how much hay to feed a over weight horse?

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daisydog

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My horse is over weight and I am unsure how much hay to give her?

She is out in the day for 8/9hrs per day and stabled at night. She has soaked hay aprox 6kgs a night.

Does this sound about right?
 
If it was good grazing then only 4kg but if poor or pretty much eaten down then 6kg in my eyes if fine. Winter is also coming, but to lose weight some exercise wud help.
 
Can't really advise you unless you say how big she is and roughly how much she weighs? My Welsh cob is 14.2 and weighed 546kgs when I got him I fed him 1.5% of his INTENDED weight and he lost weight steadily and now weighs a more respectable 424kgs. Get a weigh tape and keep checking her regularly. Good luck XX ps make sure you don't over rug her in the winter, you are definitely going to find it easier with winter looming
 
1.5% of the body weight for a steady weight loss and if they are on good grazing then I would probably half the amount of Hay you are giving.
 
Depends on the weight of your horse and how overweight they are and size and how much exercise they're getting. Mine's out for about 8 hours a day and in off the grass at night. He's currently (v rough estimate based on weight tape) about 415-420 kg, 14.1hh native/cob cross, a real good doer.

I'm giving him 3.5-4kg (dry weight) of hay a night depending on what actual time he comes in. The hay is also then soaked and in a small holed haynet to try and make it last for a good few hours in the stable so he's not standing in with nothing for hours. He's shifting weight slowly as the grass is going down in the field and losing its goodness a bit at the moment but I also need to up his exercise a bit as would like to have him down to about 400kg going into the winter ideally. This Blue Cross guide is also useful help:

http://www.bluecross.org.uk/files/fat-horse-slim.pdf
 
Ditto depends how big/work load/other feeding/grazing etc.

Also consider replacing some of the hay with straw (mixed together well so she can't pick to out). Keeps her eating without the calories.
 
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