Do you feed straw?

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Worried1

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Finn is enormous despite only being fed mollichaff calmer and hay.

Obviously this wet weather has led to him being stabled more and I have tried to dribble feed him hay using tiny pony hole haynets. He literally inhales the stuff!

Years ago we used to feed the good doers good quality oat or barley straw and I have been thinking whether to try it with him.

He is not doing that much now as I am only hacking him plus he does the odd lesson and our WP rides him.

So in terms of energy he is not needing a huge amount of calories, it's more about keeping his gut active and taking the guilt factor away as he neighs at me or wuffles - it's like he is pleading with me for food ;)

I am going to have to muzzle him out in the field as well at this rate!
 
I started feeding my pony Top Chop Lite in an effort to prepare her for when the spring grass comes through because I didnt want her getting fat. Trouble is because it contains no mollasses and therefore contains less sugar than hay, my poor little veteran pony dropped weight on it which I didnt want to happen.

However, if you would like your horse to lose weight then I would fully recommend this. It is a combination of straw and alfalfa (although there isnt much Alfalfa to be honest)

The link below shows the nutritional analysis.

http://www.topspec.com/TopChop-Comp.htm

Hope this helps :)
 
Wet weather??? What wet weather??? It's been so dry here for the last month that we have grass fires popping up left, right and centre!

Anyway...Reasonable quality oat straw is fine for neds but be very careful with a piggy ned like Finn. Straw can cause impaction colic. Have you tried soaking his hay for 12 hrs? That pretty much leeches all the calories out of it. Another alternative is TWO small holed haynets, one inside the other which makes it even harder for the horse to pig out. Even 3 if necessary! Is there any way you could exercise him on a regular basis? Doesn't have to be hacking - lunge him or chase him round the school loose for 15 mins. My veteran cob Sunny was 583kg kast October when he had to be scoped for a chest infection on top of summer pasture RAO. Vets warned that if he needed steroids in the future he'd be in trouble and they said get his weight down to 530kg at the most. All winter he's been ridden 2 or 3 times a week (not counting snow) - just half hour hack round the block or bit of work in the school and his feed is just very wet speedibeet and Hi Fi Lite. Ad lib haylage. Well, I took him to the vets a few weeks ago and weigh taped him yesterday and he's down to 509kg!!!! He looks really well and he hasn't been denied food at all. I firmly believe the regular exercise has made the difference as he LIVES for his stomach! Good luck with Finn xxx
 
i always got taught not to feed your horses straw as its harder to digest and they could end up with compaction colic, the ponies at my yard are the fatties and are on half straw half haylage out in the field at the moment just to balance it out as many of them dont get fed every day which can cause them to colic personally i hate feeding straw i dont mind it in chaff as it is very little taz is out with the ponies as he gets bullied by everything else but he doesnt eat in the field half od the time so im not to bothered as he gets fed three times a day and doesnt need it

but personally i wouldnt feed straw on its own half straw half hay yes but not on its own
 
i fed my horse half straw half haylege last winter as she got too fat on just haylege and there was no decent hay about! she survived just fine ;)
she actually loves straw - will eat it over hay if given the chance....
 
Hay is in short supply so my thought was 1/2 and 1/2.

We double net him already using the tiny tiny hole pony trawler nets and it has slowed him down but my main aim is to reduce his calorie intake as obviously the grass is starting to come through.

Essentially he is a really good doer - and I am trying to keep his exercise levels up but he is not doing anywhere near as much as he was because I am 7 months pregnant and simply not able to school him like I used to. Mr Worried is doing his best to work him when he has time but he is not our main priority.

Oh well at least the pair of us will be as fat as each other when I am ready to start riding again :)
 
The problem with feeding straw is the cellulose on it which is very hard to break down and digest, so you are really risking colic. Think oat straw is not so bad as wheat straw.
 
I dont intentially feed straw, unfortunatley they all eat their beds and shavings are £7 a bag here!
I wouldnt feed a diet of just straw though, I would mix it with haylage or hay.

Could you not just soak his hay to take all of the nutrients out of it, he is unlikley to put on weight with plenty of soaked hay and its got to be better for him than straw?
 
I was taught that wheat straw can cause impaction colic.

Mine have been on barley straw on tap as they are on full turnout and have it in a round. In the evening I have put in two haynets of haylage and mixed it up. They havent got any hay/grass belly this year. Mine are both very good dooers (live off fresh air types).
 
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