Amount of hay to feed

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

Fat retired cob is obese. He can’t be worked due to severe arthritis (pain is well managed). He has been in for over a week due to a nasty kick to his bad hock. Having been turned out this morning, he promptly rolled then couldn’t back up for 15 minutes. The field is very muddy/slippy. Therefore he’s staying in, which he likes.

His hay will be soaked from now on. To get his pain meds down him, he gets a tiny am and pm feed, mostly fast fibre. Based on his weight, he should be getting 16.25kg of hay per day. Should I be incredibly strict on that? Im concerned his weight is obviously detrimental to his bad hocks, but I’m concerned that he will be standing in with nothing for hours.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I would introduce plain oat straw chaff into his diet. The Draft mare who was obese when she came here turned her nose up at it at first but soon realised that when the alternative was nothing, plain chaff was acceptable. It got her weight down without my having to ride everyday, which would have been impossible, she came in January and I was classroom teaching full time.
I cannot do with having horses standing in with nothing to eat and I don't like wet hay, especially in winter, in case it freezes

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

I will give it a go. I do not want him stood with nothing to eat and 16kg seems very little. I tried him on oat straw recently. His face was a picture! He refused to even try it. He’s going to have to lump it. Something needs to give looking at him.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I will give it a go. I do not want him stood with nothing to eat and 16kg seems very little. I tried him on oat straw recently. His face was a picture! He refused to even try it. He’s going to have to lump it. Something needs to give looking at him.

The Draft mare told me that if it I thought she would eat that, I was mad but when she realised that the alternative was nothing to eat, she relented. We actually were using 2 bags of the stuff per week at one point. She lost over 100kg over time.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Can you or someone else walk him out in hand? It would help to keep him from seizing up. I’ve been doing 20 mins walks in hand in the arena with my wonky mare, who is extra wonky now after a pelvic injury, and it has made such a positive difference to her. She can be turned out, though.

Gel injections in her hocks have helped a lot, too, more so than steroid jabs.

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

He is walked out, down the lane, round the arena, round the yard twice a day. He is normally turned out but it’s just horrible out there today and I don’t want him unable to get up again, he just couldn’t get the purchase. I’m hoping he will go out again soon.

He can’t have injections in his hocks, did have steroid straight in some years back, but now he’s grown a big spavin, so there’s no way to get into the joint. I know we’re on borrowed time, but whilst he’s happy/comfortable, I can’t pts.

 

[L&M]

16.25 kg of hay sounds a huge amount - are you sure you don't meant pounds?!!!

My cob has approx 8kg overnight if in, but less atm as the grass is still good (no hard feed at all), and is hacked out 3-4 times a week.....

 

[ycbm]

I am feeding long barley straw ad lib and my mare is losing weight. She's not happy about it but she does eat it under protest. She gets 5kg of decent dry stemmy haylage and when that's gone she will pick at straw.

 

[L&M]

As I understand you should provide 1.5 - 2% forage for bodyweight, so if a horse weighs 500kg, that would equate too approx 8-10 kg of forage depending on body condition and work levels.

 

[meleeka]

Does he have a small holed hay net?

my cob lost 100kgs in a month (measures on a weigh bridge at the vets). He had a small holed haynet (soaked) and 2.5xm holed haynet (unsoaked) and a net of straw. He was never without something to eat as it was the only way he would tolerate box rest.

 

[Cortez]

16.25kgs is a huge amount of hay for an obese cob (or any horse, for that matter); are you sure that that is what you've been recommended to feed? I've never fed more than 8kgs per day to any of my horses (good doers) - they are all bedded on barley straw and tuck into that if they feel a bit peckish.

 

[Chinchilla]

You must mean 16.25 lbs; that is 7kg and would be about right for a 500kg horse on a diet. If they are hungry enough they will eat straw, or you could try him on something like top chop zero, which smells amazing.

