Ive Been Reported.....Again.....

Status
Not open for further replies.
2 acres isn't much for 3 (bigger) horses living out, especially over the winter. Where abouts are you i know you're not far from me? I know of a few people that would deliver big bales of hay or haylage.
 
Have you managed to find someone to deliver some bigger bales yet? I have no idea where Eynsham is but if you do get really stuck i could give you some names and numbers to try :)
 
Shearer said:
Have you managed to find someone to deliver some bigger bales yet? I have no idea where Eynsham is but if you do get really stuck i could give you some names and numbers to try :)
Click to expand...

I havent yet, will look again tonight, found someone in windsor but dont know if they deliver. Ill message you if i need the numbers :) thanks x
 
Eynsham is to the west of Oxford near Witney. Maybe you could see if there is anything on the noticeboard at Countrywide stores in Witney, or call them to ask?
 
I fed small bales at the beginning of winter and I find it much cheaper to feed large bales- honestly, I am practically saving money at this stage! I buy a heston for £25 or small (teeny tiny) bales for £4! I have a fat field and a thin field, the fatties get 4 sections of large bale per day between them and have a little bit left the following day and the thin ones are in at night (not tonight as they fancied staying out the numpties) and they have half and half haylage and hay- at least 2 sections of hay and one of haylage in the field and a massive full net at night. I don't mean to go on about MY horses but I am also quite local and I know that buying big bales works out cheaper and easier so I can give you some contacts if you are stuck?

P.s I'd be pleased to see WHW, at least they can give you peace of mind that everything looks ok. ;)
 
JadeyyAndLadyy said:
Lochpearl-I have a 15.3hh 19year old tbxarab, there is also a 17.2hh 24year old WB and a 15.1hh welsh :)
Lady gets fed alpha a oil, build up cubes, sugabeet, and sometimes molasses sp?? 3 times a day. They then have half a bale in the morning and half a bale at night. they are currently on about 2 acres with the grass hidden under about an inch of snow
Click to expand...
surely this is the problem- 3 horses on 2 acres over winter 2 of whom are elderly..... adlib hay is an excellent suggestion. A big round bale will last them about 10 days and cost about £25 much cheaper than half a bale which works out at about 2 slices of hay each... not much especially with snow and ice.
 
amymay said:
If your horses are out 24/7 then they need constant access to hay

It's very seldom that people report maliciously - so again, I would assume that there is a genuine problem that once again you and your friends seem reluctant to address......:o

Keeping horses out is really only a little less expensive than stabling them. And if you can't afford them - get rid.
Click to expand...

May I ask if your first comment was aimed solely at the OP or if you were meaning that horses in general need constant access to hay if they are out 24/7?? Genuine question as if you meant generally I am confused and curious as to why you think this??

On your second point,I would agree that people don't report maliciously,they do however often report out of ignorance.Being reported does not mean that there is a genuine problem at all,it means that joe public know very little about horse requirements and living arrangements and often waste welfare officers time with their un-founded concerns.I appreciate there is history with the OP and the condition of her mare,but from what she has said it is exactly that and perhaps you are jumping to conclusions and making assumptions??

Personally I have found keeping a horse out 24/7 much less expensive than stabling!!

OP I really wouldn't worry about being reported,it happens a lot when well meaning members of the public get it wrong!! I am sure many of them are trying to do the right thing,but fail to grasp that horses can survive outside quite well,even in poor weather.A note on the gate might encourage people to contact you first,certainly can't hurt to try it.

Do try getting to know the people in your area that are likely to see your horses,walk past etc.I have found if you make an effort to be friendly and ask people to keep an eye on the horses they respond in a much more positive manner,everyone likes to feel needed and useful;)

Large bales would indeed save you some effort and money.If this is not possible then maybe large haynets with the small holes would be an option?? Putting whole slices in so it is harder to get out makes it last longer.Obviously this is only an option if you can tie them securely and have enough to stop any squabbles.The bonus of nets is that people can see them even after the hay is eaten so they at least know the horses are being fed at some point during the day.This would hopefully be enough to reassure people so they don't feel the need to report it.
 
For the elderly horses surely they would be better with haylage? I know it must be upsetting being reported, but it does sound like this person has the horses best interests at heart. I would be upset as well, but to be honest, I would rather make sure my horses had a large bale of haylage to eat ad-lib than go hungry in this weather ... A small bale of hay costs me £4.25 but a large bale costs me £25. For 1 horse this lasts me two weeks being fed ad lib and wasting quite a lot :O/// (horses for you!) I would think that you need to get to a point where they are not scoffing the hay down and are quite happy to leave it because they are full.

Also another suggestion would be to get a Hay Hutch (large) this means the horses cannot just gorge on it they have to work a bit harder! They are great if not a little expensive... if money is an issue.

keep smiling and remember we do all of this for the love of our horses!
 
