Hay questions!

[MarvelVillis]

I’ve had my new horse (2 year WBxTB) for a month or so now and I’m starting to think about hay during winter.

I was wondering how many hay bales you generally get through a month when feeding ad lib hay? When do you start feeding hay for winter? And approx how much do you spend on hay?

 

[Red-1]

I have small bales and bank on 3/4 a bale a day. That is without grazing, but with a good doer.

Currently we pay £5 a bale.

 

[AmyMay]

Will the horse be turned out in the day?

 

[MarvelVillis]

Will the horse be turned out in the day?

He’ll be living out 24/7

 

[AmyMay]

I would budget for at least a bale a day, but once the grass start going you may be up to two by the end of the winter. Presumably it’s individual turnout??

 

[be positive]

A lot will depend on the amount of grass available and what the others he is living with require, last winter I had 3 out 24/7 and they hardly ate any hay because the grass was so plentiful, I gave them 1 section from a big bale twice a day but they never finished it so by Feb I cut it down to once a day, usually I would be giving far more and expect them to eat up to the equivalent of a small bale each every day if the weather is bad, it is impossible to give any more than a rough guide without knowing the horse, the field, the company and the most tricky part what the weather will be like, last winter was exceptionally mild and dry.

 

[windand rain]

Mine are natives so they have a slice each per day so a bale lasts the 5 of them 2 days but they do have foggage and a large lawn length area to graze. They are fed daily a fibre, oil, vitamin mineral feed

 

[Carrottom]

The most mine have is half a small bale each per day. I always split it into morning and evening hay as less is wasted. They do have a feed as well, and if the weather is really bad they come in.

 

[spugs]

I had 2 horses and a pony living out 24/7 on just under 3 acres last winter. I used small bales and they would have 1-2 a day, a big round lasted about a week and a half.

 

[rabatsa]

I work on 100 small bales per horse a winter. If there is a carry over so much the better.

 

[Equi]

I usually worked on 100 small bales a winter per large horse (was a tb and frankly i think could have done with more in hindsight)

 

[AdorableAlice]

If you can store them, a heston goes a very long way.

 

[hopscotch bandit]

I’ve had my new horse (2 year WBxTB) for a month or so now and I’m starting to think about hay during winter.

I was wondering how many hay bales you generally get through a month when feeding ad lib hay? When do you start feeding hay for winter? And approx how much do you spend on hay?

To answer your questions :

I have a round bale of meadow hay last me 2 weeks and 3 days in the winter before I need to order more. It lasts about six weeks in the summer!

It was £40 per bale with the hay shortage or supposed hay shortage but now its down to £35. That timescale of hay lasting is for one large early 20's horse weighing approx. 680KG. In the winter she is typically only out for 4 hours max, usually 14 in the summer. She's hacked three times a week winter due to the dark nights, (once around the yard) and on the horse walker the other times - she can't go in the school.

I feed a large net overnight loose in a hay bar and a small tub for late night hay feed (usually 10pm). Also a half nets worth of hay in a tub to come into at lunch time. Sorry I can't be accurate with the weights, I think its around 7-9 KG or around 16-20lbs a day but stand to be corrected.

This keeps my horse in good body condition where she has adequate fat cover but not excessive and you can just about see her ribs. She's a difficult one weight wise because she always looks fatter than she is because she has no abdominal muscle build up due to the lack of schooling and her age and also because of grass gas bloat but you have to look past this. If you look at her carefully you can see she isn't 'fat' in the places where an overweight horse would be fat, if that makes sense. I only wish I could use the same excuse for my own 'body condition score' lol