Feeding unsoaked sugarbeet. 'being helpful'

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midnight mayhem

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I'm led to believe that someone (un horsey) took it upon themselves to feed my horse un soaked sugarbeet and nuts as that's what they'd seen someone else from same yard feed theirs..mine is fed something else entirely so the feed was not even mine! They were trying to be helpful and stated that well the horse has had a good feast! How would other people react? Am I right to be upset? My horse does not need a 'feast' as he is slightly overweight!
 
Id be livid!!! I'd be angry enough if someone gave my horse a scoop of chaff without my say do but that would make my blood boil!!!
 
I would be baying for blood. I know someone who's horse died from colic after he was fed a large quantity of unsoaked SB by a similar 'helpful' soul.
 
I'd be furious. Being non horsey isn't an excuse either, shouldn't have been interfering. If they have kids ask how they'd feel if you gave them vodka & redbull. Moron.
 
I am fuming..but my worries are just brushed to one side..how large a quantity of un soaked sugar beet do you guys think it would take to do any harm? This isn't the first time I've stressed LEAVE MY HORSE alone..ok so I'm not there at the yard 24/7 but I will be there eventually at some point-same as I am every single day!!!
 
Someone decided to feed mine mowed grass once and I went absolutely mental, and my friends agreed with me. You have every right to be angry, I'd give them a piece of my mind and then maybe they'll think twice before doing it again! No matter what their intentions, they are putting a horses life at risk :(
 
I honestly don't know how much is needed to cause colic.

I have stuck a large sticker on my speedi beet feed bin lid that says, 'Do not feed unsoaked. Must be soaked in water for at least 10 mins before feeding.'
 
I'd tell them that you will forward the vet bill to them next time they even think about feeding him. That kind of interfering could result in serious illness or even death of a horse.
Azortoria, colic etc. I'd be furious to say the least. This is not a minor matter and these people must be made aware. I'd phone the Vet and ask his advice anyway.
 
I would be absolutely steaming!

How DARE they interfere with someone else's animal? They don't know what feed it is on, if it is on medication, whether it has allergies or intolerances..sheer sheer and utter stupidity and being non-horsey is no excuse! It is just absolutely iexcusable and i would have to be held down before i dinged someone with my fork!!!

Ditto the comment about feeding kids red bull and vodka :D

Hope said pony is ok though xxx
 
Going back to your 'how much' question, OP, just keep an eye on him. Chances are he'll be fine. Henry broke into feedroom, once and ate nearly half a sackful before being found. I think my fieldsharer had more chance of colic than he did. He just wandered around munching grass, with a smug look on his face, whilst she followed him, anxiously! :D
 
I am so angry and scared on your behalf! I would give them an absolute grilling and find out how much they actually gave him. Then ring your vet and have a discussion with them. If a call out is needed you make damn sure that they pay the bill. Jesus Christ the NERVE of some people!!
 
My last pony was IR and was on a strict diet to avoid lami. She had a completely bare paddock with a big sign saying not to feed her. Everything she had was meticulously weighed out. I arrived one evening to see her munching her way through a slice of hayledge, as big as she was! On another occasion I was told someone had given her a bucket of grass clippings. Another time someone removed her grazing muzzle (before she had the bare paddock) and left in on the gate with a note saying I was cruel! If only they knew what they could have caused!

People just do not get it! So frustrating! In the end I had to sell my beloved pony as I couldn't find anywhere to keep her where she wouldn't be interfered with :O(
 
I don't know how much sugarbeet can cause colic, but I think the horse has a lot to do with it. My horse once broke into the tack room and into the feed bins and ate an entire bag of unsoaked sugar beet, a whole bag of blue chip and half a bag of chaff and he was fine. I haven't get that pony anymore as he was my first, but after that the tack room was padlocked as were the feed bins. He also escaped from his stable, with a kickbolt on to get into the tack room.

I would kindly but firmly tell that person to never even think of touching my horse, never mind following through on that thought!
 
I have a laminated sheet on my stable doors (with my contact details and the phone number of their vet etc) and I put a paragraph at the bottom stating what they CAN be fed (mints, apples, carrots, brazil nuts) and NOTHING ELSE PLEASE.

