein content) lends itself to promoting a gentle gain in muscle and topline, ideal for the poorer doing horse or those with increasing work or breeding demands. Coupled with its high calcium levels, it is also promoted for supporting musculoskeletal development in youngstock and you should see a gentle gain in their growth over time โ rather than the rapid growth often associated with cereal based feeding that can be detrimental to joint health longer term.
Sainfoin can also be very beneficial for the better doing horse simply to increase forage variety. A varied forage diet is known to promote and encourage a more diverse range of gut microflora that will better support the horse digestively but may also benefit immune response and even cognition.
Sainfoin is often recommended for horses struggling with hindgut function and protein absorption as its condensed tannin content is thought to aid the transport and breakdown of protein in the digestive tract*. We often recommend sainfoin to horses that have been unwell or are recovering from gastrointestinal illness to promote a gentle gain of condition during rehab - as many will drop muscle tone whilst on box rest.
*This has not been studied in horses specifically but has been proven in livestock.
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฆ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐ผ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น? Simple System Horse Feeds have been producing sainfoin for horses since 2016. Our Sainfoin is grown especially for us to our exacting standards and we work closely with trusted growers โ even visiting the crop in the field to monitor its growth - so that we harvest at the right time for optimum levels of nutrition.
๐๐ถ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐? That Simple System were involved with the 'Healthy Hay Project', which helped kick start the resurgence in interest in sainfoin as a sustainable farming crop. This detailed research project, initiated by Dr Irene Mueller-Harvey and run by Legume Plus, covered numerous aspects, including animal nutrition.
All of our Sainfoin products are cereal free (including free from by-products), free from pulses and soya, molasses, additives, preservatives and GM-ingredients. Our Sainfoin Pellets and Sainfoin Brix are straight sainfoin, with the chopped forage, Sainfoin & Shine, having only a light linseed oil coating added - a functional and beneficial ingredient for horses.
If you are looking to include sainfoin in your horseโs diet, we have the following options:
๐ฉทSainfoin Pellets โ a medium energy pellet designed to be fed soaked as mash, ideal for those in harder work or needing weight gain. This is the most popular sainfoin feed for horses.
๐ฉทSainfoin & Shine โ a medium energy sainfoin chop with a light coating of cold-pressed linseed oil. A great time-consuming chew for the fussier horse or for adding extra nutrition for harder working Cobs or Native breeding stock.
๐ฉทSainfoin Brix โ compressed forage blocks containing 100% sainfoin for use as a boredom buster when stabled, convenient and palatable feeding away from home or just increasing forage variety.
๐๐ฉท๐๐ฉตMeadow Forage Pellets โ a mixed ley of meadow fescue, tall fescue, sainfoin, birdsfoot trefoil and chicory to replicate natural meadow grazing, in a bag and increase variety in the diet
๐ฉทCalm Balance + - a balancer for the more tense, anxious or reactive horse.
๐ฉทVeteran Balance + - balancer and joint support in one for the older horse or those in hard work.
If you would like to discuss this unique forage type with us further, please get in touch with the Simple System Feed Line on 01728 604 008, or by email to [email protected]. For a free, comprehensive Feed Plan from the Simple System nutritionists, you can also complete our online form which is linked in the comments.
