How many KGs overnight for your cobs

Landcruiser said:
It's a nightmare when you have one without an off switch. My EMS mare has a Shires Softmesh (1 inch holes) net of Timothy haylage mixed with barley straw (total about 3.5kg), hung from an overhead branch so it free swings over her pen. Plus about 1kg 12 hr soaked meadow hay in a small Shires Greedy Feeder (1.25 inch holes). I also leave a trug of Honeychop straw chaff, which she rarely touches. I suspect she finishes everything before midnight then sulks for 6 hours or so until I reappear. Not great, but she's got eating super powers, and can eat faster than any horse I have ever known. Food is her absolute biggest driver.
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Sounds like my lad who just inhales it like it’s going to be taken away. I think I need some crap hay again as had some for a period of time and always had some left, it made me cough badly making the nets.
 
motherof2beasts! said:
He has a relatively leisurely life , usually hack 3 times a week very hilly, but not many good canter opportunities and school the other days but not for “hours” more like 40mins/hour . If I didn’t work I’d hack daily , but not much daylight !
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Yep, earning a living and financing the horse does tend to get in the way a bit!
Anyone else could help you increase his hacking? Plenty of riders do have to exercise horses in the dark, but it’s not suitable for all situations or combinations.
 
Exasperated said:
Yep, earning a living and financing the horse does tend to get in the way a bit!
Anyone else could help you increase his hacking? Plenty of riders do have to exercise horses in the dark, but it’s not suitable for all situations or combinations.
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I wouldn’t in all honesty , he’s a sensitive lad and has taken me a considerable amount of time to get to where he is now.

Yep work ruins plans , our school has lights so just do more of that but hacking we both prefer. I find unless I’m having a lesson after a bit of all I lose focus/the will to live. I’m currently trying to up the canter /trot times.
 
motherof2beasts! said:
Sounds like my lad who just inhales it like it’s going to be taken away. I think I need some crap hay again as had some for a period of time and always had some left, it made me cough badly making the nets.
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Don’t do this, years ago had a horse on protracted holiday after my surgery (sharp, not suitable for anyone else to exercise), began to show footy symptoms despite severe limiting of grass, so was also put onto low grade ‘cattle hay’. Whereupon, developed a cough and genuine, full blown COPD - sometimes you can’t do right for doing wrong, lesson bitterly learned, but avoid any forage which is poor enough to make you cough - might really regret that.
 
Exasperated said:
Don’t do this, years ago had a horse on protracted holiday after my surgery (sharp, not suitable for anyone else to exercise), began to show footy symptoms despite severe limiting of grass, so was also put onto low grade ‘cattle hay’. Whereupon, developed a cough and genuine, full blown COPD - sometimes you can’t do right for doing wrong, lesson bitterly learned, but avoid any forage which is poor enough to make you cough - might really regret that.
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Everything is soaked and rinsed for him so it’s just me that suffers.
 
My 14hh cob gets 3kg overnight (12hr) when I’m rationing him. I don’t think it does last him that long but I’m embracing the thought that ulcers are mainly from the day time and touch wood he’s not an ulcery sort. He does get a straw based chaff but not trugs full (unlike my ulcery weight watchers!).
 
My 15hh good doer Welsh part bred gets 4kg overnight, split between two small holed nets with one hung from the ceiling.
On top of this, she gets a rubber bucket full of Meadow Lite chaff.

This system seems to work well. I estimate she will be eating at least 2-3kg of grass during the daytime.
 
This is a really good calculator, if you put in your horses weight and how much turnout they have etc it calculates the amount of hay you should feed: https://tricklenet.com/forage-calcu...c1d1QEZFEMO5uVMtEvq-U-Me6yHeVs4AH15oYNmLD-G38

According to this my 14hh Welsh D needs about 6kg a day of hay for maintenance, I actually feed a little more but she’s on haylage so I allow for that…to be fair she never eats all of what I put out anyway as it’s in 2 slow feeder nets x
 
Exasperated said:
Well that’s good, maybe not for you(!), unfortunately wasn’t enough for my horse either, some just are more sensitive and susceptible.
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Mine has ended up on steroids twice from hay that wasn't quite good enough. The others seemed to be eating it without major problems but by January, I couldn't work him for coughing. I only buy really, really nice hay now, even though he's such a good doer. Unfortunately the first bout seems to have left him with a sensitivity to mouldy or musty hay so it's a permanent issue to avoid now. With hindsight I wish I'd taken more drastic action to switch hay the first time it happened.
 
Bobthecob15 said:
This is a really good calculator, if you put in your horses weight and how much turnout they have etc it calculates the amount of hay you should feed: https://tricklenet.com/forage-calcu...c1d1QEZFEMO5uVMtEvq-U-Me6yHeVs4AH15oYNmLD-G38

According to this my 14hh Welsh D needs about 6kg a day of hay for maintenance, I actually feed a little more but she’s on haylage so I allow for that…to be fair she never eats all of what I put out anyway as it’s in 2 slow feeder nets x
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Thank you that’s really helpful
 
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