Haylege not agreeing with horse

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Cinderellarockafella

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I have a horse who has a sensitive digestion. The haylege at our livery yard is too rich for him and is making him very loose. There is no option to change to a different cut or bring own haylege onto the yard. I have tried pre and probiotics, giving him a lot of chop in his hard feed and he is allergic to hay. What else could I try?

Thanks
 
If you really, really can't bring your own haylage onto the yard, then it looks like you need to search for a new yard where you can. Plead with your YO, show her you've tried things, and see if they will let you bring in some small bale haylage every week. It will be expensive for you but it's either that or leaving.
 
I had this exact problem until I decided to move yards 6 months ago. I now feed hay and from day one after moving his poo's turned from very loose to the extent we where having to wash his tail and legs every day, to normal. We did try lots of supplements but none of them made a noticeable difference, I think some horses just don't agree with it unfortunately.
 
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Unfortunately hay makes him cough and his nose stream, even soaked. Moving yards is an option but it will take time to find a space at a suitable yard. What can I do in the meantime?
 
I have not experience with haylage so not sure if this will help as I only feed my horse hay but maybe soak the haylage? This may defeat the point of giving haylage though..can't think of anything else apart from moving once finding a suitable space.
 
I would have thought that you would have tried soaking it, an hour at the least.
Also I would feed a plain feed such as Fast Fibre and plenty of damp non molasses non alfa chaff to try to alter the balance in the gut. Grass nuts are sometimes recommended, but I am not sure if they would suit every horse.
 
Is the hayage quite wet? More like silage, than haylage? Would there be an area where you could take some haylage, "fluff" it up and leave it to dry out for a bit? It might help, it might not. If that doesn't work, then I would be looking to buy in Timothy Horsehage and try him on that. If your YO objects, then I would be looking to move asap, rather than continue feeding a horse a forage that is causing him to be uncomfortable.

Don't make any sudden changes to his hard feed at this stage either, as it will cause further upset to his gut flora. If he continues to be loose or ends up with watery diarrhoea, please have a chat with you vet and see what they suggest. Good luck op.
 
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