probably been done before but: How often do you see to your horses?

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MrVelvet

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... and how long are they left with no food? My boy gets a big net in the morning (8am) (two if I wont see him till teatime) then a little bit through the day, or he gets turned out and then I see him at tea time where he has two nets to last him the night - I try to feed up at around 6-7. He usually has a bit left over the next morning. I have just moved from a place (I was only there a couple of months) that were on little rations for haylage - simply 2 small (and I mean tiny) haynets over 24 hours, literally about 25 mins eating time per net!!! These people thought this was reasonable and I guess their horses are still alive....

What are peoples thoughts? When does your horse get hay and how long is he left with nothing ? :)


eta - So to summarise my boy is maybe left an hour or so through the day and obviously goes 13 hours over night but usually has a bit of haylage left over so can't be that hungry!
 
This is something that I tend to worry about quite a bit. My mare is slightly porky and a very good doer. She's 16.3 hunter type and gets two large haynets at night when she comes in (about 8-9pm) and a scoop if fibre cubes with chaff. Then she is in until about 11am the next day. She will then get the same feed and go out. She never has any hay left by the morning. I often worry she isn't getting enough, but she is slightly overweight so reluctant to give any more.
 
Mr Velvet, I agonise about his one two. Mine are always good doers and if they have a hay net at night time, its gone a couple of hours later ...... and if I ever had a lie in, I'd feel unbelievably guilty.

I have solved my particular problem by leaving them out at night all through the year (3 horses, 6 acres so always the odd blade of grass somewhere). They then get their breakfast at about 9am. Civilised or what!!

If I have to bring them in, I leave them with one normal net and one 'trickle net'. If they are hungry enough they will bother to get the hay out of the tricklet net and it lasts a whole lot longer.
 
@ Moomin, can you give her tiny holed haynets just to slow her done? they work wonders! She sounds like she'd be fine though. 11am is a bit late to feed in the morning tho... imo :)

@canteron - I feel your pain!! roll on Summer and lie ins!!!
 
I see Merlin 3 or 4 times a week, he's on part livery and I have a sharer that rides 3 times a week. He gets fed at 8am, hayed in the field at 10am and 2pm, fed again at 4.30pm and hayed with again with a large night net at 6pm.

I see my other two that are on DIY once or twice a day (they are turned out for me on some days), they are fed at 5.30am, turned out at about 6.45am, they come in at 5pm to a treat ball of high fibre nuts and get hayed at 8pm give or take depending on my work committments.

Ideally I'd like them to have adlib hay but they are all fatties and put on weight very easily even when the hay is soaked for 24 hours before feeding, I am trialing a trickle net and will use these depending on my findings as the holes are much smaller than a doubled netted net or a small holed one.
 
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tabithakat, after almost sending them back, I have now come to appreciate my trickle nets.

During the cold weather, they actually learnt how to eat out of them (at first they wouldn't, maybe they weren't hungry enough?) but they don't 'gallop' through their hay as before and there is definitely less wastage.

Interested to hear how yours get on

.... Sorry Mr Velvet to hijack your post!!
 
Mine comes in at 5pm and gets 15lb haylage and feed, gets another 12lb at 9pm and gets a breakfast net and breakfast feed at 8:30. he usually has a bit left in the morning too so i reckon he gets enough!
 
I see my horse myself twice on my days off, and once when im working, my mum and I share the morning or evening shifts.

Ours come in about 4.30-5:30pm and have a very large haynet, there is usually still some left in the morning, I get there about 8;30-9am, which is later than id like but after finishing work at 1am its tuff getting up early!

They have ok grass at the moment, and stay out all day until they come back in again.
 
MrVelvet said:
@ Moomin, can you give her tiny holed haynets just to slow her done? they work wonders! She sounds like she'd be fine though. 11am is a bit late to feed in the morning tho... imo :)

@canteron - I feel your pain!! roll on Summer and lie ins!!!
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MrVelvet she does have tiny holed nets, and a treat ball with carrots in too to keep her a bit occupied! Yes 11am is a bit late, that is why I don't bring her in until 8-9pm so it is the same as if I was turning her out at 8-9am and bringing her in at 5-6 ish.:)
 
MrVelvet said:
The only thing that worries me about a trickle net is... if it takes that much effort to pull haylage out and they are hungry - won't they get a sore neck?!
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This worries me too about trickle nets. I tend to think that if they make it TOO hard for the horse to get hay out within reason then it is going to stress the horse out and leave it with an empty stomach for a more prolonged period of time.
 
Moomin1 said:
This worries me too about trickle nets. I tend to think that if they make it TOO hard for the horse to get hay out within reason then it is going to stress the horse out and leave it with an empty stomach for a more prolonged period of time.
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I know, there is evil in every option.

