answer me this please....

FionaM12 said:
Not if his straw's sprayed with Jeyes though, surely? Presumably that stops him eating it.
Click to expand...

Yeah only because he was eating so much, so I was having to top his bed up constantly.
I may keep the jeyes on his bed and add straw to his nets so he still has something to chew but its controlled...

He is greedy which makes it harder...

But maybe a couple of trickle nets with a pref hay/straw mix is a solution...

Thanks guys, your all great :D
 
A lot of people think its less for some reason, not sure why but they def need it 1.5 times more than the weight of hay as it has more water in it than hay, meaning less fibre.

If he has a history of ulcers I wouldn't be happy with that at all as he isn't getting enough fibre.

I'd be stuffing his nets full each night!
 
Trot_On_Dressage said:
A lot of people think its less for some reason, not sure why but they def need it 1.5 times more than the weight of hay as it has more water in it than hay, meaning less fibre.
Click to expand...

Haylage wasn't invented last time I was around horses :D so it's all new to me. I've just started Moll on haylage though (she went off hay) and I give her the same quantity, a huge net full. However I've noticed it feels twice as heavy to carry, due to the water content.
 
My girl gets through her triple nets quickly so I've just ordered some fibre blocks from Feedmark. They are apparently good for greedy horses in that they keep them occupied for longer? They are made of straw & alfa so low in calories. They are on offer at the moment.
 
Sisters large girl gets a tub trug filled with chopped oat straw, marketed as honeychop, unmollassed chopped up straw (she can't manage long straw as colics with it), as both her and the appy hoover up their haylage and both are what you could call good doers :D The appy eats her bed and is fine on it! We do split the haylage into two lots, with them getting the second lot at about midnight. We also give the big mare a second lot of chop, as she has a nasty habit of turning the trug upside down!
 
Tiffany said:
My girl gets through her triple nets quickly so I've just ordered some fibre blocks from Feedmark. They are apparently good for greedy horses in that they keep them occupied for longer? They are made of straw & alfa so low in calories. They are on offer at the moment.
Click to expand...

Thanks Tiffany have also just ordered some!!!

Hopefully he wont just inhale them!!!!
 
I'd add some good quality oat straw! Give it to my lad, he cannot have a haynet as he must stretch his back muscles as much as possible,so he has his hay ration - about 10kg for a 14.2hh welsh cob,and 3-4 sections of clean oat straw so he can keep munching without the calories!

I did try a snack ball but that was a disaster! He got really frustrated with it,kicked it around the stable then sh@t on it!!
 
Trickle nets are expensive but do work well, I think that with extra straw would be a good answer, or work something out where he can eat his bed. it is a pain when you pay for livery with hay and bedding included, then they moan you're using too much. If you are the only livery you should be able to adapt it to your terms a little bit, ask them how many bales per week is acceptable and pay for any extra? Or just tell them you'd rather buy your own hay and bedding from now on (or buy some from their stock) and reduce the livery. I don't think they'll be too offended and it is your horse after all :-)
 
I agree regarding the feeding of haylage. My mare is on a diet due to laminitis and I feed her 11 kg of haylage per day plus her hard feeds. If feeding hay, I would only be feeding around 7.5 kg.
 
Thanks guys.
It's difficult with the y/os because to put it bluntly its quite obvious they think they kno better and I'm young and stupid. The fact is my horse looks great and I take on board advice and do my best.
I just want to be left alone to do my horse myself but as they have been quite involved from the start from when I bought and broke him its sometimes like they do forget who's horse he is! He looks good and is 100% behavior schooling wise but I still get snide comments constantly when I do something with him or treat him differently to how they keep there's. Discussions get difficult as they treat me with amusement...

However yard is lovely, well maintained, loads of turnout, great rides and horse is happy. I just feel like somethimes I am abit on my own on things like trickle feeding, New fangled feeding ;), getting backs done and saddles checked, him wearing knee boots ect ect all get comments and I am quite over sensitive :/
 
I think you need to way the haylage first off to see exactly how much the horse is going and then go from there.

The horse needs to have something overnight - so my guess is you're simply not feeding enough.
 
Last edited:
well for arguements sake (of course not a real argument) lets say 600kg. fat as a pig, prone to ulcers. Should say its hayledge not hay as we have established they should be given more than hay.
 
If it's prone to ulcers - then adlib forage. Replacing haylage with hay - and if that's not possible substituting some of the ration with straw.
 
Trickle net!!

