How would you manage a horse that doesn't eat hay?

[jaffa2311]

As above really. Owned since a weaned foal and now 7.

In that time, he has NEVER eaten hay in the stable. I have tried all varieties of hay, haylage, horsehage.

When sent for backing, they also tried everything and failed.

Happily grazes in the field and thrives in the Summer living out.

Yard has them in at night in the Winter and out 24/7 Summer. Pony is actually a good doer in the Summer but drops off in the Winter. Therefore I end up feeding a lot of feed to make up for the lack of anything else being ingested overnight.

I change the hay every other day nowadays but it is always untouched. Obviously I've tried different nets, floor feeding and a hay bar. All of which have the same outcome.

Vet is not concerned as the pony is in such good condition. I guess I am curious as to if anyone else has had the same problem and how they managed it?

 

[HollyWoozle]

That does seem odd. I’m assuming the pony will eat other types of forage like chaff? In which case I guess I’d just use that or other forage equivalents in the stable to be sure they had a constant supply of something to munch through the night.

 

[Sossigpoker]

I would try and get him to eat dampened chaff. Horses need to chew in order to produce the acid buffering saliva to protect their stomach, so although there are various mashes and nuts you can use as hay replacer, I would want him to do as much chewing as possible.
Will he eat things like Readigrass? If he does, I'd be offering that on an ad lib basis.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I would find somewhere to keep him out 24/7 with other horses that will eat hay/lage in the field. You could take him into a stable for a bucket feed Once or twice per day. Will he eat foggage?

 

[Gloi]

I would get his teeth x-rayed in case the normal dental treatments have missed something.

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

Soaked grass blocks for overnight?

 

[maya2008]

My old girl was like that when young due to a damaged tooth that the dentist advised we wait until it fell out (it did eventually). She would eat the softer, richer haylage and I used to put buckets of ready grass and soaked beet in her stable at night in the winter.

 

[jaffa2311]

what's foggage?

He won't eat a bucket of readigrass or a lucie brick either - more money wasted.

I use alfa A oil, and make large feeds with it, which has always worked but I am interested to see what ideas others have as large feeds does go against the basic principles of equine nutrition.

Also enjoys fast fibre and other feeds but do prefer the chewing that alfa provides.

 

[Sossigpoker]

what's foggage?

He won't eat a bucket of readigrass or a lucie brick either - more money wasted.

I use alfa A oil, and make large feeds with it, which has always worked but I am interested to see what ideas others have as large feeds does go against the basic principles of equine nutrition.

Also enjoys fast fibre and other feeds but do prefer the chewing that alfa provides.

You can mix Fast Fibre with a chaff he will eat. My cob now has Fast Fibre with chaff as his "hard feed" and in terms of chewing it works very well.
I second the suggestions above of moving him somewhere he can live out and x-raying the mouth just in case any problem has been missed.

 

[Gloi]

Foggage is grass that has been ungrazed during the summer to give long grass to graze during the winter.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Grass chaff or grass nuts or fed together or alongside the alfa a can be fed in quite large quantities.

 

[jaffa2311]

yes would definitely eat that. Loves hrazing, won't eat hay put out in the field either really. Occasionally a bite but for no longer than 5 minutes then will wander off to graze, despite not great grass.

 

[jaffa2311]

I haven't actually tried grass nuts before so could try that. Thank you for all these ideas.

I know it sounds horrendous but the pony looks fantastic and is actually quite happy in their routine. I would love to know what on earth he does overnight. Thankfully they're only in for 11 hours a night.

Pony has always been an odd ball, this is just one of many strange foibles that makes me question if it's even a horse or some sort of alien