How long can a horse comfortably go with out eating.

[dorsetladette]

As title really.

I have two fatty's who are spending their days under house arrest with a small hay net as the grass is just to much, even though my fields are bare.

They go in around 7.30am and come back out around 4.30/5pm - I've noticed (on the cameras) that by 10am the nets are gone. which means they are not eating for 6 hours, obviously stomachs aren't empty the whole time but is this OK?

My gut feeling is yes as it's to prevent a worse issue, but what do you guys think?

Also I generally lunge B in an afternoon so he will be working on a potentially empty stomach - whats peoples view on this? should I give him a handful of chaff before his exercise? or does that defeat the objective of reducing intake?

Am I over thinking it all?

 

[rabatsa]

Can you feed some barley straw? Not as tempting or nutritious as grass and hay but fills the belly nicely. Mine have been eating straw now for nearly 20 years.

 

[dorsetladette]

Can you feed some barley straw? Not as tempting or nutritious as grass and hay but fills the belly nicely. Mine have been eating straw now for nearly 20 years.

yes my friend mixes straw with her hay - I'll grab a couple of bales at the week end. Good thinking - thank you!

 

[stangs]

At very least you want them fed before working to reduce the acid splash on the upper squamous area. (You’re risking ulcer development otherwise.)

 

[Peglo]

I always give mine a good munch of hay or a big handful of chaff before any work. She’s on restricted grazing so I want to know there’s something there incase of acid splash.

Agree also with straw. Mine gets a bucket of honey chop oat straw as we don’t have access to good quality oat straw up here and she only eats it when she really needs to.

 

[Polos Mum]

My fattie has a large tub of top chop zero in his stable - while the manufacturers deem this food, he disagrees and will ignore it.
Sometimes he's been in with only that as an option for 7-8 hours and won't touch it. (It's flavoured for added palatability ! )

If it's days in a row he will eventually give in and eat some - so I know he knows it's edible.

My rationale is for him, risk of ulcers is lower than risk of weight induced medical issues.
There is 'food' available ad lib - it is his choice not to eat it.
If he chooses to go 7-8 hours without eating then it can't be that life threatening.

If you do some vet procedures they need starving for 12 hours - so again this can't be that drastic or vets wouldn't require it.

 

[Bellaboo18]

4 hours is what all the research says.
I wouldn't want them standing for so long without and I'd definitely give a chaff or mash before exercise.
Can you split the haynet they have at 7.30 and give another a few hours later.

 

[starbucker]

4 hours max is recommended, they start to produce stomach acid after 20 minutes of not eating though which is mental. Realistically a stabled horse ends up empty in the early hours and don't get fed again til 9am though... I personally wouldnt be happy with that can you not put an extra net in pm? mine if stuck in during day gets 2 nets, both topped up after work

 

[Bellaboo18]

4 hours max is recommended, they start to produce stomach acid after 20 minutes of not eating though which is mental. Realistically a stabled horse ends up empty in the early hours and don't get fed again til 9am though... I personally wouldnt be happy with that can you not put an extra net in pm? mine if stuck in during day gets 2 nets, both topped up after work

Horses continually produce stomach acid, where have you got your 20 minutes from?

 

[starbucker]

Horses continually produce stomach acid, where have you got your 20 minutes from?

I can't remember where I read it but thats how long the food / water remain the in the stomach for so after that its just acid x

 

[dorsetladette]

4 hours is what all the research says.
I wouldn't want them standing for so long without and I'd definitely give a chaff or mash before exercise.
Can you split the haynet they have at 7.30 and give another a few hours later.

I thought 4 hours too hence the hay nets being given. unfortunately I can't get back to give another net in the middle of the day.

 

[dorsetladette]

I can't remember where I read it but thats how long the food / water remain the in the stomach for so after that its just acid x

I don't think that is right as some horses can be starved overnight for scoping and still have food in their stomach the following day.

 

[Bellaboo18]

I can't remember where I read it but thats how long the food / water remain the in the stomach for so after that its just acid x

That's just not true.
Horses continually produce stomach acid however less at night. It takes a lot longer than 20 minutes to empty a horses stomach hence why we have to starve them for so long before scoping.

 

[starbucker]

I don't think that is right as some horses can be starved overnight for scoping and still have food in their stomach the following day.

Just from the short research Ive done happy to be corrected it was a passing comment the source says "Passage time may be as short as 15 minutes when the horse is consuming a large meal. If the horse is fasted, it will take 24 hours for the stomach to clear. "

 

[Surbie]

As others have said, I'd add in straw. My fatty will happily eat oat straw chaff and is losing weight slowly but steadily.

I would also offer some forage before exercising if they are coming off a bare paddock, whether that is a small amount of soaked hay or oat straw.

 

[Burnttoast]

I prefer soaked hay (even if you have to soak until it's basically just cardboard - rinse very well). Straw unless it's organic is going to have multiple spray residues on it which won't do the microbiome or endocrine system much good in the long term.

 

[dorsetladette]

Just from the short research Ive done happy to be corrected it was a passing comment the source says "Passage time may be as short as 15 minutes when the horse is consuming a large meal. If the horse is fasted, it will take 24 hours for the stomach to clear. "

Thinking about the other end of the horse for a minute.

