Eating less when hay is on the floor?

[PonyIAmNotFood]

Bought my loan mare the other day and decided yesterday that I would try her hay on the floor as she has a very upside down neck from years of incorrect schooling (it's nice being able to keep them how you want, shoes off next!).

Emptied her normal nets onto the floor last night in a clean, dry corner. She normally has a bit left in the nets but not much. This morning she had quite a bit left?! Much more than I was expecting. She'd done her normal poos and had moved round more overnight as she normally has a huge poo pile at the back, the poos were scattered about today.

She's an old lady so don't really want her to stop eating as much. Why would she eat less with it on the floor? Anyone else's do this?

 

[Shay]

She might actually find it uncomfortable to stretch down too much to eat. You say she's old - if she has spend years - possibly decades - always eating from a net suspended on the wall she may need a bit of encouragement to eat from the floor. Or she might feel unsafe alone; with her head raised she can be more alert. Or it could be something completely unconnected like she was too warm or too cold and just one of those oddities. She could have been disturbed in the night by something. If it happens again it might be worth seeing if you can secure a net correctly but lower and work up to feeding from the floor? Don't just leave the net looser on its normal string though - she could tangle on it.

Sometimes horses just don't suit our ideas of how they should be kept / live. If she doesn't like being fed from the floor don't do it.

 

[PonyIAmNotFood]

Thanks for the reply, she has been worked long and low for the past year and a bit, had massages and is coming over the top a lot more now, she also looks very comfortable while eating low, but I will keep this in mind and see how much she eats for the next few days.

She is quite nosey so definitely possibly she doesn't feel as safe with her nose on the floor. She has an open window behind her when she's eating, will close this tonight and see if that makes a difference, hadn't considered that side of things.

If she's not eating more in the next day or so, I'll bob the nets back up.

 

[Hippona]

Mine eat less when the hay is on the floor, all three of them. They just self regulate better.

Feeding from the floor is so much better than using nets for so many reasons....back, neck, teeth, respiration

ETA presumably she has no problems getting her head to the floor whilst out grazing?

 

[PonyIAmNotFood]

Hippona, she gets a snotty nose (clear snot, no odour, had it for years) when eating from a net but didn't have that this morning, so funny you mention respiration as I was thinking it must have drained her head a bit.

It had crossed my mind that she just felt less stressed and so wasn't snatching at hay all night, that might be silly though.

 

[PonyIAmNotFood]

Just seen your edit hippona, no issues at all grazing.

 

[SO1]

Could you put half on the floor and half in the net.

With regard to left over hay on the floor could any animal such as a rodent get into her stable and pee on the hay on the floor, or did the hay get mixed up with bedding which can make it taste not so palatable?

 

[chattygoneon3]

Hi I think you need to give it a bit more time before you start to worry . I feed mine hay off the floor. I weigh his hay and most mornings there are different amounts left. As she is able to graze happily I am sure she will be fine. Good luck and enjoy owning your mare.

 

[PonyIAmNotFood]

SO1, I will try that if she carries on with not eating as much. She chooses floor hay over net hay anyway. No bedding mixed in, she's a lady! Haha. We have about 12 yard cats, so rodents are not really an issue, don't think I've ever seen a mouse or rat there.

Thank you for all suggestions, I can start a process of elimination now and see if she can carry on eating from the floor.

 

[LeannePip]

Mine doesn't really like eating off the floor but she's been on part livery most of her life and al the yards fed from hay nets so i uses she's just used to it. once hay has been on the floor she won't eat it, even if you put it back in a net! she's a fussy little thing!

 

[w1bbler]

Mine doesn't like floor hay, but happy when its in a haybar
Don't need to buy an expensive one, bit of ply across corner of stable is perfect.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

I divide CF's hay, a section on the floor of the shelter and the rest in a net.
However, he is a tidy-minded chap and WILL eat whatever is put out for him

 

[PonyIAmNotFood]

Just Googled 'how to make a hay bar' and I deffo think that's something I (*cough* dad) could do. The youngster can have one too while we're at it

 

[TGM]

I wonder whether she is treading on the some of the hay whilst eating it, and then rejecting the trodden on bits. My pony does that if she is given a lot of hay on the floor in one go. Definitely try a hay bar or similar if you can.

 

[dollyanna]

Consider teeth too if you haven't had them checked recently - eating from the ground will alter the way the jaw moves and it may be that there is a sharp bit that is fine when eating from higher up but becomes a problem when eating solely from the floor.

 

[hairycob]

Put a haybar in Clive's stable as he tramps his hay through his bedding & he won't eat food that has been trodden on. Having finally persuaded him it was safe to come in & the monster in the corner wasn't going to eat him & waited until he had worked out it was safe to approach (with the aid of mints) I went up in the evening to find the little blighter had pulled all the hay out & tramped it through his bed. Hoping it was a one off in search of more mints but he isn't the brightest spark when it comes to food.

 

[Traveller59]

Is your horse out grazing, because it could just be that shes just not as hungry, the grass is starting to come through now.... even my greedy mare is starting to leave some hay now.

 

[sport horse]

Much better for them to eat off the floor - head down released gastric juices to help them chew the hay and subsequently improves digestion. As you have found also drains respiratory system. Horses travelling long distances are very prone to serious respiratory problems caused by being tied with their heads up for long periods.

 

[PonyIAmNotFood]

She had her teeth done recently and that is kept on top of. I am deffo going to try a hay bar and hopefully she won't do what your horse did hairycob made me smile that.

Traveller59, sadly she isn't grazing as much as I'd like at the mo due to restricted turnout because of the rain

Lots of reassuring advice there, thanks, hoping nets are out and hay bar is in as her nose is much better so far.

 

[PonyIAmNotFood]

Put one net worth down last night instead of 2, and she's eaten up. So need to find the middle ground now where she has a little bit left each morn she seemed happier this morning, more relaxed.