ad lib hay/haylage contributing to obesity?

I couldn't feed mine ad lib haylage I did this when it snowed and out loads in the field for the day. Not only could I not catch them but they were the fattest I have ever seen them!!!:D
 
It's 'feed little and often' not 'gorge yourself stupid on an all you can eat banquet'.

Mine are out full time and do tend to regulate themselves on ad lib hay. I think it's different when a horse is in and has nothing to do but eat. The one of mine that doesn't regulate himself has his in tiny haynets, double bound if necessary, so that he still always has access to hay but he can't eat it as quickly as he would like.
 
A few winters ago, one of the horses that field shared with my old sec D really struggled to keep weight on. For whatever reason, the lady that owned him didn't want to bring him in at night, nor she did she want to have to visit the yard more than once a day (won't elaborate, one of 'those' types of owners). In order to make sure he had enouh grub, we had a round feeder with big round bales of hay in it. My old boy was way down in the pecking order so didn't get to stand there all day stuffing, but, my friends mare probably went out from her stable in the morning, got to the hay and didn't stop eating until she went back in again at night! That winter she was the fattest I've ever seen her, and her night time hay was cut right down. There were 4 in the field and they were getting through a big bale every 4 days!
It's my first winter with good doer Markie. His old owner used to give him 8kg of hay per day, out during day and in at night. He only gets lo cal balancer and fast fibre extra. He's still out 24/7 atm, but, I'll try him on 8kg and if he needs more (he was out of work before) I can always up the amount.
 
I can't give my good doer ad-lib. I work her every day, she has 1 scoop of Happy Hoof am and pm, weighed and soaked hay, double netted and is turned out for 5-6hours muzzled. At the moment she is the right weight.
 
If people fed 12 hour soaked hay or straw they would be able to feed a lot more of their horses ad lib. It is often the desire to make life easier for ourselves (I speak for myself as well) by feeding food that is easy to get hold of and easy to prepare that makes the horses fat.

I also can't understand why most people feed any hard food at all, other than perhaps a little soaked beet to put a vit/min supplement in. Most horses don't need any food but that, but many are being fed two feeds a day of mixes stuffed full of sugar.

I find it unacceptable that many, many stabled horses run out of hay before ten and night and then wait eight/ten/twelve hours for more food. I also hear about a lot more colic than I used to in the old days and I can't help wondering if this is not the cause of some of it. Horses who ran out when I was young simply ate their straw bed. Horses which run out early should be being drip fed overnight, or fed something else.

I do realise that if you are in livery you cannot get up at two in the morning to feed your horse. But is that right? Should we be keeping horses if we cannot provide them with the simplest requirement of their digestive system - to graze little and often over 24 hours?


ps Shils I know you are stuck between a rock and a hard place, this is not about people like you :)
 
Last edited:
Lotty said:
I can't give my good doer ad-lib. I work her every day, she has 1 scoop of Happy Hoof am and pm, weighed and soaked hay, double netted and is turned out for 5-6hours muzzled. At the moment she is the right weight.
Click to expand...

You are feeding this in Happy Hoof:

Digestible Energy (MJ/kg) 8.8
Oil (%) 4
Protein (%) 8
Fibre (%) 25
Starch (%) 4

Feed a cheap general non-buffered (no glucose) vit/min supplement in the smallest amount of speedbeet that you can get the horse to eat it in, save the calories and save yourself a shedload of money. Naf haylage balancer is the one I use, also has yeast and probiotics good for lami horses.
 
Last edited:
I often worry about this, especially with the nights drawing in and the horses being bought in early. I wish I could feed mine ad-lib (decent do-er who has had lami so I don't want him gaining weight), but as it is, on what he gets, he is maintaining his weight. I will increase his intake in the depths of winter but despite my feeling bad, he is happy, healthy and shiny so I will play it by ear.

It's so easy to say "you should feed ad lib" but it's not always as simple.
 
cptrayes said:
If

I find it unacceptable that many, many stabled horses run out of hay before ten and night and then wait eight/ten/twelve hours for more food. I also hear about a lot more colic than I used to in the old days and I can't help wondering if this is not the cause of some of it. Horses who ran out when I was young simply ate their straw bed. Horses which run out early should be being drip fed overnight, or fed something else.
Click to expand...

Some of us DO feed straw - and STILL have to carefully ration that! I have an extremely good doer - so much so that last January I had the vet up to run bloods for IR/Cushings/EMS. Negative on all accounts - just greedy and a very good doer. I managed to get some 80 kg off from when I first got him. I got stuck last winter and I couldn't get any more off. He was being lunged and ridden daily and the weight was just sort of STUCK there.

