Pony standing with no hay all night, what to do?

F

fallingstar

Active Member
Joined
23 February 2010
Messages
40
Visit site
Hi all
Following on from my question about rugging my pony (thanks for the replies everyone) I have another dilemma and could really use some feedback.

Basically my pony is now at a full livery yard after being cared for at a private yard by my friend for several years. I have no option at the moment than to have him on full as work commitments and stupid shifts mean I can't get over every night.

Now the weather is getting cold the horses all come in at around 4pm, fair enough BUT when work means I can get over I am finding my pony standing in his box with no hay left. It has been quite early when I've found him like this (5.30pm the last time) by which time the staff are finished for the night and the horses do not get hayed again.

I really am not happy at my pony standing for that many hours with no hay to eat. He is unrugged and I really think he needs to be eating to generate heat. Trouble is he is a greedy little fatty and his hay has to be rationed (he is on equilage). I would feed him from a little holed net to make it last longer but he has COPD and I much prefer him to be fed from the floor so the gunk can drain off. He eats so fast that a ration that would probably last a normal pony 6 hours is gone in 2!!!

So I'm in a bit of a dilemma, I really do think when the horses are coming in so early they should be hayed twice. Mine isin't the only one standing with no hay from early on. In many ways though it is a good yard and generally he seems very happy there. What would others do in my position? speak to the YO? I just don't know what to so. I seem to spend A LOT of time worrying about my boy at the minute.

Any suggestions much appreciated
 
I dont know whether this is a good idea or not, never seen it done and never used one and never had a horse with COPD so sorry if this is utter rubbish but can you muzzle a horse in the stable? Maybe then you could still feed from the floor but it would take longer to eat? x
 
Can you ask for him to be left some hay on the floor but also some more in a small-holed haynet that will take him longer to eat. Not ideal for his COPD but a compromise to being left with nothing all night?

Also, I find it hard to believe that a pony could have eaten a nights ration of hay in a couple of hours unless the nights ration is very small.....
 
Speak to the YO and ask that she leaves you a second net outside his stable for you to put in later. If she can split his ration in 2 this means he won't be left all night without anything to eat.

I would also give it a go putting his hay in a small holed net, even if it is only half of what you want him to have. I know that you say that he has COPD but I wouldn't have thought that having his hay in a net would make a lot of difference as he will eat the scraps up from the floor anyway, allowing his air ways to drain.
 
Hi,

I have just also moved from a private yard where my friend cared for my horse on livery and treated her as her own to a commercial yard and I am finding the difference in care and attention to detail a bit hard to adjust to... I was at the other place for 10 years :(

Its not that the new place doesnt care for her well but its not the same as more or less one on one personal care but I am trying not to stress the minor things and only speak up about things that matter.

Not having any hay left at 5.30pm I am afraid is one of the things I would be bringing up if I were you so speak to the YO, your concern is definately not an unreasonable one!

My girl is a very good doer so her hay has to be limited. She is brought in around 4 - 4.30pm and is given 5 - 6KGS of hay in a small holed haynet.

I was worried this may not last her but in fact the nights I havent been able to get down to visit her till around 8pm she still has hay left, last night I popped in at nearly 9pm on my way home from the office and she still had just under a section left which I was pleased about.

I would seriously consider using a small holed haynet for say half his ration and the rest on the floor...basically what AshTay suggested :D

At least try it first and foremost and see how he goes, or what about a hay hutch (they do them in small, so can be used in the stable)

That might slow his rate of eating down a little from just having completely free access to a pile of hay on the floor?

Good luck!

Sadiemay
 
Last edited:
AshTay said:
I find it hard to believe that a pony could have eaten a nights ration of hay in a couple of hours unless the nights ration is very small.....
Click to expand...

Could be that the horse isn't getting much to last him the night, wouldn't be the first time I've come across that, but to put the other side across I own a 13 hander who can put away 6kg plus in a couple of hours. Given ad lib he will eat until he bursts, in 30 years I've never known a horse like him!

Back to the OP, is your horse shod? If not I would try a small hole net tied inside an extra large trug or hay container of some sort at ground level, fastened so he can't get the net out (might need to drill a few holes at the bottom). Or are there any other liveries about in the evening that would be amenable to putting an evening net in?

If your horse isn't getting an appropriate night ration on full livery and no evening check included in your fee then I would be wondering whether this is the right place for him...
 
aimeetb said:
I dont know whether this is a good idea or not, never seen it done and never used one and never had a horse with COPD so sorry if this is utter rubbish but can you muzzle a horse in the stable? Maybe then you could still feed from the floor but it would take longer to eat? x
Click to expand...

Just thought about this and realised it probably was utter rubbish as the hay doesnt stick up like grass so probably wouldnt be able to eat, I really should think about things more!

