had a massive complaint by the YM

A heaped barrow of hay could weigh very little or if it was still in slices an awful lot. But why would you use a barrow as a measure? A small bale of hay weighs about 22kilos, so its easy to work out how much your horse weighs and give the right amount but most horses would need about 12kilos or about half a bale unless the grazing is good. My baby 14.2 yearling is eating a third of a bale a night with no waste. When I feed the young stock in the field I usually start with a full bales but if I have half bales 2/3 of a bale will wedge on end in slices in a standard builders wheel barrow, if I filled it with loose hay no matter how high I piled it there would not be enough. I think you need to weigh your hay.
 
Just an idea, get a haynet sacrifice the rope for bale twine, put hay in, tie up in impossible to untie knot ( ie only cutting it will set it free) see what happens then about hay disappearing. You could be really clever and go and buy some coloured twine so it can't be easily replaced.

Oh and then get off the yard.
 
I measure my hay in trugs too :) A 40l trug can hold about 4-5kg of poorer dry hay from a round bale, more if you really pack it in, and the weight goes up for good quality small square bale hay. My mare lives out at grass but she gets several trugs periodically through the day. She's a good doer and gets through one trug in about 45 minutes, less if she pulls it out of the feeder and spreads it around the floor.

It does seem like some of your hay is vanishing OP, I hope you find the culprit! The water is an even bigger mystery!
 
I think the trug bit is confusing due to it not being explicit as to whether it is filled with hay or water so I think I might have confused that - whoops :o Nevertheless really you need to know rough weight as a wheelbarrow of loose hay won't be as much as say a wheel barrow of compacted half a bale or so.
 
If the OP has a tub of one thing and a wheelbarrow full of the other I think it's safe to assume she doesn't put a wheelbarrow full of water in her stable - totally agree one persons wheelbarrow is different to the next persons but equally unlikely either could be completely eaten in 10 mins so something odd going on at the OP's yard
 
Trug is for water, hay is in a barrow.

However, I now have to tip my boys Haynets out as he eats them (don't ask) and was surprised just how much hay is in a Haynet. If I were to guesstimate the amount before seeing that I would be under by quite a lot!

Saying that, not even my nag could eat a barrow of hay in 10 mins and that really is saying a lot!

I'd accidentally on purpose leave something down there and nip back after 15 mins
 
Don't go to the expense of cameras just yet. The haynet ideas are good. It's more cumbersome to steal hay from a haynet. Besides it will slow your horses down eating. Put 2 buckets of water in and see what happens.

People are oddballs and troublemakers so I wouldn't be surprised if someone was interfering with them. I used to do the hay for 2 girls horses. We supplied our own hay so I took hay from their individual stashes. The horses were both 16.2 so I gave them similar amounts. I noticed that when one of the girls arrived up her horse suddenly had 50%more hay and her "best friends" horse had 50% less hay. Both horses were still out in the field so nobody had been nibbling on it. If people do these sort of things to good friends then god only knows what someone would do if they took a dislike to you.
 
thank you for your replies. ive just got back from the yard. i left 5 carrots in my feed bin (i dont keep feed in it as it was growing legs) checked it tonight and theres 3 1/2 carrots left! so there is part of an answer.

I crammed as much hay in a trug (never knew what they were called so thank you for that :)) and got 4 filled tightly with what i used to feed. now i think it would be about 9-10 being realistic. you cant see straw for hay its crazy. there is absolutely no way they are eating it all. im about to start looking into a camera for both my stables. i guess id need permission for the tack room etc.


the only person i ever really speak to other than the YM is a lad an i know he wants another horse and cant because there isnt a stable. he couldnt before because his parents were paying but he now has a part time job. thats the only person i really ever speak to there and thats very rarley.

i went back after leaving them for 3 hours tonight, my mare had about 2cms of water left in her trug. shes a bad drinker i often have to encourage her to actually drink so theres no way on this earth shes drunk that. my gelding had 1/4 left and for me that good going.

i realistically cant go back for something ive forgotten as i work full time and am a single parent so have to pay for my child care. taking the kids up isnt an option as they both have special needs (my horses are my time away from work and my kids needs, a break for me. well supposed to be)

i have just ordered 2 haynets (large obviously lol) for my gelding. my mare fights with haynets and the nets tend to win :D, learnt that the hard way donkeys years ago.

this just leaves such a nasty taste.

if i was doing something wrong i would want to know and to sort it as my horses are my pets. my mare i have had sinvce she was a foal, shes nearly 19.

thank you again
 
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TBH If I felt the need to have cameras I'd just move yards - like you say, it's your hobby and you want to enjoy it not worry about other peoples craziness. It's a shame as they are in the wrong but life is just too short.

Even if you filmed them going in and emptying your water - what would you do?
 
