Shocking!! POLL...

State, private, public/boarding/home/other??

  • Total voters
    0
TopTotty

TopTotty

Well-Known Member
Joined
10 December 2008
Messages
1,014
Location
England
Visit site
I have just been advised by a vet at my yard ( not my vet ) that he thinks it is absolutely fine to leave a horse with out feed for 12 / 13 hours a day. Each and every day not just as a one off. I was shocked as this goes against everything I have ever learnt and believed in. What do you think?
 
Do you mean only giving them enough to graze 12 hours of the day or giving them a gap of 12 hours between feeds?

I wouldn't leave my horse without any food for 12 hours but I'm quite sure the feed she gets doesn't last her more than about 6 hours.
 
Hard feed yes, grazing / forage no. I always thought a horses gut had to be active for 18hrs per day.


PS the poll doesn't work, it says not accepting votes till 12.00pm
 
It happens all the time. If you put a net up at 4pm, it will be eaten by 7pm at the latest. If you get to the yard for 7am the next morning - that is 12 hours.
 
Well a couple of horses on my yard get one hard feed a day, but ad lib hay and grass, so not really sure what that counts.

I think people panic alot about feeding, I am a very dodgy feeder (my horses get bran!! ooooooh!!!!) but my horses all look and act fine
smile.gif


To me it is really fairly simple, they are horses, not hamsters, and should be fed according to workload, size and shape.
 
[ QUOTE ]
It happens all the time. If you put a net up at 4pm, it will be eaten by 7pm at the latest. If you get to the yard for 7am the next morning - that is 12 hours.

[/ QUOTE ]


just because it happens doesnt make it right or a good idea........
 
[ QUOTE ]
It happens all the time. If you put a net up at 4pm, it will be eaten by 7pm at the latest. If you get to the yard for 7am the next morning - that is 12 hours.

[/ QUOTE ]
Yes I know it happens but is it right? I offer to put bedtime nets in for my liveries so the horses spread their food out and do not have to go without.
smile.gif
 
Not if you use trawler nets, my two 16'3'' ers have one each night and there is still spare in the morning. They'd never get those on a livery yard though as they would be too expensive to feed like that.
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
It happens all the time. If you put a net up at 4pm, it will be eaten by 7pm at the latest. If you get to the yard for 7am the next morning - that is 12 hours.

[/ QUOTE ]


just because it happens doesnt make it right or a good idea........

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes but what if your horse is one that gets fat on air, can't have ad lib hay and eats the hay they do get within an hour or two. You can't stay at the yard until 11pm and be back by 5 am - the horse will have to go without feed for hours.
 
I don't think my post made any indication as to whether it was correct or not. I was merely stating that if you think about it - it isn't shocking as it happens all the time.
 
rr, I have a fatty, I put pics up the other day! I prefer to keep him in harder work, burning it off in the dark and mud (no arena!) if necessary so that he can have ad lib hay. If I was still struggling despite this I would be soaking hay (yes have read the recent research though!) and mixing with straw. I think that suits me and mine better than having hours with him going without.

mine are hayed at 5pm and 10/11pm and 6.30 and always have some left. I was a bit worried this year as we have june rather than september hay but fine atm.
smile.gif
 
That's great if you can be at the yard 3 times a day and the horse is fit enough to do that much work but isn't always an option - although I'm sure is better for the horse. And I saw your chubby pony the other day - he is cute! My horse doesn't have huge amounts of feed but she does get it split up into 3 haynets, 2 feeds and some herbal treats in her ball.
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
It happens all the time. If you put a net up at 4pm, it will be eaten by 7pm at the latest. If you get to the yard for 7am the next morning - that is 12 hours.

[/ QUOTE ]


just because it happens doesnt make it right or a good idea........

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes but what if your horse is one that gets fat on air, can't have ad lib hay and eats the hay they do get within an hour or two. You can't stay at the yard until 11pm and be back by 5 am - the horse will have to go without feed for hours.

[/ QUOTE ]

If that were the case, i would use several small holed haynets to make eating the hay harder work, should last a lot longer that way.
smile.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
It happens all the time. If you put a net up at 4pm, it will be eaten by 7pm at the latest. If you get to the yard for 7am the next morning - that is 12 hours.

