Other livery feeding my pony haylage when I've asked him not too

[Supertrooper]

Arrive at field this morning to find my pony with the remnants of a pile of haylage, to make it worse it will be the green ryegrass horsehage.

I'm so mad, I've asked the guy who owns other horse in field not to feed mine haylage, he doesn't need it and I'm trying to use the winter to get weight off him. I have provided this guy with hay blocks so he can give mine one at night when he feeds his horse and I feed mine suitable feed in the morning also.

I've just spoken to him and he said he felt sorry for mine because it was so cold last night, I've explained again that am I dieting him, he doesn't need the haylage and I am feeding him and that I actually went up last night to give my boy some extra oat straw so he had something to chomp on if it did snow. The guy obviously went up after and even though he could see he had his head in bucket he still fed him!

Sorry just had to rant, I felt like saying he's not your pony to decide what he needs....... And breathe!

To make things even better I got a stone chip on way home and auto glass have said the whole windscreen needs replacing so have just had to fork out £100 excess :-(

 

[amage]

But sure unless you separate the two horses completely until all feed is eaten you have no way of preventing your horse from eating the haylage. Is there no chance your one was just picking the remnants of what was left behind by the other horse? Diet or no diet I don't know any horse that would choose to eat oat straw if there was a pick of haylage available especially if they are being restricted.

 

[3OldPonies]

I can understand you being mad at the bloke, and I can understand you using the winter to help get weight off your horse. Obviously I don't fully understand the circumstances, but to be honest I think I would possibly have done the same, although not haylage as you'd specifically asked for that not to be fed, but an extra hay block as provided by you. Even if you are trying to get weight off the horse does still need to eat, and if you're giving oat straw and he pigs it because he's hungry then you are risking a dose of colic, especially if your water freezes up as the lignin in straw is really hard for horses to digest so it can impact quite quickly, even more so if there isn't enough water around.

 

[Supertrooper]

They are separated xx

 

[ellie11987]

Sorry if I am reading this wrong but it sounds like pony gets one hay block a day plus a hard feed in the morn? Is there much grass? I'm sorry but I would probably do the same in that situation. Dieting or not, horses need continuous access to forage and if it snows, this needs to be accommodated to.

 

[Moomin1]

I agree with others. Dieting your horse does not mean providing it with very little forage during winter. If your horse is overweight then you need to look at other ways of reducing the weight without having to withhold forage in the winter months.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I read it as though the horse has oat straw for forage as well daily, but was given extra straw due to the snow.

 

[Pinkvboots]

Has he got plenty of grass in his field?

 

[Goldenstar]

OP did not say she was withholding forage she says in her post the pony is getting hay bloks and straw .
Personally I would be furious if someone fed my horse inappropriate forage and rye grass horseage is not appropriate for a fat pony or horse .

 

[Moomin1]

OP did not say she was withholding forage she says in her post the pony is getting hay bloks and straw .
Personally I would be furious if someone fed my horse inappropriate forage and rye grass horseage is not appropriate for a fat pony or horse .

So would I. I don't think anyone is saying that the person feeding them is right.

Maybe I misread OP's post but it sounded to me like they get one hay blok per day, and OP went up last night to give oat straw incase it snowed - which sounds like it's not a normal thing for them to give nightly.

 

[HaffiesRock]

I too would be spitting feathers!

I used to have an old EMS/cushings pony who suffered badly with laminitis unless she was really restricted. I was lucky enough to find a yard that had a half acre paddock that was basically soil, but it had lots of trees. I used to hang double netted hay nets around and sprinkle EMS nuts around the floor. YO had a fat little shetty so they lived together happily. Yes she probably did look sad from the outside but it was that or crippling lami. There was a sign on the gate that explained her situation, yet every single day I would find her eating haylage! Nobody would admit it was them as YO was also furious as the shetty was on a diet. In the end I had to move her for her own health.

It really is the most annoying thing to deal with!