Oh, and remember hard feed is all well and good but horses are trickle feeders and need to be munching 22 hours out of 24! They need the fibre of constant hay / haylage / grass to keep their stomaches working and for the constant siliva that they produce not to cause gastic issues..... they are not like us and produce saliva constantly as this is how they evolved... I would rather feed mine hay/haylage and less hard feed but it sounds like your horse needs the calories. I would perhaps suggesting ringing Dodson & Horral or Dengie / spillers for advice on what is best to feed your horse to maintain her weight during winter. You could probably do this cheaper and spend some more money on the haylage / hay.
best wishes and keep warm!
 
shadowboy said:
surely this is the problem- 3 horses on 2 acres over winter 2 of whom are elderly..... adlib hay is an excellent suggestion. A big round bale will last them about 10 days and cost about £25 much cheaper than half a bale which works out at about 2 slices of hay each... not much especially with snow and ice.
Click to expand...



Haven't read the whole post but *shocked* £25 for a big bale of hay? I'd be buying as much as possible and storing it... Were paying £45 - £60 a bale for crappy dusty stuff ( that's for 70 odd horses ) so it's getting quite expensive as you can imagine!

As for feeding / keeping wieght on... Add midlins ( by marriages ) into the feed... Can't recommend it highly enough! It puts on loads is weight without any chance of a nutcase at the end of the day :) GREAT GREAT stuff ... Hope you get sorted and the busybodies stuff hassling you xx
 
If you can't get a big bale at the moment just get a big bale feeder at your local farm merchant and put 3 or 4 small bales in it - saves anything being wasted/trampled/blown away - as I know horses will flick stuff all over the place - mine do!!:D
But I do agree with the fact horses need 24/7 access to fibre in winter if they are out so they can keep warm, especially when they can't get to the grass or there isn't any left. With 3 horses on 2 acres I'm sure there won't be a morsel of grass left by now! - so your oldies will need ad lib fibre even more now - more so than hard feed, plus it's the fibre that keeps the hard feed in the gut longer so they get more out of it, without the fibre you're wasting a good bit of money really.
Good luck I hope you find a nice farmer who will deliver a bale to you - you could always just pop in to the farms locally - no harm in asking!:)
 
amymay said:
PM Weezy - or ring her. She has been a friend to you in the past and I'm sure would be delighted to help out again.
Click to expand...

Thanks, but i dont need help this time. The horses are happy and healthy, just need some extra hay :) so will try my best to get some big round bales for them :)
I had a word with the other owners last night and asked if they still had hay left over from the night time (they go down first thing in the morning to feed and hay) and they said yes, sometimes they arent even interested in the hay when it is put down and will go to it when they want it.
She also told me what was reported..... The WHW woman had an emergency call out as there are 3 neglected, starving horses abandoned in a field and needed urgent attention. :rolleyes: When WHW woman got there, there was hay in the field but the horses werent interested in the hay, more interested in following the woman round :rolleyes: So if they were so starving and neglected, surely they would be munching on the hay....

What do other people use for the big round bales if you dont have a big feeder? Im thinking about getting a Big Bale Buddy but theyre frokm america so not sure how long they would take to get here...
 
Isnt a big bale buddy just for indoor storage and handling? I've got 2 bales in, one in a ring feeder and one just on its own and they always take that one in preference. Not much wastage in this weather though
 
At my yard they just pop the big bales (haylage right enough) straight into the field. They put them in a reasonably sheltered spot wind wise but precious little actually gets wasted this way. You'd be better sampling wastage with a bale or two and deciding for yourself if you need to fork out for a feeder.
 
JadeyyAndLadyy said:
Because my horses didnt have hay in their field.
They had just been fed, and we spread the hay out so it takes them longer to eat but i guess they ate it by the time the strange woman came across them...
The woman who reported us went to the little bungalow on the field to the old couple and had a go at them...they told her to stop being stupid as the owners had JUST fed and hayd them.
I think the WHW are there now talking to the other owner (im away atm, else i would be there too!)
Im really getting fed up with this....It was just the other day when we planned on getting loads of haynets and pinning them round the field so they had more hay for longer...
We pay £5 a bale.....which for us is alot compared to out normal £2.50... :(
The other owner told the WHW that we've already had the RSPCA God knows how many times.... She was surprised and doesnt understand why we keep getting reported.
Is it just me? :( :( :(
Click to expand...

I would like you to know that I drive past your field at least 3 times a day and I do occasionally see hay down but what I see is not enough for 1 horse let alone 3.
Your field has very little grass and this is certainly not enough to sustain 3 big horses through the winter!
I am going to leave my name and telephone number in an envelope on your gate as I have contacts of where you can get large bales of hay which works out about 15 small bales and the cost works out to about just under £3 a bale. I am happy to arrange this to be delivered to you as I know the farmer is local, I am not having a go at you I just want to help. If the people that are concerned about your horses welfare see that they have enough food then they will not keep reporting you.
Please call me as I am offering to help you.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top