How much hay?

[chaps89]

I have 1.5 acres, most of which is being rested and there will be 2 small ponies on it 24/7.
Access to my hay store is across the fields so I have to buy hay in before mid-September, I’ve got quite a reasonable amount of storage space.
Annoyingly the door frame is just under 4’ wide so I can’t quite squeeze round bales in which I know how much I’d use.
I have 17 small bales in already and tbh I’m more likely to give them soaked hay and have them off the grass over summer and use the fields for grazing over winter, they’re both good doers.
So how much hay should I order in?! Or might 2 small ponies get through? I’m wondering a small bale a week December through to March, give or take?

 

[paddi22]

are they the small round bales or basic small square bales? are you going to Haynet the hay for them? how small is small as well, are they minis or 12 hand-ish ponies?

 

[chaps89]

Basic small rectangle bales, the ones that are usually about £5ish a bale with 2 strings.
Both 12hh, both fat/good doers, 1 is a Heinz 57 slightly chunky boy and the other is a Welsh a.
They will probably get their hay in nets presuming they play nicely, or in big tubs if the weather is really bad.

 

[Polos Mum]

It's really hard because so much will depend on the weather - 3 months no grass growth and snow on the ground you could use loads,
Mild so the grass grows all year round you could use hardly any.

IMHO - given the volume of hay around this year which should be well ish made given a long dry spell - I would fill you barn to the top. If you don't use it - great you can use it next year small fatty's do well on older hay.

For a normal riding horse 15hh in some work (not hard by any stretch) in at night for 3 ish months of the year I usually budget 150 small bales a year

 

[HollyWoozle]

I would guess that each of our small bales lasts our two ponies around 4 days. They have very, very limited grazing though and a small feed of low calorie chaff and balancer twice a day, but primarily eat well-soaked hay in small nets (one has EMS and the other is prone to lami). They are a mini and a Sec A of around 11.2hh, neither in work.

 

[chaps89]

Hmm, ok possibly a bit more than I thought.
If I could fit the big rounds in I know exactly how much I’d be likely to need and it would be so much cheaper, grr.
Will aim for 2 bales a week then, I hope I won’t need it all but if I have to carry small amounts around it’s not impossible, just not ideal! And if I end up with surplus it won’t hurt and I could probably sell it anyway

 

[Lipglosspukka]

I would think a bale a week between two would be very optimistic.

Even at their size, in the worst of winter I would expect them to require about half a bale a day between them.

 

[chaps89]

I think certainly the existing one would pop with that much he got 2-3kg per day max last winter and was not exactly slim on the way out! I will supplement with straw/straw chaff if required mind you.
Edit - I also misread and thought were suggesting half a bale a day EACH, my apologies!

For comparison 1 of the 4 foot round bales lasted him (12hh) and a 14.1hh pony 3 weeks in the very worst of the weather. I could do with knowing what one of those weighs and roughly what a small rectangle weighs really!

 

[Polos Mum]

A 4 ft round will be 10-12 small bales
So your 3 weeks would be 4 small bales a week - so pretty close to 1/2 bale a day each

My 17hh older boy when he was eventing had a whole small bale in his stable overnight - he wasn't fat. Their nutritional needs vary so much with type, work, quality of grazing.

 

[chaps89]

Thanks @Polos Mum thats handy to know.
That was worst weather on a very wet field and with a bigger pony, as a general rule a round lasted 4-5 weeks so my theory was I would average a big round every 4-6 weeks for 2 smaller ponies on a drier field.
I’ve never had to order in a whole supply at once, I’ve always been lucky in ordering as I go so trying to get my head round it and guess just what might the British weather have in store for us ??
I am glad I’ve never had to feed a big horse though, I know that much.