Haylage...

[aldato_daz]

Hey all...

im a bit confused at the mo...i have always given my horse a lot of haylage as i believe they should be getting as much as possible when they are in the stable. iv been tought this at college in my degree course also. however my YO keeps giving me lectures on the amount that i am feeding him. (bear in mind that he brings the haylage in for us and so it has to do all the horses on the yard). he syas i give him far too much and that 2 other people that used to stable with him did the same and both their horses got colic and died.

so i dunno...im interested to know how much all you guys feed your horses. my horse is only getting a mug full of baileys lo-cal and hel be starting his schooling again. i would think that because hes getting little hard feed he would need plenty of haylage! plus now that when he starts working will he not b needing more???

please help! im so confused! iv added a little poll also...hope it works!

thanks! Carrie

 

[AmyMay]

Sorry, can't do your poll because the options don't apply to me.

I can't give AmyMay adlib haylage because it is simply too fattening for her. When she's stabled she gets haylage to come in to and then a tub of HiFi lite at around midnight. I don't have the option of hay - which I could feed more of.

However, my other horse was a TB and he did have adlib.

Each horse is an individual - so should be fed as such.

Many people don't like to see their horses without something in front of them. However, for some it's just not a possibility.

 

[TGM]

I agree with AmyMay that it all depends! Two of mine have adlib haylage, but the other one has to have it limited as she would get too fat.

If your horse is not overweight then you are not feeding too much haylage! (You should be able to easily feel his ribs but not see them).

 

[TGM]

AmyMay - do you actually go out at midnight to feed her HiFi Lite?!

 

[AmyMay]

[ QUOTE ]
AmyMay - do you actually go out at midnight to feed her HiFi Lite?!

[/ QUOTE ]
NO! - LOL.

But my friend with whom she is stabled does. All the stabled horses get topped up and checked last thing - and she usually goes out around then.

I'm very lucky - because it certainly helps with the management of a little fatty.

 

[KatB]

Mine gets large bundles, I cant feed him true ad lib as he'd explode, but he certainly has a large amount, and normally still has a decent amount to last him the night, have been down to check at 10pm before and had about half left. So would say am prob around the 2% mark.

 

[TGM]

Wow - you are lucky to have such a dedicated friend!

 

[aldato_daz]

thanks guys...

well i suppose everybody has their own idea as to what ad-lib is. do some people think that its just a completely constant supply of haylage? or just a large amount...see its hard to tell.

the amount that my yard owner says to feed is gone within an hour! i just dont know! isnt it true that horses would naturally graze for like 17 hourse out of the day so it makes me feel bad that hes finished his feed within an hour!! so say i feed him 3times a day..thats only 3hours feeding out of the 17! so what does the poor thing do for the rest of those hours?

we could also go down the scientific path and say that a horse should constantly graze to aid his digestive system..well i have been taught this anyway.

i think my issue is more of a 'trying to keep it as natural as possible for him' issue. i would give him haynets to increase the length of time hes eating for but i dont like using them as i feel that they are not a natural way of feeding as in it will wear his teeth the wrong way.

does anyone out there weigh their haylage or hay?

 

[TGM]

[ QUOTE ]
does anyone out there weigh their haylage or hay?

[/ QUOTE ] I used to for the 'fatty', but now I can just judge it by eye.

 

[AmyMay]

Ad lib means constant supply.

I always weigh Amy's.

What height is your horse, and what type of breeding is it??

 

[Doublethyme]

Hi, I feed pretty much ad-lib haylage, ie I give her a weighed amount and if that is all gone the next day, she gets a bit more until I get to a level where she only has a few bits left in the morning. Obviously coming into spring etc, this is cut back a bit as the new grass comes through.

Have to weigh it as we are in a haylage club on the yard and it is worked out money wise on weight used - works really well and a lot cheaper than using small bale stuff.

Weightwise, my 16hh TBxWB gets in the middle of the winter about 18-24lbs of haylage in a 24hr period, however, she does come in at lunchtime in the middle of the winter, so is in longer. At the moment where she is out all day, she gets about 10-12lbs overnight, which will gradually increase as she is in longer/grass dies down etc. Like your horse my mare is on a cereal free diet and just gets Top Spec products and unmollassed beet in her "hard" feed.

Would agree with others though it really depends on the horse, as some of my friends horses would explode on the amount I feed and get far too fat. Most of the horses on the club have about 12lbs a night.

Couldn't do the poll, as it wouldn't let me vote.

 

[Christmas_Kate]

From reading your post am i right in thinking that it's not the fact that you feel your horse will go hungry, more that he'll have eaten it all too soon?
I am going to get a slapped wrist for this BUt have you tried a haynet with tiny weeny holes? Or putting his feed into one of thise play balls? or a stable toy?
I , (and this is my OPINION only), wouldnt be comforatable feeding total ad lib to a stabled horse as it's just asking for colic. You don't say how much he is turned out? A horse still needs to burn off the energy from haylage /hay, so be careful of overfeeding. Or he will just eat and eat and eat.
Remember that a horse is a forager, and that naturally they're not given the easy option of "eat as much as you can". So they're happier eating little and often. Make him work for his food, carrots in the bed are good, and a parsnip or something on a rope from the ceiling. This way he won't be gorging out, but won't get bored either, and will still be getting the 'correct' amount of food.
A cupfull of feed fits nicely in a playball.

 

[Bex7]

Bert gets two big haylage nets crammed full each evening and two feeds and grazing from 7 until 7.

x

 

[Tia]

I don't feed haylage any more, can't get it over here, but I used to in England. I fed ad-lib to every horse on the yard (no fatties at my yard LOL!!)

 

[Tempi]

Bloss has a large haynet of haylage during the day (if shes in) and one at night. If i gave it to her ad lib she'd be HUGE!!!!!!!!!!

 

[cariadssogreat]

Caggie when I had my 2 warmblood youngsters and my old furry pony they used to literally have ad lib. They lived out 24/7 and had a 4 ft round bale every week for 25 weeks of the year! 1st week into winter feeding they used a 4ft round in 4 days ( that must take some doing !) but it almost appeared that once they realised they weren't going to starve they would slow down - albeit only a bit! Since then the 2 youngsters have grown on to be strapping lads who are competeing in their new homes - and unfortunately I lost my old girl due to navicular in the end. Basically stuffing thier faces never did any of them any harm - and it is how I will winter the horses I have this year - they are happy healthy and full! Horses are designed to munch munch and munch!