Ponies eating me out of house and home - help!

tankgirl1

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Hi
I have a 14hh cob mare early teens, and a shettie gelding approx 8-9yo, who share a stable at night. This the 3rd winter I have had them sharing.
I have always budgeted for half a small bale of hay per night, and they have always had plenty left over in the morning from that. This year though they are eating 3/4 of a bale a night, and every last scrap at that! I have gone back to netting their hay, rather than having it on the floor. The shettie is a little barrel, the mare is a weight I would like her to be at over winter, she's certainly not obese.
The only difference is that this years hay has some ryegrass in, and the mare is going nuts for it, refusing her (token) bucket in preference of her hay. I'm not really sure what I'm asking, as I can't change the source of the hay, just wondering if anyone has come across this before and has any thoughts?
Thanks in advance
 

Nudibranch

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When I've had a big difference in size to deal with (11 vs almost 18hh at one time) I've used a 50 gallon round cold water tank to feed from. Very tough but flexible and safe. The main advantage is that the big horse can still feed from a natural position but the little one can't get its head over to reach anything unless it's absolutely stuffed full, which it isn't. Personally I don't like nets tied up as it's not good for their necks.

Could you mix the mare's hay with some straw if you think she's eating too much/starts to put weight on?
 

twiggy2

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That does not around like a large amount for the two of them.
If the mare is a good weight and the sheltie is fat then she need access to hay that the sheltie does not have.
High hay nets is one way, the problem is if she eats all the easy to reach hay before feeding from the hay net then the shettie will be going a long time with no hay, that's fine if the shettie can cope with a large portion of diet being straw.
Can you section of part of the stable if big enough so they can see and touch each other but cannot reach each others hay.
 

Flyermc

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is it possible that they are just smaller bales? (Do you weight the hay)

my welsh d would eat around 3/4 of a small bale at night (out in the field in the day) but they bales were not that big really or that compact.

A cheaper option might be to buy big round bales instead?
 

tankgirl1

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Thanks all, it was more about, well both the financial aspect and the fact that they were eating it so fast there was nothing left come morning which worries me wrt ulcers etc. Last night as I think I said, they had the same 3/4 of a bale but in nets rather than on the ground, and it was a success! Loads left this morning. I watched them for a while tonight. Shettie can reach the nets but he'll have a mouthful then mooch around picking at straw etc, whereas my mare just stands at the net and eats.
 
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