Can someone please help me stop worrying?

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almrc

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Hi all

I'm so worried about my horses can you help me stop worrying! I have 3 hores all living out and rugged. A TB x 4.5yr old 14.3hh and growing, a chunky cob who is 14.3hh and a 15.2hh Hackney x cob. They are eating a scoop of alfa and cool fibre cubes once per day. They are on about 3.5 - 4 acres of grass, but there isnt a lot of grass there at the mo, they have been in the field since the beginning of December.

I am aware by calculations that they should be eating about 30kg a day including hard feed. I am giving them about a bale and a half at the moment which I have weighed and does weigh about 30kg.

I would love to ab lib but I know they would eat and eat and eat. They are all looking well...please can someone assure me they have enough? I am a worrier.....
 
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Seriously, STOP worrying!! It sounds perfectly fine to me. If your horses look healthy and haven't lost condition then there's no problem!! My horse scoffs her two large small holed haynets when she goes in at 9pm and has finished them by midnight. She doesn't get anymore because she eats and eats and eats and she is already porky. I cannot keep going to her stable all night and replenishing her haynet for her either!! So yes, in an ideal world they should trickle feed as much as possible, but domestication means that sometimes this isn't entirely possible!
 
Its just I like them to have something to eat alllllll day but they wouldnt stop if they had it -Phew thank you...they are looking really good at the mo not too fat or thin just nice and little belly. I just worry and like you ay I want to trickle feed them! I should go up every 3 hours hehe!

Someone on here calculated it for me in a thread last year, body weight divided by smething, cant remember!
 
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I agree with Moomin1 and MogginManolos - sounds like you can stop worrying!! :) Think you are feeding them plenty for this time of year.

Just having a little think... if you're supposed to feed about 2% of horse's bodyweight a day for maintenance (not being ridden)...

100/2 = 50
So 30kg x 50 = 1500 so each of your horses weighs 1,500kg?!

Probably got my knickers in a twist and got very confused so sorry if I have!!
 
2 are in ridden work, one goes out for an hr 3 or 4 times a week, the other goes out twice 2 times a week, cant remember the calculation sorry, but they def do not weigh that much!
 
Horses are trickle feeders and need to eat little and often for most of the day.
In the winter horses need to eat to keep warm and we humans tend to leave so much hay out in the field and when it is finished the horses have to wait for the next batch to magically appear. So when the next batch arrives thay are hungry and stuff themselves quickly and probably run out of hay sooner.

So I bought a small holed net (one made for the square hay bales) and it works a treat, they can eat little and often and the hay bale lasts longer.

The alternative is to purchase a large round bale feeder and place a large round bale in the field.
 
Sianage said:
I agree with Moomin1 and MogginManolos - sounds like you can stop worrying!! :) Think you are feeding them plenty for this time of year.

Just having a little think... if you're supposed to feed about 2% of horse's bodyweight a day for maintenance (not being ridden)...

100/2 = 50
So 30kg x 50 = 1500 so each of your horses weighs 1,500kg?!

Probably got my knickers in a twist and got very confused so sorry if I have!!
Click to expand...

I think OP is saying 30kg between the 3 horses, ie. around 10kg each which sounds about right, esp. if this is in addition to their bucket feeds :)
 
That makes so much sense! I will have a look for those net things - I have been splitting the hay into two ie giving in morning and evening but what you are saying makes sense as to how they scoff it all so quickly!!

And yes sorry I mean 30kg between them all :)
 
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