On the other hand, at an old yard a lady used to keep a little pony in appalling conditions. He was thin, still had his full winder coat in July (he was only young too), lives in a tiny paddock of mud (literally 5m square) as he escaped and it is all she could afford in post and rail. She fed him one slice a day of the oldest, most dusty/mouldy hay you can image (£1 a bale) and never took him out of the paddock as he was too much to handle. Anyway, his prison was opposite my field so when I hayed my ponies I used to chuck him a couple of slices too. The owner was well aware I did this and obviously never complained as it wasn't costing her a penny, but I did it for the pony who was starving. Saying that, I have never and would never feed anyone elses horses. I only did this one as I knew the situation.

OP, I printed out a set or horrible pictures of founded ponies and stuck this on the gate of my old mare to try and prevent them feeding her. It didn't work in my case, but may be worth a shot in yours?

 

[Apercrumbie]

Potential silly question: is horsehage a brand of haylage? I've never used it before.

I would be spitting mad, but then my boys would be crippled with laminitis if they ate any haylage. In future, it's probably best if you leave some easily accessible oat straw/hay out if the guy insists on feeding him.

 

[Supertrooper]

In the morning he gets a big bucket of mixed oat straw chaff and hifi mollasses free, he also has access to grass 24/7. In the evening the other horses owner gives him one hay block as he has to go across my ponies field to feed his horse. It would be unfair not to give mine anything and he would also try and steal the haylage.

He is not starved! But he is a pony who needs to drop weight, I don't want him having haylage, especially not ryegrass haylage and as I feed him in the morning and provide the hay blocks in the evening I am annoyed that someone takes it upon themselves to do something I have specifically asked them not to do!

 

[Supertrooper]

The oat straw/hifi mix lasts him 24hrs and often he still has some left in the morning, aside from soaking hay which in an ideal world I would do this is the lowest calorie substitute I and the nutritionist can come up with.

 

[Tiddlypom]

OP, you are right to be furious. The other livery should not feed your pony anything without your express permission.

From pics you have posted recently, there still seems to be a fair bit of grass in your field and the pony needs lose more weight, so he definitely doesn't need haylage. Isn't there enough roughage in the field? I've got two 15.2hhs, out 24/7, on one small slice of hay a day each as there is so much foggage for them.

What's a hay block?

 

[sandi_84]

Have you spoken to your YO about this? I too would be furious, I really don't get where people get the idea this is ok behaviour.

 

[Supertrooper]

He needs feeding something otherwise he starts getting stroppy and trying to get out of field.

The hay blocks I get are 1kg of compressed oat straw/hay

 

[Supertrooper]

Have you spoken to your YO about this? I too would be furious, I really don't get where people get the idea this is ok behaviour.

We are just left to our own devises, only me and this guy as liveries and I thought I'd approach him first xx

 

[Spring Feather]

If he has to go through your field to feed his horse then perhaps he's just giving a small amount of his horses haylage to keep your pony away from him to allow him to get to his horse unhindered?

 

[sandi_84]

We are just left to our own devises, only me and this guy as liveries and I thought I'd approach him first xx

If he has to go through your field to feed his horse then perhaps he's just giving a small amount of his horses haylage to keep your pony away from him to allow him to get to his horse unhindered?

^ Could you section off a path for the other livery to go through unmolested? If he's still feeding yours even after you've asked him not to (and that he is definitely feeding rather than being mugged) I would talk to the YO about it because clearly he's not listening to you

 

[Supertrooper]

If he has to go through your field to feed his horse then perhaps he's just giving a small amount of his horses haylage to keep your pony away from him to allow him to get to his horse unhindered?

When I spoke to him today he said it was because he felt sorry for him last night, I'm hoping therefore it was and will just be a one off but now feel I can't trust him!

 

[Supertrooper]

Since I provided the hay blocks he has never mentioned pony mugging him and I have also asked if D has behaved himself and he's said there have been no issues with getting across field.

Perhaps I am over reacting but I'm trying so hard to get and keep weight off pony, it's blimming hard when he can't be exercised. He is due check up at anytime from WHW and this morning he'd bloated up like a balloon, he looked awful!

 

[Supertrooper]

Today.....

 

[Supertrooper]

Ignore - wrong photo, can't get photo bucket to work!

 

[Goldenstar]

OP if you are trying to diet him be aware that molasses free hi fi is coated with soya oil and is as low calorie option as you might think
You might be better getting straight hay chop from someone like Halleys .