Hay/feed swap overweight easy keeper

[GSSeffie]

I'd like to switch out my welsh a mare's morning hay for a feed instead so am after some advice. She's not working at the moment - but will be shortly, is grazed roughly 9hrs a day, & stood up at night with soaked haylage. Any advice please?

 

[autumn7]

Thunderbrooks hay cobs can be swapped pound for pound, although your mare would eat them far more quickly than the same weight of netted hay so she would stand without feed for longer, plus would cost you more too.
Calorie-wise they would be roughly the same as your hay. If you soak them well it'd seem like a far bigger feed though. A few cobs go a long, long way when soaked. It depends why you feel she requires a feed and how easily she maintains weight. Many need to be in a fair bit of work before they need a proper bucket feed.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Is there a particular reason for wanting to give her a bucket feed?

 

[Nari]

Why? Since she's overweight I'd want to turn her straight out, no feed or hay in the morning.

Also, and I know it's not what you asked, but why are you soaking haylage? It's generally low in sugars anyway so you won't reduce them significantly. And for an overweight good doer I'd be feeding well soaked hay rather than haylage.

 

[GSSeffie]

Is there a particular reason for wanting to give her a bucket feed?

Why? Since she's overweight I'd want to turn her straight out, no feed or hay in the morning.

Also, and I know it's not what you asked, but why are you soaking haylage? It's generally low in sugars anyway so you won't reduce them significantly. And for an overweight good doer I'd be feeding well soaked hay rather than haylage.

She only moved to us recently - and was previously on 24/7 grazing and morning and evening hay. She's not hugely overweight but definitely a bit. The grazing here is larger and more abundant than what she was previously used to and I worry about lami, (her poos went very green and sloppy) so have been standing her up overnight instead. I only have access to haylage not hay and had been advised to feed less and soak it by the YO as it's quite rich? When I go up in the morning her hay net is empty and I generally want to work her before turning her out for the day, but because she's hungry she's not interested in doing anything other than snatching everyone else's hay and any bit of grass she sees, so thought a small bucket feed would satisfy her enough to work nicely before being turned out?

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I would give her a trug full of oat straw chaff to nibble at overnight, so that she isn't hungry in the morning, then you can ride her immediately you get to the yard. It might take her a while to decide that the chaff is worth eating but if she is truly hungry she will do. I got kilos off an obese Draft mare by feeding dry hay/lage (depending on what was available at the time) with oat straw chaff available ad-lib.

 

[Griffin]

She sounds like she is getting hungry overnight. If she has hay in the field, is it not possible to get some for her stable? If not, I agree with Pearlsasinger and give her a trug of oat straw chaff (Honeychop is good)

If she is new, I would start to gradually increase her turnout time/strip graze so she gets used to the grass. You may find that with more work, the weight drops off anyway. If she has loose poo and it's not settled by feeding more hay/haylage/straw, you may want to consider a pre/probiotic for a little while to help her stomach settle.

 

[Nari]

If she's used to being out but the grass is too good where you are could you section her off an area, get another horse to eat it down and then keep her out in that? Or muzzle her?

I'm not sure that soaking haylage does anything to significantly reduce feed value.

 

[GSSeffie]

I can't control the grazing because it's shared but I will try the other suggestions thank you!

 

[GSSeffie]

I would give her a trug full of oat straw chaff to nibble at overnight, so that she isn't hungry in the morning, then you can ride her immediately you get to the yard. It might take her a while to decide that the chaff is worth eating but if she is truly hungry she will do. I got kilos off an obese Draft mare by feeding dry hay/lage (depending on what was available at the time) with oat straw chaff available ad-lib.

She sounds like she is getting hungry overnight. If she has hay in the field, is it not possible to get some for her stable? If not, I agree with Pearlsasinger and give her a trug of oat straw chaff (Honeychop is good)

If she is new, I would start to gradually increase her turnout time/strip graze so she gets used to the grass. You may find that with more work, the weight drops off anyway. If she has loose poo and it's not settled by feeding more hay/haylage/straw, you may want to consider a pre/probiotic for a little while to help her stomach settle.

If she's used to being out but the grass is too good where you are could you section her off an area, get another horse to eat it down and then keep her out in that? Or muzzle her?

I'm not sure that soaking haylage does anything to significantly reduce feed value.

I can't control the grazing because it's shared but I'll try the other suggestions thank you!

 

[Goldenstar]

I definitely would give plain straw chop overnight and stop the hay .
You need to do this gradually as straw can make them colic if you introduce a lot in one go .

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I definitely would give plain straw chop overnight and stop the hay .
You need to do this gradually as straw can make them colic if you introduce a lot in one go .

I would give some dry hay/haylage overnight but gradually reduce the amount and not give any hay in the morning, while gradually increasing the amount of straw chaff. Tbh it would be very unusual for a horse to colic because of straw chaff, that is usually down to long straw but any change can cause problems so best to make any changes gradually.

 

[Auslander]

I can't control the grazing because it's shared but I'll try the other suggestions thank you!

YOu need to have a serious talk with your yard owner. It's beyond irresponsible to have a livery yard, and not make suitable provision for lami risk horses and ponies. There are many ways that shared grazing can be set up to suit all the horses that graze on it. Your pony sounds like she needs to be carefully managed, and its simply not possible to do that if rich grazing is the only option you have been offered.

 

[Nari]

YOu need to have a serious talk with your yard owner. It's beyond irresponsible to have a livery yard, and not make suitable provision for lami risk horses and ponies. There are many ways that shared grazing can be set up to suit all the horses that graze on it. Your pony sounds like she needs to be carefully managed, and its simply not possible to do that if rich grazing is the only option you have been offered.

To be fair to yard owners it's also the livery's responsibility. I have a laminitic and I wouldn't move him to a yard without first checking and getting in writing that his turnout needs would be met, it's not fair on anyone for me to take him to an unsuitable yard.

 

[Goldenstar]

The levels of lignin in straw can cause colic if horses don’t get a gradual introduction .
It does not matter if it’s long Straw or chopped straw .
This does not means straws not an excellent choice for fat horses .