How much hay/ forage :/

[Horsekaren]

I’m having a questioning myself moment.

15’2 ish cob , 11 yo retired lives out 24/7 with 13’2 ish very good doer cob.

they are on about 2 acres as their field has been halved for grazing for two other horses. It wasn’t rested as this wasn’t planned so a lot less grass than last year.

he is a fairly good doer but I can see he is dropping weight maybe a little to quick for my liking.

he currently has one feed of tb Muslie so he can have his vitamin e.

I don’t want to put hay rounds out as they will just stand and stuff their faces all day and get too fat ( this has been tried and tested)

I am putting out small bale hay sections in slow feeder nets.

how many small sections would you expect to feed to maintain/ drop weight slowly.

I know I should weigh it ect but haven’t got scales, I think his ideal weight is between 500 and 515

just looking for a bit of guidence from people with similar situations?

 

[holeymoley]

So ideal forage for a horse at 515kg that’s not needing to lose weight is just over 10kg per day. A small square bale can range from 20-25kg normally so weight scales would really help. Not including grass, would be about half a small bale per horse.

 

[Horsekaren]

So ideal forage for a horse at 515kg that’s not needing to lose weight is just over 10kg per day. A small square bale can range from 20-25kg normally so weight scales would really help. Not including grass, would be about half a small bale per horse.

Thank you that’s perfect, so I’m looking about 5 small sections then take into account what the grass is doing and feed.

our first winter with no working him... he could eat so much when in work. I struggle not to just throw food at him now days lol
Thanks again!

 

[dreamcometrue]

My hay bales are around 17kg. I weigh hay for my horse and found that I consistently got 17kg from a bale.

 

[criso]

Even slices vary in size and some are packed tighter than others. I find my standard haynets full take between 5kg and 7kg depending on the bale.

You could get one of those little hand held scales that you use to weigh luggage, I got one in a pound shop cheaply.

 

[Carrottom]

With 2 horses together you may need to determine if one eats more quickly than the other.
If there is still grass I would give 3rd of a small bale for each horse per day and monitor their weight .

 

[Littlewills]

With 2 horses together you may need to determine if one eats more quickly than the other.
If there is still grass I would give 3rd of a small bale for each horse per day and monitor their weight .

This. You dont need to weigh it. If they gain weight feed a bit less, if they lose weight feed a bit more. But err on the side of caution to start as they have access to grass.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I am not a fan of just putting rounds of hay out for them to eat especially if they are retired, my 2 that are ridden wouldn't have that much access but like them to have access to hay as they don't have much grass, his size I would easily feed 2 big sections in the morning and then 3 big sections at night that is half a bale a bit more if it's really cold.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Even slices vary in size and some are packed tighter than others. I find my standard haynets full take between 5kg and 7kg depending on the bale.

You could get one of those little hand held scales that you use to weigh luggage, I got one in a pound shop cheaply.

I got a really good hanging scale from eBay and when I am not sure about weight I use it, but generally get ad lib hay

 

[Red-1]

TBH, when they also have grass, however sparse it looks, going on what the books says is not worth it as you don't know what they are free range eating.

I would weigh tape once a week, not that weigh tape is accurate, but it lets you know if weight is going up or down. Then simply adjust the amount you feed until you are happy with the weight.

 

[criso]

I got a really good hanging scale from eBay and when I am not sure about weight I use it, but generally get ad lib hay

I only use mine from time to time to check how much I'm already feeding however I can usually guess roughly how much my haynet weighs.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I only use mine from time to time to check how much I'm already feeding however I can usually guess roughly how much my haynet weighs.

That's what tend to do as well