Help! Stabled horse won't eat new delivery of hay!

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Princess P

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Can anyone offer any tips on how to get my horse to eat his hay?

He is has been stables 24/7 for the last 2 weeks because of mud fever, he is a good doer cob and hay is all he gets.

At the weekend I got some hay from a friend of a friend who was moving yards and will get hay included at new yard. Her horse loved it.

The hay looks and smells lovely and is not mouldy / dusty etc and other horses at the yard have had a mouthful when offered.

But.... my boy won't touch it!

He will still eat old hay and chaff so not teeth etc but I only have 2 bales of the old stuff left so am starting to panick!

It is a bit corser than the old stuff so I have tried soaking it to tempt him but it didn't work :-(

He didn't touch any of his haynet over night and did 2 poos all night which is not normal for him - normally eats nearly all of it and has done 4 or 5 poos!

Any tips greatly appreciated!
 
Poor boy, hopefully no pesky dog has had a quick squirt on the corner of it, is he being exercised or if not is he being led out as he is probably so bored with life being in 24/7 he has lost his appetite. Could you not lather his mud fever in cream and at least turn him out for a couple of hours that might help him feel happier with eating again. Good luck
 
Thanks for your replies.

I graze hime twice a day in hand, and he will readily tuck into the older hay, but I only have 2 bales of that left and I'm starting to panic as he won't touch the new stuff!

Maybe I should apply some tough love and wait him out?!

Might see if someone at the yard will swap with me at the weekend too.
x
 
My Shetland does exactly the same with the odd delivery of Fulmart Hayledge - which is fantastic, high quality small bale Hayledge.
There's no reason for it, but we think the timing of the cut effects him, as does the courseness. My mums horse eats all of it, whatever the batch.
As for Horsehage, I've wasted many a bag on him over the years due to his faddiness.
My only saving grace is he's out during the day so he's filling up in the field, so I don't worry if he only picks at the stuff he doesn't like.
Again, and like you I can't work out what it is he doesn't like about it.
He also behaves the same way if I soak the stuff he does eat? wierd
However he does eat it eventually - over the weeks rather than days
 
We got some gorgeous sweet meadow hay last year and our horses would not touch it. Sometimes it can be just too sweet!

Our horses much prefer the older courser stuff! :)
 
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