How long would you leave your horse WITHOUT food?

Pearlsasinger said:
QR,
I would have thought that it was the responsibility of an experienced YO to educate less knowledgeable liveries, so that they learn that horses need to be trickle fed, that very few horses actually need hard feed and that 'good grazing' is more suited to cows than horses.

Incidentally, I am qualified to teach people with dyslexia and to diagnose the learning difficulty. It is a difficulty with reading and spelling, which can also extend into difficulties with social skills (the inability to read body language/'between the lines'), it is NOT an inability to speak/write in a grammatically correct manner, contrary to popular belief. This is because speech is learned by listening to others, spelling is learned visually.
Click to expand...

No, it is an excuse for rambling and making no sense. did you not know? :rolleyes: honestly, look it up :)

(incidentally I have a couple of close friends and my dad who are actually diagnosed as dsylexic, and none of them mention it and never use it as an excuse, which is why i hate the term bandied about as if its a get out of jail free card for sloppy writing when in fact it can actually be rather debilitating to those actually affected, like my dad)
 
I was told by a very experienced YO that horses need to graze in order to maintain a healthy immune system, and in order to regulate their body temperature.
She didn't ever get into the specifics of how long a horse can go without grazing, nor what amount is considered appropriate....but she wouldn't let a horse under her care be left in the stable without a hay/haylage net for more than a couple of hours.
I have certainly never boxed a horse without ensuring there is some sustenance to maintain them through the night, but none of mine have ever had weight issues.
PS. As a new member, I find the bitchy comments pretty abhorent, from either camp. Doesn't make for the most welcoming environments.....hope I never come across any of you on my yard!:eek:
 
Out of curiosity... if Dorey has a haynet, she doesn't finish all of her forage. If I put it on the floor (which I have done since she was on box rest, as she suffers from the dust otherwise) then she seems to get through it all fairly quickly.

I'm loathe to put it back in a haynet, see dust issue point, and I'm reluctant to give her more if she's just going to eat it for the sake of it. Obviously the haynet is more effort than she is hungry so it slows her down...

Gah! Horses... :(
 
Dougalsmum said:
That really was interesting reading. Will be printing off and showing to YO since a few of his def show signs of not coping as well as others. We were at a loss to know why and there are a couple of things in that document which could be the answer.

Thank you very much.
Click to expand...

Oh thankyou, it will be interesting to see if it makes any difference to them, I hope it helps!
 
q105 said:
PS. As a new member, I find the bitchy comments pretty abhorent, from either camp. Doesn't make for the most welcoming environments.....hope I never come across any of you on my yard!:eek:
Click to expand...

Welcome to HHO, you'll either get used to it or go and join IHDG or another:) ps, never go on COTH then;)

Disregard the comments, it happens everywhere. The vast majority of people on here are normal, sensible human beings, and there is a wealth of experience and knowledge on here to be tapped into, t is just a question of stirring the pot and extracting that which suits you and your horse/s. Some folk occasionally morph into trolls if the moon is shining in the right direction but that's just added entertainment.

Fortunately you'll not have me on your yard :) You have your own?:)

There are a lot of people on here I would welcome with open arms if they came on my yard though.
 
Serenity087 said:
Out of curiosity... if Dorey has a haynet, she doesn't finish all of her forage. If I put it on the floor (which I have done since she was on box rest, as she suffers from the dust otherwise) then she seems to get through it all fairly quickly.
Click to expand...

Same with mine! (except for the dust, doesn't seem to bother him) Unfortunately I have given up with haynets as mine are always nicked on my yard, no matter whether or not I label it :rolleyes: Instead at my yard they are always given haynets during the night (I always try to snaffle one with the smallest holes so Casper doesn't gobble it all too quickly :D) but then during the day it's put on the floor.. annoying as he also mixes it in with his bed as well as finishing it very quickly, which is yet another reason I opt for turnout whenever possible! xx
 
ok puts on bodyarmour and awaits the onslaught - ok my mare is overweight - cant ride her unless bright day due to eyes cant strip graze her due to yard and cant move her due to her eyes phew got that out way - She has a slice of hay at night in summer and 2 (ok 3 if snow n ground in winter) she has a tiny feed of happy hoof with 1 carrot. Right yes she prob eats up quite quick but is out for 12 hours a day. I have had this routine for 5 years and in the words of my vet other than being over weight but not obese " she blossoms in health and is amazing giving her background and sight " and to continue with how I am managing her so mmmmmmm oh oh btw she doesnt wear a rug at all in winter either :) Braces self for the comments :) he he he he
 
and ohhhh hay fed loose on floor as hate nets as causes muscles problems and read the most amazing study by canadian scientists how the act of grazing ie head down grazing relieves stress and little lass need all could do to help her when bought her :)
 
babymare said:
....as causes muscles problems and read the most amazing study by canadian scientists how the act of grazing ie head down grazing relieves stress)
Click to expand...
Relaxes the muscles, which is why horses should be trained to lower their heads with a cue that can be used from the ground and onboard. Lower the head, reduce the tension, as in listen to the handler not worry about the monster masquerading as a rock on the road, really, it works and the BHS never taught me that. 40 years in UK no-one told me and I never discovered it for myself either, duh:o, the first time I rode a horse on another continent ...bam.