My rational is if I give them 2 nets at a time ....they can 'stuff' the normal haynet and have the trickle net for their 'afters'. I don't know that I would give a trickle haynet to a genuinely very hungry horse, that would worry me!! But then so does the horse eating all its hay in the first hour and having 8 hours of empty stomach, trees falling on the stables, the hay catching on fire .......................... etc!! I can always find something to worry about but suprisingly I haven't killed a horse - yet!

However, my experience is eating from a trickle net is a 'skill' and so like everything if you introduce it carefully they have time to learn and adjust, otherwise, yes, it could be enormously frustrating/stressful for them?
 
canteron said:
I know, there is evil in every option.

My rational is if I give them 2 nets at a time ....they can 'stuff' the normal haynet and have the trickle net for their 'afters'. I don't know that I would give a trickle haynet to a genuinely very hungry horse, that would worry me!! But then so does the horse eating all its hay in the first hour and having 8 hours of empty stomach, trees falling on the stables, the hay catching on fire .......................... etc!! I can always find something to worry about but suprisingly I haven't killed a horse - yet!

However, my experience is eating from a trickle net is a 'skill' and so like everything if you introduce it carefully they have time to learn and adjust, otherwise, yes, it could be enormously frustrating/stressful for them?
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Sorry canteron, my comment wasn't in any way aimed at you or a criticism at all. It sounds like you are doing the right thing by giving them one of each! I agree it sometimes feels like you are damned if you do and damned if you don't with horses!!! :)
 
Mine are in my back garden they are brought in about four i give them half bale of hay each a night and refuse to refill. Their all carry far to much weight as they had a hoilday past two weeks
 
we see ares 24/7 as they live opposite my house though the Tb's get AD LIB but this tends to be
morning net 4kg am/pm tends to be around half five/ half three
3kg lunch
2kg 7.30pm
the fattys as we like to call them get
3kg am/pm
2kg lunch
2kg 7.30pm

all get fed breakfast and tea and one of the TB also gets a third feed at 7.30
 
When my horses were in at night they had ad lib hay. I have always that the more you give them, the less they eat! Sounds weird but they just seem to eat what they want / need when it's unlimited.

When my horse was on box rest he had ad lib hay - but when he did start to get a bit porky I soaked it for 24 hours (changing the water several times) until it almost see through so he could still have as much as he wanted.

I know it is essential to be careful with weight / fatties - but I do think you can find away to ensure they are not standing for long periods with no food.
 
all day every day:L she lives where i work and live! very lucky she doesn't go long with out food as we top up all day and they go out they all get 2 hard feeds a day we also do a late check too
 
@moomin = very good point, I retract what I said! :) sorry :o

So everyone else is agreed that adlib is ideally the best but even fattys seem to get more than my old yard used to! I sometimes wonder why, when I worry so much that other people just seem to be 'lucky' and their horses are always fine!
 
Twice a day . . . he gets breakfast (not fed by me - first up feeds) at about 6.00 a.m. (sometimes earlier), I go up and give him a little bit of hay and then turn him out by about 8.30. When there's little grass (like now) they get hay in the field. He comes in at about 3.30 and works. He gets one section of one of the humongous hay bales (fed on the floor) and his hard feed at 5.00'ish . . . he is on a diet at the moment. All of his hay is gone by morning but he is bedded on straw so I do know that he snacks on that if hungry (and isn't prone to lami and has never gotten colic from it).

P
 
I think the trickle net would irritate my lad and he'd either destroy it or not eat.

Our general routine is:
7/8am: 1kg hay, turned out in a paddock which is quite bald.
3pm: Bought in, 2kg hay.
4/5pm: Feed and 6kg hay. 4kg in a small holed haynet doubled up, 2kg either on the floor or in a small holed haynet.

(Sometimes I'll leave him out till 4pm but can't leave longer because he's lame and paces :( If he stayed out later then he'll get the 2kg which he normally gets at 3pm, about lunch time).

If he's being sorted by another livery:
9am: 1kg hay, turned out.
2/3.30pm: Bought in, 2kg hay and fed.
5/6pm: 4-5kg hay, majority in his small holed, doubled haynet, the rest on the floor.

I like to think that he will gorge himself on his feed and loose hay when he comes in, then take a break and take his time with the doubled haynet :o
 
We see to ours twice a day (although this winter due to my sister's horse being on box/ smallpaddock rest they've had a visit at lunch most weekdays). Mon-Wed my sister and I turn out the two who are in at night and feed all (3 are out 24/7), this is about 6am. Thurs & Fri the parents do them so this will be more like 8:30am ish. At the weekend we will do them at 8:30am or so in the morning.