So got a nutritionist in on the action - who suggested this and that. He's been on very limited grazing, small nets offered through the day as I coudln't keep him out all day on the grass. He's currently on fairly good grazing (but the poorest on the yard) all day. I took him off straw for a couple of weeks and he started to balloon again! So back on to straw/hay mixed, one large stuffed net doubled small holes...a bit of chaff in a bucket and supplements. He's in work. Can't do much more than that. I'm not taking his rugs off, I want a clean dry horse when I get up to work him. He'll be clipped soon so that will help.

However, I have no doubt that his nets are empty before too late. But he eats about 15 hours a day... I simply can't do more than that for him without him gaining.
 
Shilasdair said:
One of mine is overweight on HiFi Lite.
Given that she can't eat hay or straw, and I can't soak HiFi Lite nor reduce the quantity for vet reasons, I'm a bit stuck.
S :D
Click to expand...

I used to sort of soak HiFi lite when I used it, I put it in a huge tub trug and ran the hose in and let it stand for a while and then drained it and it washed all the molasses coating off - the water was almost black. The only thing is that it probably makes it less appetising, but mine ate it with no fuss.
 
PucciNPoni said:
Some of us DO feed straw - and STILL have to carefully ration that! I have an extremely good doer - so much so that last January I had the vet up to run bloods for IR/Cushings/EMS. Negative on all accounts - just greedy and a very good doer. I managed to get some 80 kg off from when I first got him. I got stuck last winter and I couldn't get any more off. He was being lunged and ridden daily and the weight was just sort of STUCK there.

So got a nutritionist in on the action - who suggested this and that. He's been on very limited grazing, small nets offered through the day as I coudln't keep him out all day on the grass. He's currently on fairly good grazing (but the poorest on the yard) all day. I took him off straw for a couple of weeks and he started to balloon again! So back on to straw/hay mixed, one large stuffed net doubled small holes...a bit of chaff in a bucket and supplements. He's in work. Can't do much more than that. I'm not taking his rugs off, I want a clean dry horse when I get up to work him. He'll be clipped soon so that will help.

However, I have no doubt that his nets are empty before too late. But he eats about 15 hours a day... I simply can't do more than that for him without him gaining.
Click to expand...



Yes, I did make it clear that what I wrote did NOT apply to people between a rock and a hard place.

But why won't you take his rugs off? It won't mean he'll be cold, it will just mean that he will be using his calories keeping warm. He'll still be dry. Ride him dirty, I do mine, except for the saddle patch. They don't care if they are dirty, only us.
 
I feed ad lib - and find that as a result my horses eat less! Sounds strange, but I think them knowing they have as much hay as they want means they only eat enough to not be hungry. Mine are out on fantastic grazing and both eat probably 1 section of hay each a night (2 max) despite having large haynets full. They only have rugs needed to keep warm enough - so move round for warmth and use up fat to stay warm too (i.e. my tb is still in a rain sheet. My pony is clipped & in a rain sheet & fleece).

We are lucky in that we have so much grass - but they are designed to walk around eating rather than stand still rugged up too much with rationed feed (imo)

I only feed a handful of hi-fi as hard feed.

When spring is approaching, rather than cutting their hay down, I take their rugs off so they use their body heat to keep warm, and burn fat doing so. It works really well.

In the summer I have to watch my TB's weight as he is semi retired so we can't work off the grass - but they are out at night (naked always unless its chucking it down) and in during the day with soaked hay. If he is getting porky I double hay net it so his hay lasts all night.
 
I think the theory of ad lib is great, but getting the 'trickle' amount low enough of poor quality forage constantly is the most difficult for very good doers. I found it eye opening watching the Mongolian horsemen on tv - tough little ponies that were travelling constantly, permanently breeding and they survived on grass that looked more like a desert landscape, compared to our rich grazing and hay/haylage it was positively spartan. Some did look thin, but I daresay had none of the health issues our obesity prone horses suffer from.

