ahhh wish I had kept mare where she was!!!!

[Goldenstar]

I have just read this thread and although I never ever allow forage in the field I find it incredible that any YOer can offer turnout only livery at this time of year without making arrangements for forage.
OP move your horse the grass won't be here until at least mid April if it's loosing wieght you need to do something.

 

[hihosilver]

I am looking for suitable grazing atm. I would move her back to where she was but it is for long term only 6 months or more. She has a halfway check at Liphook vets in June after long reining and sitting on her gently. All the fields near me are in the same condition with no grass so looking for one that has hay given as well as a school as she has been out of work for a year and think a school will be safer for her. I was only asking if I could feed her better to help her!!!!!!!! not looking for world war 3

 

[zippo]

Well,I haven't read through all the "Bull Dust" that has been posted BUT surely any one would think that the Owner,before moving their horse,might enquire,what time dinner was served and what was on the menu.

 

[MaHats]

I am looking for suitable grazing atm. I would move her back to where she was but it is for long term only 6 months or more. She has a halfway check at Liphook vets in June after long reining and sitting on her gently. All the fields near me are in the same condition with no grass so looking for one that has hay given as well as a school as she has been out of work for a year and think a school will be safer for her. I was only asking if I could feed her better to help her!!!!!!!! not looking for world war 3

I was only asking if I could feed her better to help her!!!!!!!! not looking for world war 3

Help her??? If she needs help, the owner needs to do something, and that is you.

You need to solve the problem now in order to avoid further neglect. If your horse has access to food for only 2 hours per day, I think that is neglect. And if you cannot convince the YO that your horse needs food, find one that will allow you to feed your horse properly, NOW, do it now! Sorry to be direct.

 

[AmyMay]

I was only asking if I could feed her better to help her!!!!!!!! not looking for world war 3

Help her??? If she needs help, the owner needs to do something, and that is you.

You need to solve the problem now in order to avoid further neglect. If your horse has access to food for only 2 hours per day, I think that is neglect. And if you cannot convince the YO that your horse needs food, find one that will allow you to feed your horse properly, NOW, do it now! Sorry to be direct.

Really well said MaHats.

 

[Natch]

Any chance we could avoid hating the degree and go with hating the person who managed to come away from 3 years of studying horse biology and apparently thinks 22 hours a day without food is not an urgent welfare issue for a horse? OP is not a typical example of an equine science graduate. Just sayin

 

[Delicious_D]

Agree 100% ^^

 

[CBFan]

If I were in your situation, the very least I would be doing is bringing her onto the yard both ends of the day for a good hour or two and letting her stuff herself silly on hay. I would stand with my boy for several hours an evening if I had to, just so that he could get his fill. If she's good to stand tied on the yard, perhaps one of the other liveries could bring her in for you while they are there so she gets to eat for that bit longer? Or you could do a rota with one or two of the other liveries so that you're not all stood around for hours on end...

Feed wise, you should be feeding high fibre all the way - speedi-beet, graze-on and add some linseed of weightgain and condition. This weather is only temporary but I really can't understand a yard owner allowing grass livery but not allowing hay in the field.

I have found myself in a similar situation before and found myself sneaking to the field under the cover of darkness to put a few sections of hay out - enough to fill their bellies but not so much that there was evidence left in the morning... placed well up the field, out of sight... desperate times called for desperate measures...

 

[Elsbells]

I'd be feeding in the field and tough titties on the yard owner I'm afraid, it's a welfare issue first and Formost!!

 

[smellsofhorse]

Our yard owner Whw is a farmer will not allow us to put hay out.
But ours come on at night in the winter and there is still enough grass. Not loads but winter pickings.

If my horse was literally starving then I would move.

Remember though some of the weight loss may be due to the stress of the move etc.

 

[Elsbells]

I'd be feeding in the field and. Tough titties on the yard owner I'm afraid.

 

[Irishbabygirl]

Sorry but I think it's crazy to expect a horse to survive on an hour or two of forage intake a day especially in this weather. You need to move or make the yard owner see sense. What do the other owners on grass livery have to say about the situation and what do their horses look like?!

 

[CBFan]

Sorry but I think it's crazy to expect a horse to survive on an hour or two of forage intake a day especially in this weather.

I wouldn't recomend it either but it's a darn sight better than it getting absolutely nothing, given that the OP seems unable to move her immediately.

 

[Natch]

I think the word is unwilling, not unable.

 

[MerrySherryRider]

Haven't read all the reply's, gave up after p.7, is OP's horse still without forage ? Its really disturbing that this horse is left even for 24 hours in conditions like this.
If you cannot move today, either borrow a stable during the day or you or a friend take time off work and stand with her on the yard while she eats.
This is not acceptable.