Just a thought. Has your horse started drinking a lot more recently which is why the trug is empty. Mine started doing so a few weeks ago and it was the first sign of Cushings.
 
just a thought but could the hay be dusty and your horses are "dunking" it in the water to eat it?
there are 2 horses on the yard that do this, one of them always has hay in the water bucket but the other has a fairly clean bucket as it eats every last bit. by doing that they are soaking their own hay and it does use a lot of water.
 
cheeryplatypus said:
Does sound very odd. I would leave them as normal, drive off and return a few mins later (pretend you forgot something) to see if you can find out what's going on.
Else give them their hay etc on a weekend evening and then just sit with a book in with them to see how fast they are eating. It does sound like someone may be moving it though!
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Personally, what I would do is not leave the yard. I'd bring in feed, hay and water... Then set about cleaning my tack, and having a grand clear out of all my tack, grooming kit and feed bin area... That should take a good hour and a half to two hours (make it last that long). Then you can be onsite, to prove that the horse does not eat or drink that fast, and to prove just how much is actually gone in that space of time. Then, you can do the driving away and coming back test... If anything is different you have some form of proof that there has been someone meddling.
 
Love said:
Then OP would have solid proof of the offender (if there is one) and be able confront them without fear of accusing someone who is innocent
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And what would you expect from a confrontation? That they promise not to do it again or the YO kicks them off?? It sounded like only a small yard so that kind of thing would create a really nasty atmosphere and if the 'offender' is a long term livery there's no guarantee YO will be on the OP side.

I can't imagine the mentality of a person who would take water away from any animal and I wouldn't want to stay on a yard where those kind of people are around
 
hayinamanger said:
An overnight ration of hay in a trug that size is totally inadequate in my opinion.
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Mmmm, I was unsure too OP: is this trug for the WATER or the amount of HAY you give your horses.

But I think you said that you gave them a "wheelbarrow-full" for overnight???? I'm a bit unclear, sorry!

What time of the night do you "do" them, i.e. is it say 5pm, or 6pm....... (early evening??) because in that case they could well be eating up all that hay and drinking the water in the trug, if the hay is loose particularly they'll gobble it up mega-quick. As a YO I've seen owners put in full haynets & drinking water enough for them to drown in at say 5pm, but at 10pm its all gone!!!

So personally I'd have a re-think, NOT about the amounts necesarily, but away the WAY that you're feeding mebbe? For instance, it might be that you need to consider double or even triple-netting, i.e. get a load of small-holed/haylage nets and then fill one, and once you've filled it, stuff it into another one so you've got a double layer. This makes a heck of a lot of difference in the speed they'll eat it up; if I give my two loose hay it will just disappear very quickly.

Also...... re the water; horses if they're in, especially now its so mild, will drink far more than you'd think possible, especially if they're having dry feed and dry hay. So I'd be inclined to get another trug of water and bung in, and see if there's any left by the morning.

I would think it unlikely that someone else is pinching hay & water TBH; know it goes on, but think YO is merely being observant and letting an owner know if she thinks there's a potential problem rather than victimising anyone. Er, that's what the YO is there for!:)
 
Attach a bike cable lock to the haynets. No one will be able to remove the hay.
If someone was empty the water, you'd see splashed water, so perhaps they need more water. Soaked hay will help reduce their thirst or give two buckets of water.
Is the water supply in the field ok? If it's contaminated, they may be coming in and drinking straight away.

If someone is deliberately removing hay and particularly, water, I'd be very worried. It's not normal behaviour.
 
Do up and leave the yard ten minutes earlier than you usually would go down the road leave it a few minutes and go back hopefully you'll catch whoever it is in the act.

There is no way a horse would be drinking and eating that much in ten minutes.

In 3 hrs it is possible.
 
I think it is quite likely that they are being eaten/drunk in a few hours (although not 10 mins ;) ). My 15.2hh has a 75ltr tub trug of water a night, some mornings its just about still full, others its virtually empty. Also if I put loose hay in its gone extremely quickly (within an hour or 2). I have to put a big haylage net in & there's not often much left the next morning.

I would hang about for an extra hour or feed up an hour early if you don't have time to stay longer & just monitor what they are actually eating & drinking. Tbh I can't see why anyone would pinch water & would think it would be easier to pinch hay from your supply not from your stable unless of course the stables are nearer than the tap & hay store xx
 
My guys will devour hay or haylage from the floor my gelding would eat what youve described from the floor in just over an hour probably 16.2 warmblood, he dunks hay or haylage in water and used to have very little water left in the morning because of this. i now give him a big trawler net full which he scoffs then he has a smaller net full but double netted that lasts him till morning as hes a greedy horse.
One mare can match him 16hh the other older girl only eats her big net, but has a big tub trug of Haleys just grass as well with some nuts through that she picks at all night as well, so while it night not be gone in 10 mins it will probably be gone before morning. Could the grazing be poorer than where you were, so theyre eating more ?
 
Polos Mum said:
And what would you expect from a confrontation? That they promise not to do it again or the YO kicks them off?? It sounded like only a small yard so that kind of thing would create a really nasty atmosphere and if the 'offender' is a long term livery there's no guarantee YO will be on the OP side.

