If you were/are a YO, how much hay would you expect...

Your YO would not like my two - in winter on days with no turnout, Cairo eats about a bale and Chancer at least half a bale - Cairo is a 16.3 clydie and Chancer a 15 hand gypsy cob. They have ad lib hay as they are on a fibre diet and are not fatties.

At the moment I am giving them 1/3 of a bale between them in the field as our grass is low - every last stalk is gone.

I am very lucky, my regular supplier has got his hay in and has allowed me again to pre-purchase 150 bales at £2.50 which he delivers to me in loads of 40 - he is a wonderful farmer. In return I have found him 4 regular customers who stock up 200 bales each so he can do big deliveries.
 
Having been at a few yards it is absoloutely one of my real bug bears when I am not allowed to give my horse sufficient hay. I believe that most horses (and definitely mine) should have ad-lib hay. I don't like him stood in a stable for any length of time without any forage. Many places just give 1 wedge in the evening and that is it until the morning. Chances are the horse just stands there for over 12 hrs with nothing at all to eat. I don't believe that horses are designed to be left that long without forage.
mad.gif


Anyway, now I have my rant over
grin.gif
- I think you are getting through an average amount of hay. My horse will have 3-4 sections overnight in summer (out during the day), maybe 5-6 in winter.

It really annoys me when yards don't let you use what you want. Having said that you are on a great deal, the price of hay is going up and I think a £3 rise each week is negligible.
smile.gif
 
Yes, it is a fair point LOL!!
laugh.gif
Some yds don't like you buying hay in/storing it there though? TBH I am at a yard where I pay rates for ad-lib hay and that is what I get. In the past I have offered to pay extra at yds to use more hay. I don't think I use excessive amounts though TBH.
smile.gif
 
As title says i am in north lincolnshire(sunny scunny 2 be exact arghhhh,pmsl,no sun ere!)(cheaper as ya go north apparently,lol)!THAT IS SOOOO cheap,we pay £20 that is just for all year turnout,no stables(fab thow as there r a few of us it is almost like being on part livery)!Come the winter we have 3 16.3 and 1 13.2 they are all out 2gether we buy the big round bales at £30,which we split the cost 4 ways and last yr 1 bale was lastin them 2-3wks(no grass,admittedly mild winter,but still if we were buying every wk wud have been cheaper)!Ya liveries onto a winner there,i used to get free hay and straw but it was £35 a wk!!!x
 
Its better than being told that you can have hay adlib, then to have the deal changed to half a bale a day, and then to be told off when the yard manager is on hols that you shouldnt be using the half a bale anyway as your ponies are too fat!!!!

Think thats called make your mind up time!!!
 
Top