Sorry, OT.
 
for me was natural for her and the study backed up what I have always thought - have never and never will use haynets with my horses - sorry the dragging of hay from net is not natural and my back lady said she wished more people fed on floor as would see less back/neck problems and that horses arnt thick they know what they have to eat lol and the lass is never stessed in morning and yes sometimes theres hay left so mmmm i have intleligent horse lol
 
Oooh, this is fun :D

Out of interest last winter, I fed the little fuzzy ad-lib hay for 72 hrs (3 full days & nights) when sheltered up in a 20ft x 12ft shelter & same size corrall outside to wander in & out.
This 'ickle fuzzy got through 4 bales & still kept going when nets were replaced each time - had 2 up constantly..... this is a 12.2 tubby. Made me giggle as was just proving myself right, in that she doesn't know when to stop.... :D

Biggest fuzzy consumed 47lb, 48lb & 46lb over the same night time period of those days - having started with a total of 50lb of hay in nets.....:D

Back to 'usual' supplies for little fuzzy in winter, 7lb in a tight horsehage net (2 nets) & left from 7pm. I KNOW its all gone by 8pm at the latest, but tough, its done her fine for well over 20 yrs overnight till breakfast arrives between 6 & 7am....

Big fuzzy went back to 'normal' too - approx 18/20lb overnight.

Oh - and yes, for my 'experiment', it WAS put in nets - 1, to slow them down (yeah right!) and 2, so I could weigh it at start & end.

They both had another 6lb or so on the floor in the field in the morning in winter.

Now tho as both are out 24/7 in diet paddocks, they are peering beadily at anyone who goes near their paddock in the vague hope that someone might just move the elecrtic tape another 2 inches for them...... lardy, the pair of them if they were given ad-lib :D
 
Last edited:
i didnt get time to read all as im sooo tired and need my bed however

Mine comes in at 7.30ish, gets haylage but its soaked in doubled up haynets, im back at 6am
They have a straw bed..

I did an experiment as my friend said they only eat until there full and i should give her loads as she wont eat it all

Needless to say she ate 2 full haynets between 6pm and 11pm when i went back to check on her!!

She is disgustingly greedy soo i will keep starving her ;)
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I never leave my mare without anything. If she gets fat, I work her more.

^^
This is how i used to be, but i cant now my mare has had her foal..
 
Mine are out 24/7 atm due to the lovely weather!, I have 2, one is a very good doer native pony who is always on the verge of becoming enormous so in an effort to keep him at a healthy weight, is in a paddock that is pretty much bare and he has to wait for the grass to grow! lol, My other is a ISH and is in a much lusher paddock as she will eat then rest periodically throughout the day and remains at optimum weight, they both have a 'hard feed' which consists of a handful of hifi with their suppliments added to keep them both in tiptop performance and health.
When they are stabled they have morning (7:30am), lunch (12pm) and evening (7pm) haylage nets, with a small hard feed as above inbetween, they will also get exercised and turnout at somepoint during the day too. They also have access to stable licks, hanging vegetables and toys for entertainment for those boring moments when theyre not watching the world coming and going at the yard..... I do believe they have a better lifestyle than me!!!
 
ielsbells = in an ideal world yes i would work my mare more but at 13 she is going blind so as per vet working her is left for bright sunny days so please accept sometimes people have to work round things but as said in 5 years she as never colicd never stressed in mornings - stable at night all year - and yep she leaves hay and comes to me in field to come in . she is never rugged in winter even at minus 14 and as told by a girl on yard she is toasty. i would love to leave ad lib hay but i cant but mmmm ****** scratcheds chin **** done a damn fine job so far so hey i sleep at nights lol :)
 
babymare said:
ielsbells = in an ideal world yes i would work my mare more but at 13 she is going blind so as per vet working her is left for bright sunny days so please accept sometimes people have to work round things but as said in 5 years she as never colicd never stressed in mornings - stable at night all year - and yep she leaves hay and comes to me in field to come in . she is never rugged in winter even at minus 14 and as told by a girl on yard she is toasty. i would love to leave ad lib hay but i cant but mmmm ****** scratcheds chin **** done a damn fine job so far so hey i sleep at nights lol :)
Click to expand...

I'm not knocking how anyone else keeps their horses, it's their buisness, not mine. The OP asked how long would you leave your horse without food and I have been honest with the answer I gave. If I had another horse of course, then maybe I would manage it differently;)
 
Our 3 get ad-lib hay in the winter.

At the moment they are out at night and in during the day. My TB gets 2 sections in a 'doubled up net which lasts him the day. If he runs out, I up it a bit the next day so he always has a bit left. I am trying to get weight off him as he has a huge tummy after being out of work for the past 9 months. He also has a play ball with hi-fibre cubes in which keeps him busy for a while. We did try soaking his hay for 12 hours but he tends to just leave most of it so the double hay net works better.

One of our ponies gets 1 big section (as above) with his ball. He always has a bit left - if not I up it the next day.

My other pony gets as much as he can eat (which seems to be around 2 sections at the moment) - I can't put his in a double hay net as it stresses him out and he weaves, and he also won't eat soaked hay (fussy monster) but he is doing fine as he is exercised a lot.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top