buzzles
Well-Known Member
I work 1 or 2 days a week at a livery yard and look after about 20 horses for YO when they're not there. The YO is well known and respected in the area and supposedly knowledgable. The horses on the yard are fed a huge amount of hard feed, very little haylage and are only turned out if weathers good and even then only for bout an hour. I've noticed that most of the horses crib and chew any wood in the stable, (the stables are covered with anti crib paste or electric fence to stop this), and they also eat their shavings and droppings. I know that this is due to them being bored, as they have solid walls in the stables and grills on the door and are in a barn, so not much to look at, and to not having enough forage. They are only exercised if their owners ride them, so can go days without getting out of the stable. I don't agree with the amount of forage they get, usually a handful in the morning (some don't even get this) and a very small amount in evening. Whereas they can get anything from 4-7 scoops of hard feed a day! I feed my own horses who I keep at home and who are in hard work about 2 scoops of feed and ad lib haylage and daily turnout. The days I do the yard I give the horse lots of hay throughout the day even though I'm not supposed to! I'm pretty concerned about the horses eating their droppings as they really do eat most of what they produce and it can't be good for them, their breath stinks and the droppings are always quite loose and really foul smelling. Some of the horse are in poor condition and YO just increases their hard feed and decreases haylage! I don't know whether to say anything to YO, I'm sure they must've seen the horses eating the droppings as they're there the rest of the week. Just wondering what peoples thoughts or advise was on the matter? I don't really want to quit as it's well paid and at least the horses get properly fed once a week when I'm there! Sorry its quite long!