I figured I can't stop people from wanting to give titbits if I am not there to stop them, but I can at least educate what they should have.

As for your horse, OP, I would be livid and I would be kicking off big style with the YO and the moron - trying to poison your horse is not acceptable. Ignorance (in the words of Anna Sewell) is not an excuse.
 
O god how terrible. Would definately leave a few notes about saying Don't feed my pony!!!

On a positive side, my mum looked after Rosie for me for a few days while I was on holiday, I wrote down everything she needed and wrote to NOT use feed from bin on the left. afterwards i found out she had indeed used the bin on the left, unsoaked sugar beet. 2 scoops once a day. I was so upset convinced she was going to colic so rang up vet friend but Rosie was fine!! I heard in the US they feed unsoaked beet quite regularly.

Needless to say that was the last time my mum fed Rosie!
 
Thank you so much to everyone for your support-the person who fed him keeps changing how much and what was fed! But my concerns are still being brushed off! Horse is at the moment grazing peacefully, a quick call to the vet won't hurt though so I'll be doing that-if only to make me feel better :-/ thank god for this forum and the people here who know where I'm coming from!! Jaffa cakes to you all :-) x
 
Terrible!

I'd go mental!

My friends horse was fed unsoaked sugarbeet, and unfortunately in her case it caused choke (which took 3 days to pass), and then he got colic from the lump of unsoaked sugarbeet that he had managed to pass in to his stomach and had to be PTS.

If he's eating and drink and pooing, chances are he's fine.

Fingers crossed! x
 
Your concerns being brushed aside suggests you are not being thermonuclear enough.

Whip out the big guns and kick up more of a fuss ;)
 
midnight mayhem said:
I am fuming..but my worries are just brushed to one side..how large a quantity of un soaked sugar beet do you guys think it would take to do any harm? This isn't the first time I've stressed LEAVE MY HORSE alone..ok so I'm not there at the yard 24/7 but I will be there eventually at some point-same as I am every single day!!!
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Whilst it is wrong to feed someone elses horse (I'd be fuming), you say 'I will be there eventually'. Does that mean you are there just once a day? If so, could you not make up your horse's feed for someone else to give him? I have been a DIYer on a yard before where someone only came once a day around lunch time and so their horse was left in without food or water and I ended up giving it hay and topping up its water as it had to watch all the others being tended to. Not saying you are like this, but maybe this 'helpful' person just thought your horse was not being attended to?
 
Wagtail- (sorry I don't know how to do the quote thing) my horse is on grass livery, I do indeed go to yard everyday and feeds are made up just in case I need to ring another livery to ask to feed him, they are left with a bucket cover over them. I would never even ask this certain person to feed though-he said he would have fed my feed if he could get into my tackroom (locked) I leave my made up feed outside of tackroom-hell knows what he thought it was for!
 
midnight mayhem said:
Wagtail- (sorry I don't know how to do the quote thing) my horse is on grass livery, I do indeed go to yard everyday and feeds are made up just in case I need to ring another livery to ask to feed him, they are left with a bucket cover over them. I would never even ask this certain person to feed though-he said he would have fed my feed if he could get into my tackroom (locked) I leave my made up feed outside of tackroom-hell knows what he thought it was for!
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Oh I see. What an idiot! I don't know what to suggest then, other than moving. Hope your horse is okay.
 
Id be shoving sugarbeet down their throat and see how pleasant it is!!! We had an awful case of a pony getting into the sugarbeet, he looked ok just a little down afterwards but soon started to choke and choke VERY badly. We almost lost him from rupturing his osophegus when trying to flush it out
 
Thank you wagtail..I've rang YO and demanded that my horse be left alone, only I/my sharer to feed him. I will also put up a sign stating this. I'm loath to move as grazing is great-11 acres to 4 horses! And mine is such a pig..eats far more than any other horse I've known, always first to eat up his paddocks! YO understands and is going to tell everyone not to interfere with others horses
 
I'd be raging too... People like this who clearly dont have a clue should not be allowed near horses!!

Glad I have my own yard and have control of everything!! (i'm a control freak.. I know) But i love it!
 
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