How many of you need to feed hay in the fields during the winter?

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Jingleballs

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It looks like we’re going to have to start putting hay out in the fields in the next couple of weeks as due to the really wet weather we’ve had the fields are muddy and poached and the grass has either been eaten or churned up.

We have about 6 acres of ungrazed land at the moment but understandably Y/O wants to save this for early next year rather than destroying all the fields. My yard has about 16 acres and 9 horses at present although this is due to rise to 12 next year.

Every yard I’ve every been at has had to put hay in the fields in the winter – I don’t know if I’ve just been unlucky of if this is just the reality of keeping horses in winter? Incidentally, we had too much grass in the summer so fortunately my lad is still looking a bit chubby just now and is a good doer anyway!

I just wondered how many people are in the same boat?

Do you just put a bale out or do you just put piles of hay out each morning?
 
Do you just put a bale out or do you just put piles of hay out each morning?
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It depends on how many you're feeding really.

For 9 horses I would say bales are going to be easier - but of course you'd have to have more than 1 to ensure that those at the bottom of the pecking order got their fair share.

However, if these horses are only out for part of the day - then they may not need any.
 
I have been since july .I have tb and want to ensure she doesnt drop weight .Cant overfeed as she is excitable so as much fibre as she needs daily.:)
 
I have 2.5 acres with two horses and one pony on it, so we always have to hay the fields in winter. I put hay out each morning, distributing sections around in the driest areas, so there is very little poaching.
 
I am very lucky - have 50 acres which I keep open all year round and let the horses roam. Have considered managing it differently over the years - sectioning it off, etc, but somehow this works for us and fatties get muzzled in the spring!
 
Thanks Amymay - my horse is out from about 9 am until about 6:30pm at the moment so out a fair part of the day. Y/O prefers small groups of horses in sectioned off areas of field and the plan is the my boy will be out with the 13.2 pony for company so just dumping piles of hay will probably be best.

He's just moved to a 3 acre section of field that has been rested for over a month but it did get badly churned up - there is definately some new grass as he wasn't even touching his hay when he came in last night but one day of bad weather will destroy it even with just the two of them but hopefully we can get another few weeks before putting hay out!
 
Not at the moment, I have 3 acres with two 14.2's on it and atm theres plenty of grass, I am hoping it will last but will probs have to put hay out february time and obviously if it snows. This is the first yard I've been at where it's not had to go out for the 6 months of winter/autum!
 
I have plenty of grass at the moment but on frosty mornings and once the grass has gone I will put hay out. Ours are on individual turnout so I just put a section or two out in a dry unpoached area. When I had 3 in together I would put out 5/6 piles, well spread so that they could all move around between the piles without fights.
 
I've put hay out for my mares and geldings and its pretty much untouched. They are all fat too. It doesn't look like there is any grass but there must be more than I thought. If they are all coming in though I wouldn't be so quick to put out bales
 
Mine desperately need hay in their field. There's 3 in there and no grass whatsoever. Although YO won't let hay be put out because it's apparently too messy and she doesn't want her fields to be a mess!!!
 
On and off since summer, we rotate the fields but obviously they stop in some longer than others when hay is taken off some.

I used to put a bale out a day, just for my lad, when he was in with someone elses horse, then when he went in with the mare I'd just put into two piles morning and evening, until they they came in at night.

Now they have moved into a fresh field with plenty of grass in, so no hay is going out at the mo during the day, but it won't be long before I start putting it out again.

I drag it across in the big sawdust bags, I could have a large bale put out but I don't see the point, gets wet, damp, frozen etc.
 
I put hay out in summer and now they are in the winter field will probably start in the next month to give them a slice or two each. I too use the ikea blue bags to take hay down to the field.

In my case, I put one pile out as Stinky and Farra like to share a pile between them and if I put out several piles, they go from one to the other together.

For when it gets very muddy I have a large black tub in the field to put hay in - £10 from Wickes. They eat the hay and then play with it.
 
we do, there's still some grass left (5 horses on 12acres) but they want their hay - sisters pony will stand still whickering til you drop a pile at his feet :rolleyes:

Will be rolling out our three tractor tyres we got from the farmer last year soon. We put piles in each of those and it stops it getting trodden in/blowing around. £ are out 24/7 so this is good for them. In the mornings we just put out extra piles. :)
 
Wow - can't believe some of you have been putting hay out all summer!

It's good to know that others are having to do the same - the way some people complain about putting hay out was making me think that it wasn't the norm!
 
we've been feeding a few sections each a day for the last few weeks :) 2 horses (actually 3 but one has no teeth so gets big buckets of chaff anf fast fibre) and 7.5 acres - there is still grass but they are hungry still
 
Well I used to put hay out pretty much all year as my lad is on restricted grazing all year. But this year, following laminitis in 2009 and him having lost a good amount of weight, I am being very strict with what he eats. He does not need the extra hay at the moment as he is maintaining his weight fine by me just strip grazing every day.
I found the best thing when I fed hay in the field was to use a field hay hutch as it kept things tidy and there were no piles of trampled in hay anywhere. Especially good in the snow as he would eat his hay and then play football with the hay hutch as it would slide along on the snow...used to find it at strange places in the field each day!
 
