Rant about feed

[idefixbis]

I'm very annoyed. Why is it that people over here don't understand how important it is for horses to have large quantities of forage.
Yard where I have Walkabout has good facilities, owner and his wife are very good intructors and I couldn't cope with horse ( who's a youngster )without their help. But the amounts of hay they give is so small. I already add an extra meal of a bucket of fibergy + a bit of pasture mix and some supplements every day but now am going to have to go out and buy extra hay.
I am so pissed off as am supposed to be on full livery.
The hay he gets probably last him an hour and a half to eat in the morning and then nothing more until evening when he gets about the same. GRRR
I keep nicking some extra as they usually keep a small pile right next to my box, but yesterday there wasn't any there.
I can't confront them as it wouldn't change and would just create tension which I don't want as they do help me so much and let me ride other mare of there's who I learn a lot on.
Anyway will be moving back to UK in about 6-7 months so will just have to stick it out.

 

[AmyMay]

You are paying for a service. It doesn't have to cause tension to ask for more hay to be given surely?????

 

[idefixbis]

All the horses (liveries and their own) get the same so they consider it the normal amount. they are very stingy as far as food goes.
It's infuriating as the horses are on shavings and so have nothing to do all day.
We have no Winter turnout as it's so wet over here.
I do compensate by letting mine out in the outdoor school and take him out to graze several times a week in a headcollar.

The problem is that only farms round here do Winter turnout and they have no instruction.
The place I am is the only place for miles with a decent dressage orientated instructor.

 

[AmyMay]

Well to be honest if he's a youngster - I'd move him to one of the farms that offer winter turnout. You can always pick him up again when you move back to the UK.....

 

[cpendle]

Can you offer to pay more for an extra haynet at lunchtime? I would have thought it would be money well spent. I know it's frustrating if you are already on full livery - but I think I'd rather do that at least until summer.

 

[charlyan]

[ QUOTE ]
Well to be honest if he's a youngster - I'd move him to one of the farms that offer winter turnout. You can always pick him up again when you move back to the UK.....

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with AmyMay. I would move him for his own welfare- especially considering that he is a youngster- as much as anything to prevent boredom taking hold and vices developing.
Any chance your instructor would travel to you or could you travel to them for regular lessons?

 

[idefixbis]

Thanks for all your advice
Am quite free at the moment (not many hours work) so am spending alot of time at the stables and able to let him out either in the outside school or in small paddock (I forgot there is one but it's quite muddy around the gate)
Let him loose today after his work for a couple of hours and was able to nick extra hay.
Will go to buy a couple of small bales tomorrow.
I would like to stay there as they are very good with him as regards working him. Very calm, experienced with youngsters.

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

Hi Johanna. Its not just in France that some livery establishments get the food thibng wrong. My boy used to be on full livery at a respected riding school and they were as mean as hell over hay. But they were quite happy for horses to have 2 big hard feeds (or more!) per day! There was almost no winter turnout and the poor horses used to get 1 small (and I mean small) haynet at 9am plus a hard feed. Hay and feed gone in an hour. Long break with nothing to do then another small haynet at about 1pm. Gone in half an hour. Then another hard feed and medium haynet at 5pm. Gone in no time then nothing until 9am. Incredibly, with the only turnout a square of solid mud, on the odd mornings they got a few hours turnout (on mud) they DIDN'T get their morning haynet so went from 5pm to lunctime the following day before they had any forage in their bellies. I stood this for a while by buying my own in (as many other liveries did) but eventually had to move for my boy's welfare. He now has ad lib hay, 15 hours of turnout a day, forage based bucket feed (just veteran chaff and speedibeet and he is a changed boy. I think you have to do something for your youngster's welfare!

 

[KatB]

Unfortunately this is common. Ifthere really is nothing you can do, you are doing the right thing by buying hay in. A few extra £ now may save a lifetime of hassle with stomac ulcers etc when the horse is older....

 

[idefixbis]

Thanks for your message.
I think as it is only for 6 months and that the stables are good in every other way I will just buy the extra hay.
I do manage to turn out a bit.
TBH this morning turned out in small paddock while I was riding bay mare and doing other stuff and every time I went past Walkabout was near the gate watching me go back and forth and towards the end was asking to be let back in. Though I do suspect that this is because there is near to no grass in the paddock and that he knew that he was getting his bucket of carrots, fibergy, pasture mix + supplements when he returned to his stable.

 

[idefixbis]

Small hay bales are not that expensive and so will just do that. Just annoys me that stables don't give more. Also seeing all the other horses having nothing to occupy themselves the whole day.

 

[jen1]

Maybe it's a French thing? There's a French lady at my yard (DIY) and she gives her horse minimal hay each night? just a thought!!

 

[idefixbis]

I think that it might be a French thing as in most of the yards I've been in it's been pretty much the same thing.

Only good thing out of this whole crappy morning (post in soapbox) is that I went and bought two bales of hay and left Walkabout with large pile of hay that he was happily munching on when I left.

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

I ended up giving my boy extra - but got haylage so said it was cos he needed condition (which he did) got round the awkwardness that way. if you can find hi fibre haylage that might be an easier conversation...

 

[idefixbis]

I was thinking of buying haylage. The thing is that I already give him a bit of D&H pasture mix+D&H fibergy+ pink powder+ soya oil to give him some extra as he was a bit underweight.
He has put on a bit more weight and has a really shiny coat and I am worried that If I add haylage on top it will be too much.
I can't get high fibre haylage over here. I can only get one variety and I'm not sure of its protein content.

 

[MerryMaker]

the most important thing to remember is a horse should never stand for more than a couple of hours with no food. a horse's stomach constantly produces acid which is only neutralised by saliva.

However saliva is only produced when the horse is chewing. without this saliva, the acid builds up in the stomach and when the horse moves about , whether it is in the stable or whilst working, this acid splashes up to the top of the stomach lining, causing stomach ulcers and severe discomfort.

this is the reason many horses in hard work get stomach ulcers, as they are taken out for work before feeding time and get these "splashbacks" of acid.

Your best bet is a very high fibre, low starch diet where the horse is eating ad lib hay or haylage, and like many other people have said on here, i would request more hay and if this is not possible, i'd look in to moving him

Hope this helps