 

[SusieT]

Feed him straw and given him even less hay than that. Then you dont feel guilty as he has straw to pick at, he can pick at the straw but still get a little hay. Soak any hay.
I would also move him - an elderly arthritic horse being stabled 24/7 is not appropriate, and if hes stabled because he can't get up outside due to the turnout ground/his arthritis, and this is a situation that isn't going to change i.e.can't/won't move to retirement livery with suitable turnout that for me would be an absoloute sign of euthanasia. Especially if you have to make him stand for hours without eating. I think to continue on that vein would be cruel.
Now, if it is just a few weeks until his injury heals, fine. But just keep in mind his long term welfare and what is best for him.

 

[SusieT]

ps- don't mistake learned helplessness for 'liking' being stabled 24/7.

 

[Red-1]

How big a horse is he?

My 15.1 cob eats 8kg a day to lose weight, 10kg a day to maintain. That is soaked hay. He also has a couple of trugs of straw chop.

I would look for somewhere with all weather turnout pens if he can't rise in mud.

 

[ihatework]

I will give it a go. I do not want him stood with nothing to eat and 16kg seems very little. I tried him on oat straw recently. His face was a picture! He refused to even try it. He’s going to have to lump it. Something needs to give looking at him.

How big is this horse?
16kg of hay is a huge amount.

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

16.25 kg of hay sounds a huge amount - are you sure you don't meant pounds?!!!

My cob has approx 8kg overnight if in, but less atm as the grass is still good (no hard feed at all), and is hacked out 3-4 times a week.....

I do mean pounds, omg, sorry, been a tricky day.

Does he have a small holed hay net?

my cob lost 100kgs in a month (measures on a weigh bridge at the vets). He had a small holed haynet (soaked) and 2.5xm holed haynet (unsoaked) and a net of straw. He was never without something to eat as it was the only way he would tolerate box rest.

He has the slow feeder nets, really teeny holes, it’s a black net with tiny holes, it’s tricky to feed through the string to hang it.

He won’t be in long term, never has been. If he can‘t get up out of the field, he will go into the smaller less sloped field, although I’ll probably have to sweet talk the yo big time. According to the vet, he is not a euthanasia case, but I will not be prolonging his life if there is no quality to it, regardless of her opinion.

I gave him some oat straw with alfalfa today, which he hoovered up, possibly because of the 4 sugar free polos on top. He refused it last time. He also-surprisingly-ate soaked hay which he normally ignores.

I’m hopeful that he will drop weight, he isn’t rugged. I want him happy and as healthy as possible. If I think he is suffering, I will call the vet to pts, I cannot see him suffer.

 

[Goldenstar]

If you persist they will eat straw .
if they leave it they are not that hungry .
Fatty would never eat straw until we got to the last chance saloon then when he was desperate enough he learnt .

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

He’s a funny one: he used to eat half of his bed when he was on straw, but present it to him as actual food in a hay net and it’s a hard no. He’s really fussy re treats, won’t touch parsnips, swede, pears, bananas, bread, all get spat out. I tried when I first got him and at times over the years and he still refuses all of those.

I‘m going to weigh and soak hay and try him out again next weekend. I’ll try half a net of straw, too, mixed with hay. I can’t turn out then leave, obviously. Lockdown doesn't change anything for me as a teacher.

 

[Chinchilla]

It really does sound like you're doing all you can for him, he is lucky; so many don't bother with their horses when they can't ride them anymore
Soaked hay and straw is a good regime so hopefully you'll see good results now ?, particularly if he's not rugged. If it's the piebald fella you've posted on the photo thread I really hope things work out with him because I simply adore him.

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

It really does sound like you're doing all you can for him, he is lucky; so many don't bother with their horses when they can't ride them anymore
Soaked hay and straw is a good regime so hopefully you'll see good results now ?, particularly if he's not rugged. If it's the piebald fella you've posted on the photo thread I really hope things work out with him because I simply adore him.

That is the boy! I absolutely bloody adore him, we suit each other really well. I don’t care about riding, he’s my boy and is spoilt by me and his sharer (attention wise, not food!). We both love him to pieces and want him to be happy.