Fat Pony

[FlorenceBassey]

Really need to get some weight off my lad who has recently come back from loan, He has copd so cant give him hay over haylege plus where i am i can get any hay at the moment so he has been getting sa very small amount of haylege, how many people have used something hifi light as a hay replacer and how sucsessful is it?? When i can get some hay he will be out on soaked hay but it doesnt look like it will be anytime soon!

 

[SmartieBean09]

Really need to get some weight off my lad who has recently come back from loan, He has copd so cant give him hay over haylege plus where i am i can get any hay at the moment so he has been getting sa very small amount of haylege, how many people have used something hifi light as a hay replacer and how sucsessful is it?? When i can get some hay he will be out on soaked hay but it doesnt look like it will be anytime soon!

Top spec top chop lite is good and can be fed by the bucket full. Contains no mollasses and less sugar than hay. The MJ/KG is 7 and I have been told that it is like celery for humans in that you use more calories eating it than it contains!

However it is pricey at around £9 for 15kg.

 

[AngieandBen]

How about SS Lucie Cobs; You have to soak them for a few hours, but they bulk up x 4 so are quite economical to feed; Plus side they get plenty of water in them.
Just alfala and nothing else added

 

[Clarence09]

The Hi-Fi Lite is great as a hay replacer and can be used by the bucket full to offer a low calorie forage. Has your horse had laminitis before? If not the Hi-Fi Good Do-er is lower in calorie than hay so might be a better option. I use the Good Do-er as a partial hay replacer for my horse - he is a really good doer and is on a diet as he is on box rest at the moment following a tie back op.

 

[K27]

I know it sounds a bit weird but have you tried soaking the haylage for 5 mins before feeding (if you can't get hay)to leach the sugars and proteins out a bit. Do you weigh it?,

I've never tried feeding Hifi etc as a hay replacer, so sorry I can't help you there!, but I wonder if it would work out v expensive. What about High fibre horsehage in the blue bags as I think they are suitable for good doers/laminitics.

Maybe you could try feeding a low calorie balancer and hifi lite/happy hoof or something and if the horse is burning up more calories than what they are taking in, then they should start to lose weight, as long as it is done slowly.

 

[FlorenceBassey]

Hi,
Clarence09 no he's not had laminitis before touch would, and i'm keeping everthing crossed he never will,
K27 I always thought that you couldn't feed wet haylege?? not sure where i heard it to be honest though,
He is out at night on limited grazing and in during the day so i thing putting him on a hay replacer may well be the way to go, I'm also upping his work load as the loaner only hacked him so school is being re introduced but everything will be done slow and steady
Thanks for your idea's definately given me some options i didn't know about before