I feed hay pretty much all year round as not enough grazing!

Also feed mine in tractor/JCB tyres as there's less wastage. The tyres are on concrete so I can at least sweep it up and make it all tidy, but yes, if just chucked on the field, the ponies do tend to stomp it in the mud!
 
We're really lucky at our yard.. We've got 60ish horses & lots & lots of huge fields.. my field has 7 gelding in it & we have a second field that we open up xmas time. We also change into winter field Sept/Oct time & the field has been all fertilised & the grazing is stunning.. I've got a TB & no weight lost at all & still a second field to open up..
 
We have been putting hay out this last week, and i thought we were doing well having the grass last this long your lucky those who still have grass now.
I am moving yards at the wkend tho and the fields still looked nice a lush so hopefully i wont have to put any out there and i will be one of the lucky ones :p
 
Stencilface said:
we do, there's still some grass left (5 horses on 12acres) but they want their hay - sisters pony will stand still whickering til you drop a pile at his feet :rolleyes:

Will be rolling out our three tractor tyres we got from the farmer last year soon. We put piles in each of those and it stops it getting trodden in/blowing around. £ are out 24/7 so this is good for them. In the mornings we just put out extra piles. :)
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What a good idea tractor tyres will maybe give that a go this year. Thank you:) When I put them on our back paddock that has old enormous fruit trees I put haynets up on the trees
 
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I feed hay in the field because mine are out 24/7. I have two ponies on 3.5 acres and they are not yet having hay, but when they do, I put it out in sections in the 'cleanest' areas. When we had the snow, I put a whole bale out at a time.

When I used to stable my horses at night they never bothered with hay in the field during the day, so I stopped putting it out
 
1 horse has nets hung from a staple in a tree...

2 horses have their hay hung in nets in the shelter (shelter is halved)

2 horses have home-made hay racks...

2 ponies have theirs put on the floor at the moment until they have small hay-racks made!

All ours live out 24/7, so yes, we do feed in the field!

Its such good stuff this year, that they seem to inhale the hay, rather than chew it! :0
 
I try pop a section in when it's frosty, as I don't like my horse eating frosty grass, as it can be a colic trigger. Last year was easy as he had his own individual paddock, but this year he has a little fat friend sharing his field, who doesnt belong to me, and I know the owner wont want hay putting in the field for her pony, so I will probably have to not do it this year :(
 
Haha said:
What a good idea tractor tyres will maybe give that a go this year. Thank you:) When I put them on our back paddock that has old enormous fruit trees I put haynets up on the trees
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Best bit was the farmer couldn't wait to get rid, so they arrived pretty quickly.

Horses didn't trip over them either, gets nice wad of hay in though, and mice were starting to nest in them come spring which was pretty cute :)
 
not at current yard as there are several horses in field & if their owners responses to haying the field is the same as poo picking i suspect that i might have a VERY large hay bill - Ruby lives out 24/7 but comes in every day for hard feed & a haynet - if needed I can pay for her to come in for longer & graze at a couple of haynets
 
A Stencilface says - ours have the whole 12 acres over the winter as we open up both fields. They probably don't actually NEED hay as the fields are quite hilly and at the tops they don't get too boggy. However, we have one oldie TB who needs to keep weight on and I although they all do get hard feed day and night, there is not much goodness (or I assume flavour either) in the grass so it's nice for them to havesome variety.

We are lucky to have our own land so can do want we want hay wise. I don't think I could be on a yard that turned horses out onto bare fields with no hay put out. A yard across form us does this in the winter - great that the horse do get daily T/O all winter but they are in the 'winter paddocks' which end up with no grass. they is maybe 10 or so horses on about 2 or 3 acres on essentially mud. I think they must get sooo bored having nothing to eat from 6am ish til 3ish.
 
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I am so pleased at the moment, what with the price of hay being what it now is. Usually, I start haying in the fields about the second week in October (mine live out 24/7/365), but this year I've moved to a new place, I've still got a reasonable amount of grass left and I've still got 30 acres of winter grazing which they haven't been moved on to yet.

So yes, when the weather gets harsher I will need to start putting out hay, but there's no need yet. I'm chuffed to bits, as it's saving me a small fortune!

When I do put hay out, I just put it out on the ground in piles, spread out around the field, in sheltered places - usually 2 or 3 times more piles of hay than there are horses (4 horses). I try not to put the hay piles in the same place every day, to avoid poaching in any one area.
 
I add hay out in day and at night again have 2 living out and 2 in at night. Its cheaper for me to buy large bales of hay so then i just add in a few piles of hay into the field so the youngsters dont fight over it.
 
Mine are out 24/7, so yes, I hay(lage) them in winter months as it is the bulk of their diet.

My old girl has been on haylage since the start of November. My younger girl went on some new grass earlier in the week (it's finally not too rich for her) and she'll probably need some hay by about the end of Dec/beginning of Jan through till March.

I feed mine out of hayhutches to prevent waste. Have a look at their website - I recommend them :)
 
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