Am I feeding them ok?

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I have a 22yo ISH and a 5yo unbacked cob. They are out from 8.45am till 6pm and are getting a Stubbs scoop of chaff and speedi beet twice a day. They also get 2 section each of marksway horse hage when them come in and 1 section eat before they go out. Neither are in work ATM. My vet is happy with their weight and condition.
 
Do they have grass in the field, why do they have the slice before going out, if no grass then ok give hay, if grass then give hay at night with other 2 but volume wise i am sure it is enough. If you do not have any grass then you might need to feed more. Can you get bigger bales of hay, much cheaper, or a large bale of haylage, would last a month and if you cut the plastic off and keep in a covered area wont go off
 
Simply to give them something to munch on after the get fed at 7am. I get to the yard to turn out after dropping my nieces to school so can't get there any earlier. Some days the go out at 8am as a friend and I swap favours, on those days they don't get morning horse hage, and yes field has good grass coverage.
 
I don't think 2 sections of small bale haylage is sufficient for 13 hours in (before feeding in the morning). I'd cut out the short feed and replace it with more haylage. I don't see the point of short feed for horses who aren't in work and don't need the extra calories - particularly at the expense of forage.
 
JFTD said:
I don't think 2 sections of small bale haylage is sufficient for 13 hours in (before feeding in the morning). I'd cut out the short feed and replace it with more haylage. I don't see the point of short feed for horses who aren't in work and don't need the extra calories - particularly at the expense of forage.
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Agree with the above.

I would put a full net of hay in over night and cut the sugar beet out. If they need a bit of bulk 1/2 scoop of nuts with the chaff would be better as its not heating.
Horse hage is a very rich and expensive way of feeding and we only use it if we have to!
 
I cant feed Hay as both have dust allergies, and the old boy wont eat soaked hay. Both are coming back into work tomorrow as we moved to a new yard with better facilities last weekend, Both have been shod, wormed and are ready to crack on.
 
If their weight and condition are good then I don't see there's a problem. The only thing I might do is put more haylage in at night so they have something to browse on for longer. If that makes sense. You could cut out the morning slice then. I also like to feed a balancer and use unmolassed beet to carry it (I am massively anti sugar having owned a Cushings veteran) but again that's personal choice and let's face it, horses have been fit and healthy for millions of years without it ;)
 
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