Better suggestions I think are soaking the hay very well so to feed more or split the hay ration as someone suggested if you really dont want to use a haynet!

x
 
George can eat for england and if left to his own devices would probably eat 1-2 bales of a hay a night and turn into an elephant! So when he comes in at 4pm he has his hi-fi tea and half a section of hay, then when I go up in the evening I arrive at 7pm and ride, and then he has his eve/night ration of hay when I leave. This seems to keep his waistline under control and he seems quite content. Luckily one of the girls has the same problem with her horse so we do help each other out if one of us can't do a certain eve.
 
My mare is a gannet and inhales loose hay off the floor in no time. She has her hay ration split into two small holed haynets which I then double up in another two small holed haynets. Takes her ages to eat it all.
 
Hi all
Wow thankyou all for your replies, all very helpful and much appreciated.
I'm going to try a very small holed haynet for now and hopefully that will extend his eating time. The stable girls will probably want to murder me though as all the others are fed from the floor, they probably won't be very happy having to do a haynet every night. I can't get over myself every night because of the ridiculous shifts I work (not being able to drive doesnt help either)

With regards to him not getting enough hay I don't think he is TBH. I've noticed that they are quite sparing with all the horses rations. Thing is my boy is on equilage that I buy myself seperately so It's not as if it is eating into YO purse in anyway. I used to feed him around 10lbs a day but YO seems to be of the opinion that because he is such a good doer (which he is) he doesn't need that much. But if the result of this means he stands for a stupid amount of time with no forage then thats no good at all.

Sadiemay-I know precisely where you are coming from with regards to yard politics, it's a bloody nightmare. You don't know how much to say cos your worried about upsetting people. I have to be extra careful as well as the YO has been very kind and actually reduced my livery bill for me as I was desperately struggling to pay it. So I really don't want to upset her. I can't afford a pony at all really. All the others at the yard have all the best gear and my poor boy is unshod and unclipped because I can't afford shoes and rugs! It's terrible really, no wonder I worry!
 
Hi Fallingstar,

I can sympathise with you dlilema I really can. Now I am on a commercialy run yard I am finding quite hard to speak up about things that bother me or are not done quite to my standard.

The yard I am at is quite cliquey and full of young girls/women and I feel very alone there at times which is such a stark contrast to where I was before.

However the way I get around it is, to remember I am paying alot of money for a service as I am sure you are too, I am the customer and I have the right to speak up about the things that important for your horses welfare and happiness. You should remind yourself of that too.

Its hard I know especially when you have come from a small yard where you were with trusted friends.

I have asked for things to be changed slightly in Sadie's routine/management and its all been taken on board graciously (to my face at least).

Asking to put hay in a haynet is NOT a big ask at all, please dont worry about that and I am positive you will find that his hay will last alot longer this way so its worth plucking up the courage to mention it.

Let us know how you get on.
Sadiemay
 
Hi Fallingstar,

I would also be worried if my pony had finished all his hay by 5.30pm, amongst other reasons it is really not good for horses to go such long periods without food! Horses are grazing animals and are designed to eat for around 16 hours a day, unlike us who only produce bile and stomach acid when we see food horses produce it all the time, so if they don't get food to soak it up they can get all sorts of digestive upset and stomach ulcers. Also psychologically it is bad for horses to have nothing to eat for so long, they can get very bored and develop other unwanted behaviours (such as cribbing, windsucking, wood chewing, bedding/dropping eating etc) in order to try and satisfy their need to chew. Horses should never go longer than 8 hours without eating. Unfortunately alot of yard owners anthropomorthosise and assume horses only need a few small meals like us, this is completely wrong! I don't know what time your boy gets fed breakfast but I'd imagine he probably goes 12-14 hours each night with nothing to eat and nothing to do (horses don't sleep all night like us either).

It really bugs me when yards are like this!

I know your boy is on haylage due to his COPD but I would change it to soaked hay, because this would allow you to feed more of it as hay is less rich and so therefore it would last longer. It shouldn't be a lot to ask for a horse on full livery to have soaked hay in a haynet (with small holes) if needs be tell them the vet has advised it, they should not complain, it is very unproffessional if they do, horse welfare should always come first even if it does mean a few extra jobs, it really won't take long for them to do. Also hay is cheaper than haylage so should save you some money!

I hope you can sort things out, if they are really awkward I would consider moving. You need to be able to trust them as a full livery yard to look after your horse's ever need, you pay a premium for it, so if they're not doing this then on their head be it.
 
Falling star, your YO already sounds like a nice person if they've cut the bill for you to help you out. Surely you should be able to talk to them. I get a bit depressed when people ask on here and create a huge molehill in their minds before they try and solve the problem properly. Also, do the horses at the yard on livery look poor? Thats one of the first things that I would look at if I was checking out a new yard... Not having a go at you, just wondering.x
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top