Irishdraughtfan
Member
Your thoughts would be appreciated.
Can Haylage make horses grumpy and irritable?
- Thread starter Irishdraughtfan
- Start date
splash30
Well-Known Member
Yes, if I feed my mare rye grass haylage it gives her bloating (odd, I know but you can see it) which then in turn gives her a runny bum by this I mean even liquid farts!! Which in turn makes her miserable/grumpy to handle and horrible to ride, so I have to feed meadow haylage or hay.
kerilli
Well-Known Member
it's too acidic for some horses, so, yes, i think so. obv depends on the haylage but i won't use it, fwiw.
Irishdraughtfan
Member
How about making them irritable to handle?
JanetGeorge
Well-Known Member
The only time haylage makes any of mine irritable is when they run out and I'm not quick enough with the next mountain!
IF the haylage is particularly good quality, and particularly if horse isn't getting enough turnout, it certainly could do - but it's not really the haylage - just too much energy that can't be expended any other way!
IF the haylage is particularly good quality, and particularly if horse isn't getting enough turnout, it certainly could do - but it's not really the haylage - just too much energy that can't be expended any other way!
TopTotty
Well-Known Member
I think one of my mares is more irritable on haylage. 
Last year she was on box rest and I fed her soaked hay but since we moved house and she has had turn out and started hacking I have put her back on haylage. This winter she became VERY moody in her stable when you were putting the nets up and skipping out. She also turned into a nightmare to ride so I put her onto hay. She has changed in the stable now and is not as frantic to get her nets.....we never leave them with out hay or haylage so it's not like she runs out.
I did wonder whether she could maybe have gastric ulcers?? But I have not gone down that route yet.
She now gets a hanful of haylage in a morning whilst I rug up the others and turn out and a net only if she is in the horsebox.
She is also in less work as I no longer have a school at home so it could be all the things combined that have made her change and to be honest she is fiesty at the best of time in her stable. But changing her onto hay has defo made a difference to her in the stable.
Hope you get sorted
Last year she was on box rest and I fed her soaked hay but since we moved house and she has had turn out and started hacking I have put her back on haylage. This winter she became VERY moody in her stable when you were putting the nets up and skipping out. She also turned into a nightmare to ride so I put her onto hay. She has changed in the stable now and is not as frantic to get her nets.....we never leave them with out hay or haylage so it's not like she runs out. I did wonder whether she could maybe have gastric ulcers??
But I have not gone down that route yet.She now gets a hanful of haylage in a morning whilst I rug up the others and turn out and a net only if she is in the horsebox.
She is also in less work as I no longer have a school at home so it could be all the things combined that have made her change and to be honest she is fiesty at the best of time in her stable. But changing her onto hay has defo made a difference to her in the stable.
Hope you get sorted
Ginger Bear
Well-Known Member
I was talking to a vet last week and she hates haylage, says it's a nightmare for digestion and far too acidic.. I don't ever feed haylage now, especially with a syressy horse who is prone to too much stomach acid anyway.
Luci07
Well-Known Member
Haylage works for me with putting on weight and has been brilliant for me. I do feed Naf Pink Powder as one of mine did get a bit runny and that helped. In terms of grumpiness - not seen that but did see a big change in my horses attitude last uear with the snow. Food had been changed but neither horse appreciated the curtailing of exercise and were grumpy ..
MochaDun
Well-Known Member
Our yard has just moved onto haylage which is richer than we have been used to as the previous haylage could sometimes be like hay and has taken about a couple of weeks for some of the horses to adjust to the changeover I'd say - some seem no different but others looked more lively when ridden and others a bit more grumpy in their stables towards their stablemates in adjoining stables and we had one mild spasmodic colic case in the first week. Also they were eating it really quickly as was so palatable so were running out a lot quicker than normal so feeling hungry and grumpy then I guess you could say. I'm not looking forward to mine being on this all winter should they get stuck in due to really bad weather or going from that in April straight onto luscious grass when they will change turnout fields.
and others a bit more grumpy in their stables towards their stablemates in adjoining stables and we had one mild spasmodic colic case in the first week. Also they were eating it really quickly as was so palatable so were running out a lot quicker than normal so feeling hungry and grumpy then I guess you could say. I'm not looking forward to mine being on this all winter should they get stuck in due to really bad weather or going from that in April straight onto luscious grass when they will change turnout fields.