I can't imagine the mentality of a person who would take water away from any animal and I wouldn't want to stay on a yard where those kind of people are around
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If I had solid proof someone was taking my horses hay and water I certainly would confront them! I wouldn't just leave them to get on with it that's for sure! ;)
 
Love said:
If I had solid proof someone was taking my horses hay and water I certainly would confront them! I wouldn't just leave them to get on with it that's for sure! ;)
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Oh I wouldn't leave them to get on with it - I'd be out asap and onto a new yard. Someone who'd take water away from any animal knowing they would then be without all night must be a total nut job and not someone I'd start an arguement with - who knows where it might end, I'm probably more anti confrontation than most as OH is policeman and has to clear up the mess when confronting people goes bad !!

Hay can be expensive and theaving it has some logic - but water = someone nasty (IMHO).
 
Polos Mum said:
Oh I wouldn't leave them to get on with it - I'd be out asap and onto a new yard. Someone who'd take water away from any animal knowing they would then be without all night must be a total nut job and not someone I'd start an arguement with - who knows where it might end, I'm probably more anti confrontation than most as OH is policeman and has to clear up the mess when confronting people goes bad !!

Hay can be expensive and theaving it has some logic - but water = someone nasty (IMHO).
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Sorry Polos Mum, i misread your earlier post, hadn't seen where you had said you would rather move than confront, i was under the impression you would just ignore it all completely and carry on! :o:o
If talking to them didn't work id get the heck out of there too!
 
Polos Mum said:
Hay can be expensive and theaving it has some logic - but water = someone nasty (IMHO).
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Agree, but on the principle that taking either thing is nasty and illogical. You wouldn't steal an injured horse's bute, so why deny it of it's basic needs?
This kind of thing really angers me, if you don't like the person, fair enough, but why take it out on an innocent animal?

I would follow others advice, OP, and monitor your horses input whilst at the yard. If horses are taking in that much hay and water, adjust accordingly, if someone is taking it, move pronto.
 
MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:
Mmmm, I was unsure too OP: is this trug for the WATER or the amount of HAY you give your horses.

But I think you said that you gave them a "wheelbarrow-full" for overnight???? I'm a bit unclear, sorry!

What time of the night do you "do" them, i.e. is it say 5pm, or 6pm....... (early evening??) because in that case they could well be eating up all that hay and drinking the water in the trug, if the hay is loose particularly they'll gobble it up mega-quick. As a YO I've seen owners put in full haynets & drinking water enough for them to drown in at say 5pm, but at 10pm its all gone!!!

So personally I'd have a re-think, NOT about the amounts necesarily, but away the WAY that you're feeding mebbe? For instance, it might be that you need to consider double or even triple-netting, i.e. get a load of small-holed/haylage nets and then fill one, and once you've filled it, stuff it into another one so you've got a double layer. This makes a heck of a lot of difference in the speed they'll eat it up; if I give my two loose hay it will just disappear very quickly.

Also...... re the water; horses if they're in, especially now its so mild, will drink far more than you'd think possible, especially if they're having dry feed and dry hay. So I'd be inclined to get another trug of water and bung in, and see if there's any left by the morning.

I would think it unlikely that someone else is pinching hay & water TBH; know it goes on, but think YO is merely being observant and letting an owner know if she thinks there's a potential problem rather than victimising anyone. Er, that's what the YO is there for!:)
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I think OP has clarified that? She measured the amount she was giving by stuffing it as tightly as possible into the (water) tub trug and found she was feeding about 4 very tightly packed tub trugs full. Still not sure what that is weight wise, but it's certainly a lot more than some people were thinking.
 
Indeed, I knew one livery who'd drag her horse in about 4pm on its filthy bed, literally give him a trug of hay, then disappear off. If you were the unfortunate who was first down on a sat or sun (was usually me - silly me for actually getting up & working / riding), she would expect you to put feed in (first down had to put in all feeds - I can understand stops ill mannered ones banging, but felt it abused those who already had to get up earlier for work over those who didn't work & could lay in), & hang up a net so she could appear guilt free down yard about 11am, hours after horse had finished hay. I refused to ever do the net so she had to get her lazy backside out of bed, she only worked part-time, I work 6 days a week. Don't see why I should get up extra early for her. Poor sod was left for hours eating his sh55ty straw bed (only ever took a few poos out daily, no idea what she did in her time down there, wasn't riding). YO knew & we were not to interefere. Not a livery there now. So some people do feed rediculously small amounts (not saying you are OP, just that it is a valid question to ask for clarification). Do consider weighing how much you put in (just weigh trug first so you know how much to deduct). That weigh you can know for certain you've put more in (& say to YO I have increased it by e.g. 25%) & how much he needs each day. As with water, mine (15.1) - (16) get through 1/2 to 1 large trug per night (10-11 hours).
 
Did you ever get to the bottom of this?

Fwiw that bucket you have linked too is quite small... I had the next size up and my 14h2 would drink 1 and a half overnight between 8pm and 7am...

Getting bigger buckets and weighing the hay could solve all problems
 
old thread but id be intrested to know too?

i give mine three nets a day...one for breakfast, and two at night - she never finishes them!...but they are there if she wants them :)

as for water - she has a flexi tub which she also never drinks all of it... :)

if you suspect someone stealing id be putting up a camera, tying nets a certain way etc
 
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