I'm slightly confuzzled....

[Honey Bee♥]

A while back, I was working for a woman who had, I think at the time, 13 horses inc 4 stallions (not that its relevant). Anyway...

I remember her asking me one day to fill *said horse*'s hay net with straw and water it down. I found this a very strange request, I think I was 14/15. I asked her why, because if you dont ask, you dont learn! And she said it was to stop him eating his straw bed. I thought this was a little weird because surely, once he had finished he would start on his bed again anyway. Plus, what does it matter if the straw is in the hay net or in his bed. Straw is straw, right? Anyway, she was really bothered by this. Am I right in thinking that if she was that bothered, she should have given him more hay, turned him out or changed his bedding to shavings?

I do accept that some horses have allergies etc. But as far as I knew, it was alright for him to be turned out, he wasnt overweight so hay wouldnt have hurt him, and he had no reaction to shavings.


Someone please enlighten me...

Thank you!!

 

[Spotsrock]

Re the specifics of feeding straw, I don't know but I do have a pony when isn't overweight. Very prone to easy weight gain though so intake always monitored. Not being fat doesn't mean not on a diet. I'll see what answers u get coz with a pair of fatties i'm curious about any ways to keep them happy munching without weight gain. Equine celery really!

 

[Puzzles]

So the problem that the woman was trying to solve was that this horse kept eating his straw bedding?
If so, then yes she could have changed his bedding to shavings or another alternative. It does seem a bit odd that the woman would use that method of preventing the horse from eating his bedding, because as you say straw is straw after all .. Plus, good quality oat straw can be used to dilute hay for horses that tend to gain weight easily, but as far as I'm aware it isn't wise to use straw alone as it is too fibrous and can cause impaction colic due to the difficulty in digesting it. Perhaps the horse's diet was deficient in fibre and so he sought it via his bedding?
Does any of this help?

 

[Honey Bee♥]

yes. That would make sense. I wish I still worked for her, and could have suggested that!