Mare always leaves hay

[Rachel&william]

Hi,
My mare always leaves about a 1/4 of her hay in a net without fail regardless of how much she gets.
Anyone's else do this or is it just a random quirk.
I've tried leaving it for her to eat but always cave giving her more because she refuses to touch it.
Thanks??

 

[hollyandivy123]

is it because its low down to comfortable remove from the net, as in the pulling is putting pressure on the neck or back, try it loose on the floor or hang up higher?

 

[PurBee]

As you say she does this no matter how much or little she’s fed, its evidently not anything to do with being full and not wanting more.

All i can think, is maybe she has a neck problem? For them to eat the lower part of a hay net they often have to lower their neck and twist their head to grab the hay…so i can imagine a horse with some kind of neck issue would consistently leave the lower part of a haynet.

Are there any other symptoms?

 

[Rachel&william]

As you say she does this no matter how much or little she’s fed, its evidently not anything to do with being full and not wanting more.

All i can think, is maybe she has a neck problem? For them to eat the lower part of a hay net they often have to lower their neck and twist their head to grab the hay…so i can imagine a horse with some kind of neck issue would consistently leave the lower part of a haynet.

Are there any other symptoms?[/QUOTE/]
I've tried tying the haynet higher tonight and I'll see if it works, she only came of the track 2 months ago and I've only had her since the new year when she passed a 2* vetting. Any ideas on how to put hay on the floor without her dragging it into her bed, I was thinking of just attaching the haynet to the floor with Velcro so she can break free if she gets stuck

 

[CanteringCarrot]

Mine does this quite a bit but with him it seems to be because he doesn't want to eat the "fines" left over. He also does this with his hay feeder (floor) in his stable. He always leaves the "fines"

Although it's usually just a small bit at the bottom of his large lattice net/feeder.

 

[Hackback]

Mines the same as CanteringCarrot. Not necessarily the fines but he's a fussy eater and he pulls the bits he likes out of his net and rejects the others, there's always some left or a discarded pile on the floor. Same when he's grazing - I've watched natives practically hoovering up the grass as they go, whereas mine will curl his lip around something, decide against it and move on to the next bit. Just a choosy soul.

 

[ycbm]

Yep, I have one who will only eat about ¾ of any haylage he's given. He's very TB in many ways, never gets fat, eats till he's had enough and stops. Last year he was on nets and I just took his uneaten stuff in the net and hung it up for my PRE and she ate every scrap.
.

 

[smolmaus]

I've tried tying the haynet higher tonight and I'll see if it works, she only came of the track 2 months ago and I've only had her since the new year when she passed a 2* vetting. Any ideas on how to put hay on the floor without her dragging it into her bed, I was thinking of just attaching the haynet to the floor with Velcro so she can break free if she gets stuck

You can leave a net loose on the floor (with the strings tied well away) if she doesn't have shoes on. Velcro isn't going to stand up to the first time she pulls the net anyway. If she is wearing shoes I think any net on the floor is still risky attached or loose.

I would try loose hay to see if she still leaves any just to see, for the sake of pulling hay out of her bed a few times.

 

[Starzaan]

Personally, I really despise haynets, and when I first started running a rehab yard I really had my eyes opened to the damage they can cause.
I would say it’s a pain thing rather than not wanting to eat any more.
Put the hay on the floor, in a hay bar, hay cube, or make your own slow feeder. Really easy to make with a few pallets, a good haynet and some caribener (sp?) clips. That way, the horse is eating in a natural position, not pulling from a haynet hanging up which puts unnecessary strain on the SI, base of the neck, TMJ and causes uneven muscle development.

 

[Birker2020]

Personally, I really despise haynets, and when I first started running a rehab yard I really had my eyes opened to the damage they can cause.
I would say it’s a pain thing rather than not wanting to eat any more.
Put the hay on the floor, in a hay bar, hay cube, or make your own slow feeder. Really easy to make with a few pallets, a good haynet and some caribener (sp?) clips. That way, the horse is eating in a natural position, not pulling from a haynet hanging up which puts unnecessary strain on the SI, base of the neck, TMJ and causes uneven muscle development.

I agree with you. My physio told me to hang my net a lot lower than I was for the same reason. I have a hay bar but find it wastes a lot as the horse will either pull it out and leave it on the floor or run it gets mixed in the bedding which is a pain when its damp hay.

