had a massive complaint by the YM

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susi

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hi

im relativley new to the forum but not horses. ive had my lot for nearly 19 years (1 horse the same, my gelding i got about 2 years ago as a rescue).

ive always fed my lot (average about 15hh) a heaped barrow load of hay over night. that has to last from about 12 hours. they also have a horse ball with 1 level scoop of feed in it to knock about pluss are on straw so if they ever ran low on hay etc they have that to eat as a fall back.

i had a phone call from the YM to say my horses never have hay, they checked my stables 10 mins after i left and they had no hay or water:mad:. i give my horses http://www.diy.com/nav/garden/garde...se-Large-Flexi-Tubs-Red-9375445?skuId=9676150 bucket, they have that filled right to the top every night and morning. (they are in at the moment, waiting for the vet to give the OK to go out again)

right now im going to the stables 3 times a day and they are out of hay and water each time!! i upped the hay to 2 heaped barrow loads every time and they still have none when i go back again :eek:

do you think anything is going on there as i dont think my horses have any health issues like that. they are in great shape.

i was stunned when i got a real telling off (havent been at the yard long) YM did everything but say i am neglecting my lot. i adore my horses would never ever do anything that wasnt right with them. you can imagine im mortified about it.

i spoke another livery and was told they have a huge turnover of liveries as they pick on liveries.

do you think im not giving them enough hay and water? Im worried sick that ive done something wrong with them.

susi :(
 
hi

before i moved to the yard they were eating a level barrow over night, so i started giving them more anyway. its the water thats baffling me tbh. the hay i had thought someone could be taking it. but why the water. i dont see how after being in a yard for a matter of weeks i could have upset someone that much. i dont see people that often as i go up 1st thing and then go late to do the night time.

im really thinking of setting a camera up to record my stables and see what happens as i cant spend all day up there.

you can imagine im half livid and half heart broken, not to mention the fact that when i take my horses water they dive on it as if they havent had it in hours!
 
Within ten minutes of you leaving they could not have eaten all that hay and drunk all that water .
Something does not make sense here .
I wd make sure the yard owner sees the stables before you leave for a few days if that's possible .
On the hay no idea how much hay your talking about or the size of your barrow or the size of your horse but my horses if in would easily eat a traditional small bale in a day.
Perhaps consider sneaking back just after you leave and see what's going on.
 
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!
 
Buy a hidden camera asap but don't tell anyone. Explain to YM that you're upping the feed and water to placate them until you can rule out someone stealing your hay. Obviously make sure you put up the camera when no one is watching.
 
I'm always sceptical when people say someone's getting on at them about not doing right by their horses because we see it do often, we've all been on yards where there are fickle owners who very rarely turn up and don't have 2 pennies to keep their horses fed.

As s YO I wouldn't step in unnecessarily so if you really feel your horses have adequate attention and feed tell her so. It may be that someone else has asked her to address it.
 
My horse would eat a tub trug of hay in less than 30 minutes. A wheel barrow full again doesn't mean a lot it would depend how tightly packed it was. I weigh my hay and net it so it can't be scoffed too quickly. If they are not grazing then you should be feeding about 2.5 per cent body weight of forage per horse. So if the horse is say 500kg then you should feed about 12.5kg hay per day just for that horse.
 
I once watched a YO go to do her horse and then go into a neighbouring liveries box and take her horses hay! Unbelievable.. but having seen this for myself I realise anything is possible.

No way could your horses eat and drink that much in that short a time.
 
I would say that one bucket is enough for over night! I used to have 3 out in my field for 2 horses and had to fill them up once a day! but that lasted them 24 hours so cant see why 1 bucket wouldn't last 1 horse over night

I would be surprised if they are now eating more! maybe someone is tipping the water out! have you upset anyone on the yard?
 
Just wanted to say its good that YOers do step in if something's not right .
OP is it possible that someone is removing your hay and water ( not easy to move a full trug without evidence of splashing ) and then telling the YO to cause trouble.
 