 

[Carefreegirl]

When I bought my current horse (7 years ago) I moved along with two friends to a brand new yard that had opened up. Lovely set up no expense spared but the owner was a dairy farmer who diversified. Cows winter in the barn so fields stayed nice, she thought horses could stay in 24/7 all through the winter too so the fields wouldn't get poached. We moved in in the May and when I heard of her plans in the Sept I handed my notice in and left ten days later.
The two friends that stayed had colic after colic after colic. One had owned her horse for 16 years and it had never suffered from colic before. They were allowed out on the tracks between the fields (hard standing) for two hrs a day but no hay / haylage was allowed as 'it made a mess'
Both mates moved back to previous yards, all year turnout and hay in fields and haven't suffered colic since.

For such big animals they are very very fragile.

OP I know it's not easy to find a yard just like that (a mate has just spent 6 months looking in a very horsey area) but any grass that is going to come through will be eaten straight away, this spring / summer is going to be very testing grazing wise unless the weather changes pdq

 

[Clodagh]

OP - you 'saved' her from going for meat, do you know what, she would have been better off in a Tesco ready meal, poor thing.

 

[AmyMay]

What update op? Have you now moved the horse?

 

[Ladyinred]

So, in a nutshell, OP moved horse for her own convenience and now the horse is suffering? Bet horse didn't care about the lack of facilities at previous yard, but bet he/she cares about a rumbling empty belly in all this cold.

Selfish? Heck, yes.

 

[MerrySherryRider]

YAWN

This seems to sum up OP's attitude. Having a degree in equine science doesn't automatically equal good horse care, (unfortunately).

You KNOW the horse needs more forage.

You KNOW that trying to stuff enough food in the space of an hour to cover a 24 hr period won't work.

You KNOW the horse has dropped weight and has suddenly gone from ad lib to ad nothing.

And yet, you yawn instead of getting the horse loaded and moved.

 

[Equilibrium Ireland]

Wait, what? I thought this was a thread about no hay allowed in field during the day. Not saying I agree with that but I only just now realised its no hay in the fields and your mare lives out 24/7.

I fail to see the problem, move. You should have moved back to the other place from day 1. Never mind about the good weather and you needed facilities. You knowingly put your mare in a position of having no access to grazing. Inexcusable. Why can't you move back to the old yard for a bit. While your getting yourself together your mare would appreciate access to any forage at this stage. Screw the facilities. As in arena for getting back to work. That can be sorted eventually.

I can't wrap my mind around going to a place to get horse back into work but not thinking no hay in fields or having access to any forage would cause issues. Who cares what the fields are like in summer. Look outside? Do you see summer? We almost put down fert and seed in ours during the dry spell. Thankfully we talked to people with more experience than us in this area. Grass won't be growing for awhile no matter how badly I want it to grow. My fields are dreadful but they have hay out and actually some pickings. And stables to come into at night to get out of all the crap and eat away.

Move OP, don't yawn, move.

Terri

 

[Big-Brother]

Now that tells me you do not know what you are talking about. I have a hons degree in Equine Science. Do NOT insult my intelligence.

Lol - The funniest comment on this thread!!

 

[9tails]

This is an AMAZING thread! Every single person, apart from OP, saying the same thing. OP is a cheapskate, plain and simple. This horse hasn't been rescued, it's in a worse place than when it was going for meat.

 

[AmyMay]

What a real shame the OP won't update us - espcially as they were so recently on line.

 

[Merrymoles]

What saddens me even more is that, even if the OP gets her finger out and shifts her own horse, there are presumably other liveries on that yard somewhere in the south east with no access to forage. I can understand why some yard owners don't like forage in the fields (depending on the size of field, number of horses on it etc) but not 24/7 for God's sake! In my mind, that is a welfare issue plain and simple.

I know that travellers get a (sometimes deservedly) bad press on here but the travellers around here have made sure their horses have forage over the last few weeks so at least their horses' bellies are full.

 

[hihosilver]

I think there are too many hurtful and negative things said which I am not bothered about. But to say she would have been better going for meat than to be with me is a very sick and worrying statement. I have stuck with her for 3 year have managed to ride her for 3 months been told to put her down and thankfully not listened and spent a fortune on x-rays, treatments, and love her to bits. She is very well has no colic or is she about to drop dead from starvation.

 

[Equilibrium Ireland]

All those things aside, it's not fair to your horse. Hasn't coliced. So that makes it ok? Put your mare on a stomach buffer at the very least. Word of warning, they ain't cheap. Mine is €70 and that lasts them all a month. I just like keeping them on a buffer and digestion thing and they have access to forage round the clock.

Yes some posts have been hurtful, but that's probably because you keep making excuses for why it's ok. It's not ok. If you want her back into work than her most basic needs need to be met. That's not happening. It doesn't matter others keep their horses there and deal with it.

Is there a reason you can't move back to the other place until you can find a better all round place?

Terri

 

[AmyMay]

So have you now moved her??

 

[Moomin1]

I think there are too many hurtful and negative things said which I am not bothered about. But to say she would have been better going for meat than to be with me is a very sick and worrying statement. I have stuck with her for 3 year have managed to ride her for 3 months been told to put her down and thankfully not listened and spent a fortune on x-rays, treatments, and love her to bits. She is very well has no colic or is she about to drop dead from starvation.

Why were you advised to pts her?

 

[weesophz]

Move.

^^^