The 2 TB's get a mountain of haylage off the floor overnight, but Fatboy Bruce inhales his meagre rations in about 40 minutes.

His bed is much much tidier since introducing the trickle net, which suggests to me he spends less time grumpily box walking, and more time picking at his net.

Less boredom, less scoffing. Win win :)
 
so now I have to wonder just how fat you will let him get?
Also has an dust issue, so not sure the straw mixing will help.
Use a trickle net, but still eats it way to fast.
 
lets say 600kg. fat as a pig, prone to ulcers. Should say its hayledge not hay as we have established they should be given more than hay.
Click to expand...
We feed ours 6kg forage each overnight in double nets- 3kg hay/ 3kg Barley straw- still have some straw left in the morning- I have to add that last year they were 600kg- now 500kg (ideal weight) and looking very good on this diet. -for haylage obviously you would probably need approx 4.5 kg haylage/3kg Barley straw.
Please note that although oat straw is often recommended for dieting horses it is actually 1. Difficult to source, 2. Just as fattening as hay- it is quite high calorie compared to the other straws. Make sure horses have plenty of water and salt, and straw is clean and good quality.
 
mjcssjw2 said:
so now I have to wonder just how fat you will let him get?
Also has an dust issue, so not sure the straw mixing will help.
Use a trickle net, but still eats it way to fast.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't let him get fat - hence the feeding of straw as part of the ration.
 
I wouldn't be feeding a good doer haylage. So swap would be my answer.

Hay/straw. Soaked if necessary.

I don't like stabling horses without any food though, I like them to have something still in the net when turned back out so I know they aren't standing hours without.
 
mmm very interesting all this isn't it.
Calamity jane for what its worth am just trying to source some clean straw.
He is on haylege as all hay makes him cough, wether soaked or not.
Not hideously, but when I first start trotting all hay does.
Alos going to try a net hung from the beams that he can't pin against a wall!
Still stuck with how much to risk!
I did try adlib a couple of years ago, the yard owner asked what an earth was I doing with the hay. as he ate the most bales on the yard - there are 50 horses on the yard!
 
mjcssjw2 said:
well for arguements sake (of course not a real argument) lets say 600kg. fat as a pig, prone to ulcers. Should say its hayledge not hay as we have established they should be given more than hay.
Click to expand...

Why is he as fat as a pig, doesn't he do any proper work?

I agree with Amy, ad-lib all the way but you have to give him the work to do to burn off any fat.
 
mjcssjw2 said:
so now I have to wonder just how fat you will let him get?
Also has an dust issue, so not sure the straw mixing will help.
Use a trickle net, but still eats it way to fast.
Click to expand...

Up his exercise if he is still fat. Increase both duration and intensity. Consider turning out muzzled to slow down his forage intake too.
 
Maesfen said:
Why is he as fat as a pig, doesn't he do any proper work?

I agree with Amy, ad-lib all the way but you have to give him the work to do to burn off any fat.
Click to expand...

you'd be amazed how little 'food' you need to feed even horses in moderate work if you are feeding enough forage,

i've never quite got my head around feeding hard feed & then restricting hay
 
Measfen and Kat, you raise an very valid point, which no one else though to ask, he isn't in work as he has a damaged check ligament - vets instructions!
its my understanding muzzles should only be used when the grass is a reasonable lenght ie they can actually get some. ours if extremely short and very little of it. If I did muzzle him he would rub his raw raw in a day, and usually there is no rubbing at all. As he will force the muzzle to try and get some grass. I do use a muzzle in summer.
He doesn't have any hard feed a bit of chop, which I was just finishing off, think hay or hayledge is probably prefereable to chop to be honest.

Interestingly the ulcers started in the winter when there was very little grass, vet told me to put hay out in the field, this horse keeping is like balancing a see-saw.
 
racingdemon said:
you'd be amazed how little 'food' you need to feed even horses in moderate work if you are feeding enough forage,

i've never quite got my head around feeding hard feed & then restricting hay
Click to expand...

^ Agreed.

Ours are 24/7 all year turn out with additional hay out when needed.

They all very rarely see hard feed. Only one needs minor amounts. None of them are overweight either.

Had a worry when turning several horses from a few acres out on 35acres this year. The result... like the broodies who are on a large area, they've all got a nice weight. Between moving around and not gorging when let onto it, they've all eaten what's required. Even the slightly overweight, restricted grazing one is at a nice weight now.

I'll always take forage over hard feed.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top