Help - starving horses (mine!!!)

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canteron

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My horses all tend to ‘fuller figures’ and live out 24/7.

This year, in an attempt to get their weight down, I have hardly fed any hay. Even now, in the cold wind and rain, they only get 2 slices each and the tiniest hard feed (to balance minerals and vitamins, etc). They still aren’t that thin but they are so hungry ! There isn’t any grass left really.

I feel so guilty. Is this enough? (They are 15/16hh) cob/Irish types).
 
It’s always a difficult balance.
If you really don’t have any grass then do be aware that horses use fibre to keep warm and in really manky weather I’d probably relent and give a bit more.

Worth topping up with clean straw?

Also use clipping and light rugging to your advantage. I find horses are happier to have to work harder to stay warm rather than drastically restricting forage
 
If there's no grass but they're still fat then feed straw or chaff, although be aware the grass may be being eaten as it grows in this mild winter! I'm not feeding anything, but we have acres of grass (they're on 23 acres in this wet weather). When I had TB/WB types rather than natives I did up their hay in bad weather as they need to keep warm.
 
If they are not losing any weight, they are eating the grass as it grows. Its has not really been cold this year, the daffodils are not only out but nearly over and a lot of the blackthorn blossom is out near me. I feed straw, if they are hungrey they will eat it, its has a DE of about 8, and the fibre will make they feel full.
We have this month to get them to lose some weight and then it will be either far too warm or there will too much grass, so they will be on restricted grassing, its just it ooks slightly bettter.
 
rabatsa said:
I would feed nets of good clean barley straw so that they can have full tummies without the calories of hay.
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This. I don’t think it’s fair to leave them with nothing going through for long periods. I also remember some research saying they hold onto fat more if feed is restricted.

Either soak hay, feed straw or put hay in a teeny holed net (or all of the above) and let them. ‘graze’ as nature intended.
 
I feel your pain! I’ve been soaking hay / steaming clean straw / clipping and they are in lightweights. The field is a mud patch but they must be getting something out of it.
 
Mines on 40/60 straw to hay to try and stop the ridiculous weight gain we've had since the yard started haying in the field. Shes not gaining and had lost a little bit when she was working hard, but then the weather put a stop to that and the weight loss stopped!
 
I agree with a hay/straw combo. I do this for my gelding. He also eats his hay from a slow feed hay net. That way it is still a smaller amount of hay, but it takes him longer to eat it. Gives him something to do and keeps his stomach from being empty for too long.
 
honetpot said:
If they are not losing any weight, they are eating the grass as it grows. Its has not really been cold this year, the daffodils are not only out but nearly over and a lot of the blackthorn blossom is out near me.
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Where are you??? Only have about 2 daffodils out so, but with snow forecast and some yesterday might be a while! To tair though we have not had many frosts...
 
It depends what you mean by "there isn't any grass left really"? I sometimes dramatically complain about there being no grass in my field, but actually it is still green all over and mine graze quite happily. They tend to come over and wait by the gate at feed time, but they've always done that. If you go up at a time they don't expect, they will be grazing. The reason I ask is because mine only get two sections of hay each too (one am and one pm). I don't feel like mine are particularly hungry though (you can tell if they are, as they're extremely vocal about it!).
 
yep we're trying to do the same as expect the grass to explode anytime soon.
we are using trickle nets to slow them down & it does - a normal net which takes one hour to finish in a trickle takes 3 hours
I personally don't use straw as cant get oat straw only barley straw & worry about other affects of feeding it but I do use oat straw chaff as a bulk bucket feed
horses are a constant balancing act !
 
bubsqueaks said:
yep we're trying to do the same as expect the grass to explode anytime soon.
we are using trickle nets to slow them down & it does - a normal net which takes one hour to finish in a trickle takes 3 hours
I personally don't use straw as cant get oat straw only barley straw & worry about other affects of feeding it but I do use oat straw chaff as a bulk bucket feed
horses are a constant balancing act !
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Where are you? Efeeds sell chopped oat straw in 22kg bales, delivered in most of the UK.
 
