Fairly feeding a good doer

[lucy_108]

Recommendations on what you can feed good do-er types to ensure they have feed all night in the stable?

we have a trickle net, we soak hay, we live onsite so I give him a net at 10pm, but by midnight it’s all gone.

I have been giving him TopSpec Topchop Zero but he eats that like feed, so even a big bucket lasts MAX an hour.

He is so crabby in the mornings and I know it’s because he’s hungry but I’m so stuck - I am a stickler for weight management as I really believe the implications of obesity are ten fold and haunt you forever, but equally I want this pony to be happy.

Anyone got any ideas to share? I’m worried about ulcers but also worried about weight!

 

[Widgeon]

It sounds like you're already doing everything right - the only other thing I can think is to feed a pile of straw alongside the soaked hay. That's what I do when mine is in at night. I know what you mean about feeding chop in a bucket - that counts as Bucket Feed in the eyes of a fatso, and must be inhaled ASAP

 

[meleeka]

A net of straw and more exercise if you can. A snack ball with a few high fibre nuts is also useful. Is there a reason he’s in at night?

 

[SEL]

A friend mixes straw and hay and that has got 100kg off her cob - he looks amazing.

He did sulk and leave the straw to start with but her view was that if he was hungry he'd eat it. He does leave some which he never did with the same weight of hay

 

[tda]

A friend mixes straw and hay and that has got 100kg off her cob - he looks amazing.

He did sulk and leave the straw to start with but her view was that if he was hungry he'd eat it. He does leave some which he never did with the same weight of hay

I have used that system, it takes them much longer to get to the hay stalks

 

[lucy_108]

A net of straw and more exercise if you can. A snack ball with a few high fibre nuts is also useful. Is there a reason he’s in at night?

I’ve only got him and my big guy who has to be in over night in the winter. I don’t think they’d be too happy with one in and one out sadly.

 

[AmyMay]

Is he overweight?

 

[Goldenstar]

I have Timothy /fescue haylege this winter it’s got about the same feeding value as Timothy but it’s much less palatable .
Mine are eating much less as a result .

 

[Goldenstar]

How many kilos does he have to lose ?
and does he have to be stabled at night can he stay out I have mine out they are in three hours ish a day they are all losing weight now.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

We use Honeychop plain oat straw chaff, it doesn't have any platable additives, so they only eat it if they really are hungry. TopChop Zero has allsorts added to make it palatable.

 

[Cortez]

Clean straw available free choice, and strictly weighed, limited hay.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

Have you tried the Harrison’s nets? They have a Facebook page. I would put a soaked tricklenet of hay inside a hay bag. Definitely slows them down. That’s what I had to do for a good doer I had years ago. If I need to slow Faran down I put his haynet inside his hay feeder in the stable and he barely gets a few strands at the time.

 

[Carlosmum]

I listened to a pod cast yesterday, where the nutritionist said horses need only 20% of their total forage ration at night. Personally I wouldn't worry too much, depending on when you get back to the yard in the morning.

 

[marmalade76]

A friend mixes straw and hay and that has got 100kg off her cob - he looks amazing.

He did sulk and leave the straw to start with but her view was that if he was hungry he'd eat it. He does leave some which he never did with the same weight of hay

I do similar. My husband makes hay on various fields and they hay varies. The horses have their favourite hay and other types that they're not so fussed about. Current fave is some 2 year old seed hay, no smell to it but they love it and I also have some soft meadow hay and coarser meadow hay on the go. They scoff the seed hay straight away and the two other types they're not so greedy for will last them through the night.

I am not one to pander to fussy hay eaters, selling hay for years, you sometimes get a customer saying their horse does not like a certain type of hay and can it be exchanged, if there's nothing wrong with the hay (ie it's not mouldy, doesn't smell bad, etc) I think obviously not hungry. I also bed on straw and have found that every horse I've had likes a pick of straw even though they're rarely short of hay.