How quickly does your horse get through a net of hay?

HaffiesRock

HaffiesRock

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My boy is out 24/7 so only gets a net of hay when he's on the yard for a groom. Gave him a large, stuffed net today and it was gone after an hour! He is a greedy boy anyway and probably a little hungry but it made me wonder about the stabled horses who only get one nets worth, some off the floor. They must be finished after a couple of hours and then what do they do until morning?

Just a musing really so no advice about making it last longer required. x
 
Depends on the horse I think - two of ours get one full net, in a haylage net, and often have some left in the morning. Another one has two full nets, and clears them both, plus some on the floor - and he doesn't do any work, while the other two do. The fourth one that's in gets through one and a half every day Our mini shetland can get through a full net in an hour - given half a chance!
 
A 4kg soaked net(harder to pull out strands) double netted lasts my NF 3 hours. He's given his hay at 7 and eats most of it within 2 hours and then has a snooze then finishes it off around about midnight. Then he has to wait untill 6 am for breakfast. But I've seen him do it in 3 hours before.
 
My horse just cannot leave food. I could put a bale on her stable and she would eat the lot! There is no sign of even a strand of hay the next day. She also eats its at super speed, never comes up for air!
The way I have gone about it so she isn't left with nothing is to give her 2 nets and double net both of them. That way she is eating the amount she is supposed to have per night but it actually lasts most of the night!
People that have told me in the past I should feed her adlib I have told they can have her for a week and see what her idea of 'ad lib' really is :)
She would cost me a small fortune!!
 
My tb has it off the floor, but gets through 9 sections In twelve hours overnight :o good job he does well off ad lib. He has normally finished it by morning with a few strands left, but any more and he drags it into his bed and tramples on it!
 
My TB would be the size of a small house if I let her have adlib! Unfortunately I have a good doer TB, but who is actually at perfect weight for one :)
 
Mine saw a haynet for the first time yesterday (he's always lived out with hay in big bales in winter). He opened his mouth as wide as he could, took in about 6 inches of haynet, yanked it a bit and couldnt work out why he could smell the hay but none was coming out.

So I would guess, by this method, about a week? :D
 
Interesting topic.

My lot ( who river dance outside the bedroom at night) usually get a load in low mangers at night and more at 6 am. They are free to roam. Field, stables, shelter, they go where they want, but, I am away this week until Friday so to help the OH I have put a large bale of haylage out in the yard for them. Saves my OH having to shovel it out to them morning and night as he is up at half 4. Anyway, went out tonight and two of them were inside eating the stuff I had left previously. Obviously wanted in out the rain.

They had eaten a tiny bit of the big bale but made their choice and went in. One was outside eating out a low manger.

I am sure by Tuesday they will all be outside munching and probably coming in for a snooze.

I have found that with the fatties which two are, if they have ad lib, they don't gorge themselves, or fight over it, if they know it's there.

Would rather they have a bit in their bellies than gorge when they think they have to fight over it. Plus they are in a ****** 2 acre field full of mud.


Not to worry, they lose the calories dancing all night and keeping me awake. Gits.
 
Mine has 4 sections of a standard small bale of hay a night, 2 sections in a standard kincade Haynet with normal holes, and 2 on the floor. She's 16.3/17hh and still have some left in the morning, she's never been a greedy horse though, she just eats till she's full and then proceeds to try and demolish her Himalayan lick..
 
Our tb's have 14 lb nets at night, small holed, my gelding is a bit of a gannet & when I've popped back to the yard at around midnight he's still got hay, when he runs out he has a little munch on his bed. The mare often has some hay left in the mornings. The pony has 6-7 lb net, double netted as he is still on a bit of a diet came to us 3 months ago FAT! I was a bit worried about how fast he was eating his hay so popped bk to yard at 10.30 at night to find he still had a nice heavy net left. They then get their breakfast & hay at 6am
 
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