My ponies generally create 8-12 piles of poo per 24 hour period. In the simplest of calculations to me that it takes approx 2-3 hours to clear their system?

If their stomach cleared in 20 mins then they would be leaving us presents 3 times an hour?

 

[Equi]

Just from the short research Ive done happy to be corrected it was a passing comment the source says "Passage time may be as short as 15 minutes when the horse is consuming a large meal. If the horse is fasted, it will take 24 hours for the stomach to clear. "

Sloppy mash will pass through faster than hay.

 

[starbucker]

Thinking about the other end of the horse for a minute.

My ponies generally create 8-12 piles of poo per 24 hour period. In the simplest of calculations to me that it takes approx 2-3 hours to clear their system?

If their stomach cleared in 20 mins then they would be leaving us presents 3 times an hour?

Heres one of the links I read https://hygain.com.au/blogs/library/how-many-stomachs-does-a-horse-have

I also read if the horse has near constant forage eg always full nets they are less likely to gorge what they have as the resource is not limited to them but no idea where I read that. If it were me 2 small hole nets would go in AM

 

[Bellaboo18]

Heres one of the links I read https://hygain.com.au/blogs/library/how-many-stomachs-does-a-horse-have

Haven't read the article but I guess it's referring to large feeds and not hay/forage. This is the reason if you want to put weight on a horse you give them multiple, small feeds not huge bucket feeds. Hay wouldn't leave the stomach that quickly.

 

[starbucker]

Haven't read the article but I guess it's referring to large feeds and not hay/forage. This is the reason if you want to put weight on a horse you give them multiple, small feeds not huge bucket feeds. Hay wouldn't leave the stomach that quickly.

We all agree about 4 hours I don't get why you're getting your back up about the 20 minutes comment, I was just highlighting that they digest quickly as it helps me to understand, I don't claim to be a scientist

 

[Bellaboo18]

We all agree about 4 hours I don't get why you're getting your back up about the 20 minutes comment, I was just highlighting that they digest quickly as it helps me to understand, I don't claim to be a scientist

I'm not getting my back up, I'm debating with you. They *can* digest quickly.

 

[Surbie]

Thinking about the other end of the horse for a minute.

My ponies generally create 8-12 piles of poo per 24 hour period. In the simplest of calculations to me that it takes approx 2-3 hours to clear their system?

If their stomach cleared in 20 mins then they would be leaving us presents 3 times an hour?

How long does it take to pass through the gut though after leaving the stomach? Out of interest as I have no idea.

 

[GypsGal1718]

What about splitting the hay ration so they get one part in the middle of the day as 6 hours is too long without, I know it is a battle with fatties too!

 

[dorsetladette]

How long does it take to pass through the gut though after leaving the stomach? Out of interest as I have no idea.

I have no idea - but logic would suggest it's got to be a conveyor belt system or you would run the risk of compaction?

 

[canteron]

If it helps, when in a similar situation, the vet said he had seen lots of ulcers and lots of laminitis in his career, and if it was his horses he would prefer to deal with ulcers not laminitis.

 

[dorsetladette]

If it helps, when in a similar situation, the vet said he had seen lots of ulcers and lots of laminitis in his career, and if it was his horses he would prefer to deal with ulcers not laminitis.

That is kind of how I was thinking - it's a really fine balancing act especially with a horse that can't be ridden/driven - your really limited to the amount of calorie burning exercise you can do with them.

 

[Fieldlife]

That is kind of how I was thinking - it's a really fine balancing act especially with a horse that can't be ridden/driven - your really limited to the amount of calorie burning exercise you can do with them.

How about a few haynets - one with fairly small holes, one with very small holes, one double netted. Can leave the ones that are very hard to eat in a few days, and shouldnt finish them. Plus a trug of straw / straw chaff.

 

[canteron]

Heres one of the links I read https://hygain.com.au/blogs/library/how-many-stomachs-does-a-horse-have

I also read if the horse has near constant forage eg always full nets they are less likely to gorge what they have as the resource is not limited to them but no idea where I read that. If it were me 2 small hole nets would go in AM

Sadly, I think the person who wrote this must have had thoroughbreds!

Sometimes at a local livery they leave a huge round hay bale in one of those huge net things, in the cobs field in Winter, they all get fat

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

As title really.

I have two fatty's who are spending their days under house arrest with a small hay net as the grass is just to much, even though my fields are bare.

They go in around 7.30am and come back out around 4.30/5pm - I've noticed (on the cameras) that by 10am the nets are gone. which means they are not eating for 6 hours, obviously stomachs aren't empty the whole time but is this OK?

My gut feeling is yes as it's to prevent a worse issue, but what do you guys think?

Also I generally lunge B in an afternoon so he will be working on a potentially empty stomach - whats peoples view on this? should I give him a handful of chaff before his exercise? or does that defeat the objective of reducing intake?

Am I over thinking it all?

4 hrs is the maximum, they need to produce at least two 6 gallon buckets of saliva per day to neutralised the acid to avoid ulcers. Ideally 9 - 11 gallons