Normally (without one being lame), during the week they are fed and chucked out with some hay - a good slice or so each - thrown in the field (the amount may depend on snow/frozen ground etc). They will then be fed at 5pm ish and two come in. They get 3 or 4 slices of hay each for the night and the others get more hay chucked out in the field - they do have 6 acres though so there is still some grass, they are just idle!!!

We don't refill the hay for the two stabled horses and they have always been fine. I guess if they were REALLY hungry they could pick at their straw but they never do.

The horses are always seen twice a day though in summer and winter and at the weekends and summer days we are down the field at various times in the day and ride in the mornings (winter time this is)
 
Not enough!!! I wish it was more. I see him 3-4times per week depending on my work.

However, hes on livery. He has a feed at 9am and 5pm. 1 haynet and a slice of hay at night when he comes in.
 
My horse is where I work so I see him all day, everyday. Generally feeding and last hay is at 6.30-7pm but also being on straw he will pick through that. Morning feeds start at 7am but can be 4am on event days
 
An interesting thread and this is something that bothers me too :o
canteron said:
I know, there is evil in every option.
I don't know that I would give a trickle haynet to a genuinely very hungry horse, that would worry me!! But then so does the horse eating all its hay in the first hour and having 8 hours of empty stomach, trees falling on the stables, the hay catching on fire .......................... etc!! I can always find something to worry about but suprisingly I haven't killed a horse - yet!
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Canteron, are we related?!:D I am the world's biggest stresshead with an overactive imagination :o

FWIW, I see to my mare twice a day because I'm a control freak:D. She has fairly poor grazing during the day and then almost ad lib soaked hay overnight during the winter. She's a good doer but if she gets a bit round I would rather ride more than limit her hay too much. Sometimes I double net her hay to stretch the eating time out a bit.
 
Twice a day, 7am turnout brought in at 5pm, given 16lb soaked hay in small hole net which is also doubled to try and slow her down, treat ball with veg in which is can empty in aprox 5 mins, too clever by half !! But my ID X HIPPO is always starving and looking for more :)
 
I see mine once a day. As my mum owns the yard she is there all day.
They get fed from half 6-half 7, by first person down. This is a breakfast feed and a haynet or hayledge. My boy gets hayledge in a trickle net or it's gone in 15mins. They go out around 8. They come in at 1.30 to another net which will last till 4, all three will still have some when I get down to ride. I'm at the yard by 3:30 to groom and ride. There fed around 5 and hay half 5-6. My fatties get evening hay in a trickle net and manage fine, our youngster get ablib so net is filled so he has some left in the morning. But the fatties will eat there's before morning.


In summer there out till 5:30 and just get an evening net and hard feed, which will be later as riding later. There still get a breakfast and haynet. But fatties will be a lot smaller than in winter.
 
My mares are where i live and work (this is normally the routine).
8am
Feed and haynets - the arab gets a double net with small holes. the thoroughbred gets a large holed haynet.
12.30pm
the arab gets turned out in an all weather turnout (no food).
between 1 and 2pm
both gets the nets topped up to last untill 6pm
2/2.30pm
arab comes in
6pm
worked, mucked out, and fed. thoroughbred gets a very large small holed haynet, and arab gets a double netted net. Normally about 7/7.30 when i've finished.

the thoroughbred is on box rest so she has food available 24/7 and she is a poor doo-er.
 
We have 2 at home next to the house.
Other horse is in Full Livery as he won't turnout all day (Imported at 8yrs, and couldn't break the habit - yard turn him out for an hour in the school in the morning, and as long as he'll tolerate in the paddock in the afternoon before he starts galloping about)
Horse and pony at home are turned out about 8am.
If in the arena field we put out a net as theres not much grass as it's been used for the bulk of winter. If they're in our bottom field they just go out as they've 4 acres on a gentle slope (well Drained) with loads of grass.
They come in about 4.30pm and have a small net of Hayledge. Usually see them again at 6pm when we shut the chooks up. Horse has usually finished his net, shettie still has some left, but is usually standing full.
Then do night stables, where Shettie gets a top up and Warmblood gets a large net of Hayledge.
Both have fine mesh nets, and the warmblood is like a hoover not matter how difficult you make it... They also get carrots whenever we bring in, or see them
 
Forgot to add, night stables is about 9pm. And we usually chuck a handful if Hayledge over the horses door when we bring the chooks in, but. Not too much. They have both eaten up by morning. We don't have the storage room for hay, hence Fulmart Hayledge which is a high grade product. Therefore are horses are without forage at certain periods, but they'd be barrells if managed any differently.
The summer routine is similar, however turned out till 5.30pm and the pair of them are muzzled.
 
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