Ad - lib Hay

[MagicMelon]

I think it depends on so many factors. I keep my horses at home and dont have much land (about 1.5 acres with 2 horses on it). They live out 24/7 but with open access to their stables at all times. Its actually a pretty dry field luckily so there is grass but obviously not enough for 2 lightweight sport horses. I have a hardcore yard where my stable block is which opens straight into the field, I permanently have a big round bale feeder there which has a bale in it at all times. They do get through it pretty quick in the winter (usually a bale every 7-10 days) but less frequently all summer but they have it there if they want it. It definately helps keep weight on what would normally be quite poor doers. It also bribes them in the winter to come out of the muddy parts of the field and stand about on a nice hardcore area. It works perfectly for these 2 horses but I have had difficulties in the past with previous horses who were prone to weight gain, I had to seperate them as unfortunately my skinny veteran needed the hay but they other two were getting really rather plump on it so had to be kept off it. My anglo arab would literally stand at the hay eating it ALL day so that had to stop!

 

[PapaverFollis]

If I gave my two a round bale and let them have at it there's no way there would be any left after 5 days.

I've done a more controlled but still pretty much ad-lib effort at times (to see what would happen really) and they slow down a bit. But they want to self regulate at about 100kg heavier than they should be... so no. Unfortunately they have to be hungry.

 

[Ceriza]

I think the only way to do it is to give them ad-lib 12 hour soaked hay, probably through a whole winter season and during the next winter, gradually adding in un-soaked hay, all the while monitoring the horses weight. Of course it would be horse dependent and vitamin and/or protein supplements needed

 

[AdorableAlice]

Very few cob types can be fed adlib regardless of how you attempt to do it. Maybe a hunting cob doing a lot of work, but even that would probably not need adlib as he would be having bucket grub.

Having been to hell and back over the last 2 years with a greedy mare who has a day pass into the local hospital, I have learnt a lot about feeding greedy horses. When I picked her up from hospital the last time, the vet gave me some very good advice in respect of caring for this particular horse. He said, 'never let her get full' and always keep her hydrated.

This horse simply parks and eats, and eats, and eats. She doesn't even stop eating to go for a drink and we now know that was a factor with the impaction colic she suffered last summer despite her hay being soaked in a cube for hours. She has also suffered many gas colic episodes from packing herself with grass, despite her grazing being poor. She is quite simply an animal that happily eats herself to death and the levels of bloat she can achieve if left to stuff adlib is astonishing.

I have had to adapt her management to keep her healthy and be very creative in how I feed her. I absolutely don't agree that allowing adlib feeding will teach a horse to self regulate if they show any tendency to be piggy feeders. I weigh all hay, never giving more than 3kg in one portion and use a combination of haynet types, a hay play ball and assorted enrichment toys to keep her occupied, happy and healthy. It is hard work but at least I still have her.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

There are types that simply cannot ad lib and I dont care what anyone else thinks on the matter. If I let the Fell ad lib he would be dead before he stopped eating and this goes for well soaked hay, grass and straw. The Exmoor does self regulate and move for fun but the other one? forget it. Life is too short for me to soak perfectly lovely hay so they get a mix of that and oat straw and they get small nets every few hours when at home. Are they hard done by? are they heck.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I believe that many horses which eat as long as food is available are programmed to do that to safeguard against a future famine. The owner knows that famine will never arrive. The horse doesn't.

yes, especially true of moorland natives who would have much less to eat in winter, have to travel for it and would be surviving very harsh weather if living 'naturally'. Mine never get ad lib, no round bales in winter-I take hay out for them. I do however feed hay year round, even if it means bringing them in off the grass and giving them 1/2 a small slice each. Help keeps the gut constant and thought to help prevent grass sickness.

 

[AdorableAlice]

yes, especially true of moorland natives who would have much less to eat in winter, have to travel for it and would be surviving very harsh weather if living 'naturally'. Mine never get ad lib, no round bales in winter-I take hay out for them. I do however feed hay year round, even if it means bringing them in off the grass and giving them 1/2 a small slice each. Help keeps the gut constant and thought to help prevent grass sickness.

I am having a lot of success with the hay play ball, really keeps her occupied and she has to exercise her core to use it. Plus you can fill it and soak it in a trug easily.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I am having a lot of success with the hay play ball, really keeps her occupied and she has to exercise her core to use it. Plus you can fill it and soak it in a trug easily.

I have thought of one of those but my experiences with horse treat balls aren't great, they make so much racket with them it doesnt seem fair on the others! can they get all the hay out or do they get frustrated?

 

[Pearlsasinger]

My Draft horse (Westphalian Kaltblut) was obese when I bought her, we determinedly put her on a diet. She was in overnight and out during the day in winter, out 24/7 in summer. We gave her a measured amount of hay and long straw, she got colic. So we swapped her bedding to shavings and added plain oat straw chaff into her diet as I was determined that she wasn't going to be hungry. I never had her scoped was pretty sure that she was ulcer-prone, so gave her aloe vera juice to keep her comfortable.
I think that she had only become overweight in her last home prior to me, as she had worked for her living prior to that. So she only had 9 months of being overweight to battle, although she had certainly managed to pile on weight in that time.

We are feeding oat straw chaff to the 2 horses that we have now and they are living out 24/7 with rationed hay. It has been such a mild winter that they haven't lost as much weight through the winter, as we expected but we don't have massive amounts of grass and usually feed hay through most of the summer, so we should be able to regulate their weight with care.

 

[I'm Dun]

I have thought of one of those but my experiences with horse treat balls aren't great, they make so much racket with them it doesnt seem fair on the others! can they get all the hay out or do they get frustrated?

They can get the hay out and they seem to love them. Mine will go to the hay balls over loose hay. Its been the one horsey thing I have gotten the most use out of.

 

[meleeka]

They can get the hay out and they seem to love them. Mine will go to the hay balls over loose hay. Its been the one horsey thing I have gotten the most use out of.

Mine wouldn’t touch the one I bought.

 

[AdorableAlice]

I have thought of one of those but my experiences with horse treat balls aren't great, they make so much racket with them it doesnt seem fair on the others! can they get all the hay out or do they get frustrated?

She gets every little bit out and it keeps her occupied for a good while, plus it puts her neck and core in the right place which has been a help. It isn't noisy as she is yarded rather than in a box.