Horses out 24/7 over Winter - Hay

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winchester

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I usually rough my show horses off after HOYS till January.

I give them Hay 24/7 out in the field in the Winter but they always seem to come back in huge and overweight....

I hate them not having hay when it is frosty... but am i killing them with kindness?

Do you give your horses hay in the field ?
 
If they have grass to graze on as well I would agree with Amymay, hay them twice daily and go from there. I am a huge believer in feeding by eye.

Unless they have weight related problems you aren't killing them by kindness, but you are wasting money ;)

If you have no grass and want them to have access to roughage 24/7 consider bulking the hay out with straw perhaps?
 
The yard I keep my mare at doesn't put hay out in the field except when it snows. We do have plenty of grazing and most horses come in for a couple of hours am when they have hay. My mare is fed simple systems as well and looks great - she is out apart from these two hours in and clipped and rugged all winter. If you have grass for them to eat I would try not giving them so much hay or try no hay unless there is snow. If they drop too much you can always start giving hay again.
 
I dont put hay out for my lad unless there is very heavy snowfall and even then I may not if he can dig down to the grass. I strip graze him each day so he always has something to nibble on...so even under thick snow he can clear it and grab the longer grass underneath.
Sounds a bit mean but he always comes out of winter looking 'well' and ready for some spring increased work!
I would not want to put hay out if it meant it was not really needed and getting wasted, so go according to how much has been eaten and weight tape each week to check for weight loss or gain.
 
I too thought that frosty grass contained too much sugar?

I always put hay out early morning & last thing at night if it's very cold & likely to be a frost.

The stabled ones aren't turned out until they've eaten breakfast & hay to avoid them eating too much frozen grass.
 
I just hay them twice a day. I try and get them to lose weight over winter as they are good doers. The rest of the time they can have a nibble at what grass is left.
 
One of ours got laminitis in winter really badly. I think the rich haylage they were on had more to do with it than the frost, but do bear it in mind nowadays.

Ours only get haylage on snowy days or really hard frosts. Otherwise they just mooch about in the fields. They are fatties by nature too.
 
My Highlands are fed as much hay/haylage as they can clear up in a couple of hours. If necessary, I'll supply ad lib clean barley straw for them to top up on.

Rationing big bale haylage is a problem but I think I've found the solution. I put a bale in the quad trailer and split the bale with a hay knife, then fork off what's needed. My neighbour has a fancy gadget on the tractor loader which picks up a bale, then bites it in half! Damned show off!:D
 
winchester said:
What about them eating Frosty Grass (one of the main causes of laminitis?)
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Without intending to offend at all, they've been eating frosty grass since they were running around avoiding dinosaurs so I should think that their systems are pretty well adapted to it by now.

(Disclaimer - yes I do realise that free range is a bit different to being cooped up in a small area and having to eat yesterdays leftovers as it were)

All my horses eat frosty grass and so far, touch wood, it has never foundered one of them yet.
 
Enfys said:
:D:D:D Munch munch, I would so love one of those :D I have this vision of a giant pac man type thing chomping bales :(
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That's exactly what it is! The rotter flaunts it at me while I'm sawing away with my hay knife. Life is SO unfair! I want one!!!:mad:

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My horses are all out 24/7 but all working but I hay am and pm just a few slices each, more or less depending on grass/weather, harder work than having a big round bale in the field but i dont waste any hay, pretty important these days !
 
The only horse at my yard that has had laminitis since I have been there was one of the two that stay in at night! There are over 30 that live out all the time. We think the laminitis was linked to the hard feed.
 
amymay said:
It's not something I've ever seen or heard of happening - but others may well have.

But if your horses are out 24/7 you'll never avoid that.
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The stress point is I think as it thaws (which is often just as stabled horses are put out in the morning and they get a sugar rush). So altho there is a risk from the higher sugar it will be less of a spike for horses out all the time, more of a curve, which I would imagine would be somewhat better for them tho still not ideal.

In frosty weather I would make sure there was something else to eat eg hay or straw altho in snow the grass isnt always frozen underneath so would play that by ear. NB theres always the risk of snow eating causing colic too - amazing any horses living out ever survive!
 
Ours live out. Only have hay if it snows, and only if the snow is deep and they cant get to the grass. Have heard it said about frosty ground, but never affected ours.Many years ago grass livery was much more common. Cant ever remember a problem.
 
Mine (6) live out 24/7 all year and they get a slice each twice a day plus an extra slice so there is no fighting. If the weather is really bad they will get more. They also get fed twice a day.
 
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They are all on a baldish field at the moment and honest starting to get a bit bored (even though they are quite tubby)! When would you say most of the goodness has gone out of the grass and i should move them over to Winter grazing?
 
When they get slim :-))))) sort of joke but sort of serious - if they have a Rockies mineral block and enough quantity to eat with what is there and they are staying the same weight or losing gradually stuff they need to lose then I wouldnt be moving them yet.

I would only move them late oct/early Nov if theres anything to eat in the current field until then.
 
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