I would give two large Haynets as a test and see if this changes things, also id give two trugs of water and take pics of the stable etc before you go also pop some twine thought your knots in yourvhaynets and take a pic then you will know if someone is tampering ;)
 
I think poping back having 'left something behind' would be a good idea - stealing others hay does happen sadly but I can't really understand why someone would empty your water buckets unless they have a real vendetor against you!

I can see why YO was cross - if they haven't seen you (if you're up at odd times) then notice horses regularly without food/ water - it's not unreasonable for the YO to be upset with you - but don't take it personally they are only doing their job.

My horse would drink all of that tub in one night - he can finish 3 standard buckets between 10pm and 7am - he also eats a full bale of hay a day. I could shake out one section of hay to fill a wheelbarrow and also lay sections in it to make it hold a whole bale so difficult to judge that - but if it's what they have been having for years and they look healthy it's enough for them - probably
 
Mine get half a bale a night when in and there is normally a very small amount left. This is given in two hay nets, to be truthful I don't think the trug you leave with hay is enough, but there is no way it can be eaten in half an hour. I would fill up two hay nets for each of them and two buckets of water, then insist that yard manger sees this before you go, ask her to check on them (if she is still there) after half an hour to confirm they have enough. This way no one can say they do not have enough, I much prefer my horse's to have a small amount of hay left then I know they are getting enough.Hope this helps.
 
Mine eat at least x2 wheelbarrows each with so much hay it nearly topples out, it just lasts - but is always eaten up by my lot. One barrow full wouldn't be any where near enough.
 
I can't imagine that your horse can have finished all the hay and water in such a short time but it doesn't sound as if you are giving 15handers enough of either. If you have recently increased your hay, they will be drinking more as well. My 16hh Draft horse empties a trug twice the size of yours most night, our 15.3hh Appy had a trug a bit bigger than yours their first night in this year and emptied it - she now has one much bigger.
As for hay, really you need to weigh it - horses need about 2.5% of their bodyweight in hay. Unless they have a tendency to fat, it is a good idea to give them enough so that they have just a bit left in the morning.
having said all that, your YO could and should have been more professional and polite when she spoke to you about your horses.
 
Is the wheel barrow filled with loose ore tightly packed slabs of hay? All the horses here would devour a heaped wheel barrow full inside an hour if it was loose hay (such as that pulled from a large bale). The horses here that are on ad lib haylage get four slabs of small bale haylage at night (9 pm). They would also have 3 slabs at 4 pm. The adlib horses get through a small bale a day in the winter.
 
I think the OP says that they have a large trug of water and wheelbarrow full of hay plus hard feed in a snack ball.

Could it be that the grass is less nutritious at your new yard so they are needing more hay/fibre to keep them going?

Personally, I'm not sure that measuring by the barrow-load is the most efficient way! ;) Plus if you put it in nets it will slow them down and it will hopefully last a bit longer.
 
Chestnut horse said:
Capriole here
i had a phone call from the YM to say my horses never have hay, they checked my stables 10 mins after i left and they had no hay or water. i give my horses http://www.diy.com/nav/garden/garden...?skuId=9676150 bucket, they have that filled right to the top every night and morning. (they are in at the moment, waiting for the vet to give the OK to go out again
Click to expand...

That doesnt say the trug is for hay and not the water that is going at a rate of knots as well. Read it again.
 
Ladyinred said:
I once watched a YO go to do her horse and then go into a neighbouring liveries box and take her horses hay! Unbelievable.. but having seen this for myself I realise anything is possible.
Click to expand...

Me too, it’s why I left my last yard. Took me a while to realise as I was on full livery but my horse was losing weight and early morning spot checks revealed my haynet was taken down and re-tied daily. I snuck back through the fields one evening hid in the barn and watched them do it to all their paying customers.

OP as others have said you really need to weigh and net your hay.
 
If your worried about them being left with no grub then why don't you give them a straw net alongside their haynet? I don't like my fatties to eat to much haylage not to mention the costs so they get a big net full of haylage plus another net with straw. That way once they have finished their haylage they still have something to snack on through the night. They don't like it so much so they don't gorge on it and normally have a tiny bit left by morning.

Unsure if I'm reading your post correctly but a trug full or even a level wheelbarrow of loose hay is unlikely to be enough.
 
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