 

[ycbm]

Personally, I really despise haynets, and when I first started running a rehab yard I really had my eyes opened to the damage they can cause.
I would say it’s a pain thing rather than not wanting to eat any more.

I share your dislike of haynets and will only use them slung low and with huge holes.

But my horse who leaves 1/4 of his forage did it for 4 years while he was fed on the floor, for 6 months while he had a haynet and is still doing it now it's back in racks on the floor. So I can't agree that it's necessarily pain causing it.

 

[ycbm]

You can leave a net loose on the floor (with the strings tied well away) if she doesn't have shoes on.

Even easier, use a big carabiner or a pram hook to close the net, no strings at all then.

 

[Starzaan]

I share your dislike of haynets and will only use them slung low and with huge holes.

But my horse who leaves 1/4 of his forage did it for 4 years while he was fed on the floor, for 6 months while he had a haynet and is still doing it now it's back in racks on the floor. So I can't agree that it's necessarily pain causing it.

Oh I totally agree, it may not be pain, but that would be my first thought.
I had one for years who wouldn’t eat his haylage after it had been in his hay bar over night. I always had him on ad lib, so he always had some left, but even if I mixed it with fresh, it was ‘contaminated’ and I was clearly trying to poison him. I ended up having to transfer what he left to my other, and he had fresh every day. ???‍
They’re such individuals. But then, that’s why we love them so much isn’t it?

 

[smolmaus]

Even easier, use a big carabiner or a pram hook to close the net, no strings at all then.

They do seem handy, but I have a vicious net flinger (when we still used a hay pillow, before she started pissing all over it ?) and had visions of her whacking herself in the eye with a flying carabiner. A less aggressive eater might not have that problem ?

They’re such individuals. But then, that’s why we love them so much isn’t it?

Repeat this every day for best results ?

 

[vhf]

Yep, I have one who almost ALWAYS leaves something, no matter how little there was to start with. Once left, it is NEVER eaten, no way can I disguise yesterday's leftovers. Luckily, I also have an equine dustbin. I tell myself it's why we love them too!

 

[nikicb]

Yep, I have one who almost ALWAYS leaves something, no matter how little there was to start with. Once left, it is NEVER eaten, no way can I disguise yesterday's leftovers. Luckily, I also have an equine dustbin. I tell myself it's why we love them too!

You saved me typing this. My dustbin gets my mare's leftovers once they have been left for a day!!!

 

[CanteringCarrot]

I have found if I take the fines/what he deems to be unworthy and toss them in a wheelbarrow with some poo and whatnot when cleaning his stable, suddenly the unworthy becomes interesting and slightly appetizing ?

I've tried taking the waste from the bottom of his hay feeder and putting them into his net, but he catches on and usually won't eat them.

I've sort of calculated the right amount that doesn't produce so much waste. Also depends on the hay bale a bit. He prefers long stemmy seemingly unappetizing hay to fine stuff or softer stuff. He would also forage all day on bushes, dead/dry/crunchy leaves and plants if he really bad a choice ? perhaps reminds him of home/Spain? I don't know. ?

 

[Cortez]

I don't think I've EVER had a horse which refused hay, but then I don't feed ad lib hay (unless it's a starvation case or a lactating mare) and I have very good doer breeds. In case you're wondering or worried, I also have well covered horses that aren't exactly starving. If a horse leaves hay then I investigate, either the hay or the horse.

 

[vhf]

I don't think I've EVER had a horse which refused hay, but then I don't feed ad lib hay (unless it's a starvation case or a lactating mare) and I have very good doer breeds. In case you're wondering or worried, I also have well covered horses that aren't exactly starving. If a horse leaves hay then I investigate, either the hay or the horse.

This has been true for most of mine, to be fair (well, apart from having good doer breeds. Mine mostly seem to become good doers sometime after arrival...)

 

[Hackback]

I'm sure it's personal choice and not pain with mine as he pulls it out of the net and drops it on the floor if he doesn't like it. Luckily we too have a 'dustbin'.

 

[J&S]

To my knowledge, horses in racing get very little hay ( I had a horse at livery at a P2P yard and was told this) so it may be that as she is so recently out of racing that she just is not used to having that amount of hay. If it is a problem with her neck, hang up several nets in different places, and obviously get her some treatment.