[/ QUOTE ]


My nets go up at 6pm....they are still eating from them at 6am the next morning.....I guess I have huuuuuuge nets
grin.gif
 
Horses get put to bed by six (can be earlier) and either get seen at 6am or 8.30am the next day - depending on work etc. Sometimes they have some hay left, sometimes they don't. They are fat enough and bedded on straw anyway, so could have a little nibble of that if they were very hungry
smile.gif
 
Absolutley fine. Some horses only get hard feed and a little grazing/hay. These often suffer with ulcers, I think this has led to the attitude of a horse needs access to something to chew 24/7 - hence all the fat horses. Surely you should judge feeding on the condition of your horse?
 
A horse will eat for 19 hours out of 24 - so naturally doesn't eat for around 5 hours (although obviously not all in one go). My previous little horse was a cob and a very good doer - and certainly in the summer she'd have to stand in with nothing in the day. I would only do this for a maximum of 7 hours though. She had no ill affects.

However, I would certainly look for alternative ways to manage such a good doer now - and whilst I'm very happy for my current horse to be without for a few hours, would be reluctant for it to be much more than that (in the summer that is).

I think that 12 hours spread over 24 can work - however it is hard work to manage because you do need to split the rations up in to about 5 a day (so ideally need the horse at home).
 
taz gets two haynets over night the ones with smaller holes in them and they're not jam packed either and he goes in at 4pm everyday due to the time that he gets brought in and still at 9am in the morning when my mum turns out he still has food left and protests to stay in till he has finished it
 
[ QUOTE ]
Absolutley fine. Some horses only get hard feed and a little grazing/hay. These often suffer with ulcers, I think this has led to the attitude of a horse needs access to something to chew 24/7 - hence all the fat horses. Surely you should judge feeding on the condition of your horse?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep, I imagine my horse would look something like an elephant being fed that much LOL once she is fitter she can have more, though. She wasn't ridden for 5 weeks so would need more than the 40 mins 5x a week to get more feed. Rather she had no feed for a few hours than she was obese. Only time she ever leaves hay is if she doesn't like it otherwise she stands and eats it all until it's gone - some horses pick at it.
 
well im sure my mare has ran out of hay by about 12 night. i come down at 6/7am.
i would not leave them without anything at all to eat for 12hours out of every 24. its not good for them at all.
 
The max I'd be happy for my horse to stand without anything is a few hours. I have a fatty and he would be without food for maybe 2 hours before I got down, which I find acceptable as we have all seen horses snoozing and standing round not eating - so they don't eat constantly.

Also consider - I will happilly go riding for 3 hour hacks, and I have never thought - better go home to feed horse! He's lucky if he gets a snatch of grass in that time and again, none of my horses are dead yet!
 
[ QUOTE ]
Absolutley fine. Some horses only get hard feed and a little grazing/hay. These often suffer with ulcers, I think this has led to the attitude of a horse needs access to something to chew 24/7 - hence all the fat horses. Surely you should judge feeding on the condition of your horse?

[/ QUOTE ]

exactly so ulcers are a problem, you have to take many things in to consideration when deciding on feeding regime. There are also circumstances when injury forces rest that feeding may need careful monitoring....... my boy managed that last year just as the grass was coming through!

RR I know I am lucky to be able to do that, its because they are at home (well parents) and I couldnt not do a late night check on them so they might as well get a net/skip out too! They only get about 6lb per net though so could easily put it all into one for the night and would expect it to last.
 
Mine have hay bars and ad lib hay but I feed low cal fibre products, no mix and the hay is rough and stalky. Luckily they are not pigs and at the moment, their weight is fine.

If I had fatties, they would have plenty of hay, but it would be in two tiny holed nets so they would have to pick away at it.
 
Absolutely not acceptable IMO. For a horses physical and mental well-being they should always have something to eat (hay/grass-wise, they don't need hard feed as such). If a horse is stabled, then I think hay should be hard to get at (ie. in small holed nets) so it DOES last all night. If people cannot do that for whatever reason I think they should keep their horse out so they can simply graze all the time. Even a fat horse shouldn't have food withheld, in fact its WORSE - as with people, starving doesnt work as it just makes you really hold onto the few calories you do get. I've had good-doers before and none of them have ever gone without food, none of them were ever obese either.
 
A lot of horses probably do go for atleast 6 hours without forage though - it's not unusual at my yard for the horses to be fed at 8pm and the owners not to be back until 8am. If the hay lasted 6 hours the horse would be without any for another 6. Saying that though, i am suprised a vet would suggest not feeding for that long. How fat is the horse?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top