Straw has saved the life of my two! Oat straw from a local farmer. The fatty gets about 3Kg of low sugar timothy mix haylage and at least 4 'fat' slices of oat straw a day (i wet it first). He's turned out everyday to nibble any grass he finds in the mud. He's an acceptable weight. Not thin but thankfully not fat either. He gets two feeds a day of chopped non molassed oat straw from eFeeds, linseed and speedibeet.
 
The east
dominobrown said:
Where are you??? Only have about 2 daffodils out so, but with snow forecast and some yesterday might be a while! To tair though we have not had many frosts...
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The east. We are very exposed so there is wind chill, as we are very flat, but we have had tempretures of 13C, so the wind is like a hairdryer on a low setting some days. We have about three or four frosty days. Nothing is rugged and the cows are sweating in the sheds.
 
Mine are only getting two slices of hay each per day. They're out 24/7 on about 2.5 acres, lightly rugged. Judging by the time they're spending down the field and the number of poos, I'm confident that they're fine on that. I'd say your grass is growing and being munched. I have areas of the field which were subjected to skidding shennanigans and you can't tell where the skids are, 2 months later. If they're pooing ok, not waiting around in mud for more hay and a good weight, I wouldn't worry!
 
Cinnamontoast said:
I see her point, but I’d be worried about ulcers. I have to say-in Herts-some of ours aren’t keen to come in at night, which makes me think there is enough grass despite the state of the fields.
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Now see I dont know about the whole ulcer thing. I'm no vet but Ive seen horses stand head down hour after hour in the rain and not wind up ulcery so is it just the lack of forage or something else? *wonders if anyone knows for sure*
 
My ponies are now out 24/7 in a field with really sparse grass. They get a good bucket feed in the morning and then 2 huge bags of hay. They can pick at the grass but whilst it is cold and wet I want them to have plenty to chomp on.
 
I agree with the ulcer thing hence trying to do little and often (within our power). She was making the point that horses get more serious injuries / illnesses from being seriously overweight I think.
 
It so difficult to get the right balance! I have 2 very good doers who live out 24.7. We feed big round bales with a trickle net which helps. There is very little grass although I have noticed them now be away from the hay and been nibbling a bit. I took the round bales away and gave it twice a day big mistake!! along came storm Dennis and they were hungry. They have it back now. They both have hay bellies but one had ulcers in the past. I think this is a very difficult time as its really when our winter seems to get worse. For me I would rather have then happy than to risk ulcers and colic.
 
canteron said:
My horses all tend to ‘fuller figures’ and live out 24/7.

This year, in an attempt to get their weight down, I have hardly fed any hay. Even now, in the cold wind and rain, they only get 2 slices each and the tiniest hard feed (to balance minerals and vitamins, etc). They still aren’t that thin but they are so hungry ! There isn’t any grass left really.

I feel so guilty. Is this enough? (They are 15/16hh) cob/Irish types).
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If they look well covered, I’d say your possibly mistaking greed for hunger? That said, horses living out require good shelter and some form of forage. As someone else said, it’s a difficult balance as we’re approaching spring, so you need to guard against laminitis ?‍♀️?‍♀️
 
Ranyhyn said:
Now see I dont know about the whole ulcer thing. I'm no vet but Ive seen horses stand head down hour after hour in the rain and not wind up ulcery so is it just the lack of forage or something else? *wonders if anyone knows for sure*
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Lack of food going through can be a contributory factor as far as I’m aware. They produce acid continuously, unlike us.

Interesting link which says evidence is ‘nebulous’ for my (and their!) theory.
 
If there’s absolutely nothing then I don’t think 2 slabs are enough. Depends on weigh of each but I wouldn’t say it was anywhere near enough.
 
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