All I need now is a vast expanse of arid landscape. :D
 
Mine are on restricted grazing in summer and ad lib hay then haylage in winter which doesnt put any weight on them but maintains. But they are out 24/7 with access to field shelter so moving around constantly. My mare has always held exactly the right weight (even though field ornament with no work) but my gelding has always been a little tubby (although alot of people say he looked fine - he was def. overweight)

For the first time since I have had him my geldiing is now a nice weight and fit - the key to getting weight off my chap HUNTING ! After 4 outings his whole bodyshape has changed and the weight has dropped off beautifully. He gets topspec lite and small single handful chaff thats it and its not going to increase as I would like him to loose a bit more before he goes onto haylage. Its definately an attitude thing with him, fun rides, schooling and lunging wouldnt shift the weight but the excitment of hunting worked wonders !!
 
Isn't this a great opportunity for some brigh spark to invent a trickle feeder for horses on livery?

I'm thinking like those automatic cat feeder things which open up a new section every 12 hours, but on horse scale / designed not to be any more hazardous in a stable than a haynet... If only I were more practical. I might make a fortune :D
 
I do think this thread is odd...I will be prepared to be shot down for this.....agree with probably the slightly older members on here. No horse or pony that isn't in hard fast work needs corn (or hard food as it is nowadays) only the racehorses or horses in very hard work got corn. Back in the day it was unheard of to feed ponies corn, they got hay or a few oats if they were hunting. Get the rugs off their backs bib or trace clip them and be prepared to make them sweat a bit when they are worked, bit more time spent cooling them off and drying them but worth it. I see too many horses and small ponies clipped out on here, I suspect to make it easier to keep them clean. Get rid of the ridiculously thick rugs that are used nowadays, let them get a bit cold with a bit of a coat so they have to work to maintain their weight.

Then feed ad lib forage - if they are a fatty either soak it, feed less good quality forage (not mouldy or poor quality) but less rich coarser forage. Lami was unheard of when I was a gal - or pretty rare and our ponies were out most of the time hunted and competed off grass and a bit of hay and in the winter only exercised at weekends. We never had a case of lami or anything that was obese by today's standards they would probably look a bit poor!

Rant over...................
 
cptrayes said:
Yes, I did make it clear that what I wrote did NOT apply to people between a rock and a hard place.

But why won't you take his rugs off? It won't mean he'll be cold, it will just mean that he will be using his calories keeping warm. He'll still be dry. Ride him dirty, I do mine, except for the saddle patch. They don't care if they are dirty, only us.
Click to expand...

Sorry, didn't mean to come off defensive ;)

Nah, don't particularly fancy riding a mud monster. I'm not *precious* but certainly do prefer to keep a horse clean to make it easier during the week so that at weekends I'm not spending ages to get him ready for competing.

Clipping is also a convenience to me - sweaty horse means I spend ages waiting for him to dry off. I'm not just pottering around on a long rein when I ride- he's getting a good hour of schooling and about 2 hours a day hacking at the weekends.

There are people who do take it to extremes, for sure.
 
My mare eats very quickly & has perfected the art of still eating quickly from a haynet! I soak hay for about 15 hours & she has 2 large slices split into small holed nets: one net inside a hay bag (with a hole in just the front) & the other slice double netted! She still manages to empty them both within a couple of hours! :( Not sure what else I can do to 'slow' her down! :(
 
Hutchlou - I have found that using oat straw slows down the speed of consumption considerably as it is slippery and it's hard for the (mine, anyway) horse to get his teeth on to. It means that 2 slices of hay, instead of being devoured in under an hour now can last more like 2 hours. Soaked hay I found was easy to remove from the hay quickly.

Teasle, I just get my straw from a local hay vendor. I haven't a clue as to how much will have been grown this year, but I've not had a problem when I've run him to ask for it since I began using it last year.

Part of the reason my horse got so fat before I got him was that he was on a straw bed and he would eat his bed all night...he dropped a fair bit of weight once he went on to a shavings bed.
 
Last year, mine had ad lib haylage during the real cold, snowy weather and came out of winter at 530kg (15hh cob x) and 510kg (14.2 Irish cob). So this summer I have worked so hard to get their weights down so they look perfect at the moment - 450kg and 430kg. I am determined to watch their weights this winter very carefully! Luckily mine have good grazing throughout the winter during the day and I will put out oat straw/ hay if it snows. At night they are on 2 slices of soaked hay and 1/2 slice of hay mixed with slice of oat straw in two small holed hay nets. They also have a snack ball with a few pony nuts and then scoop of hifi lite with 1/4 scoop of power and performance ( upped if we are competing) and blood salts. I turn out at 5.45 during the week and bring in at 3-6pm depending on if I'm riding. At weekends they have a bit more oat straw as I don't get down until 8.30. I do worry that they are stood without food for part of the night but at least they have access to ad lib grass for up to 12 hours a day!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top