Some silly questions

[chickeninabun]

Being a bit out of touch with the equine world could anyone advise...
How many (as a minimum) bales of straw per week would I need for a, say, 15hh+ IDx that is stabled at night in winter but out all day in summer?
And the same question with hay if the horse was only used for hacking/light schooling 4 times a week (summer & winter)?

 

[Blizzard]

Straw, it depends how big your stable is, how messy your horse is, and what size bales we are talking about!

Hay, it depends on your grazing, if the horse is living out and has adeqate grazing you may not need any hay in summer.

In winter, it depends if the horse is a good doer, if it will be on a diet, if it will be in day and night on bad winter days.

Impossible to give an answer really.

For a 15hh ID type, it wouldnt be a great deal I think.

 

[horsegirl]

I use 2 bales to start a bed and then 1 bale a week and my horse is quite dirty and is 16.1 TB out during the day in at night. I would make sure you have a couple of bales spare just in case they can't go out.

Hay - You could probably get away with 2-3 bales a week allowing 5/6 wedges a night in a small hole net again I would make sure you have a couple of bales extra.

 

[vicm2509]

Mine is a 16.3 IDxTB and hes in at night in the winter. I go through 3 bales of straw, sometimes a little more but he has a huge bed and is a dirty horse (he likes to poo all over the place and trample it in to make a nice squelchy mess). Its hard to say really as it depends how clean your horse is and how big you want your bed. I would say perhaps on average for that size horse and a medium size bed 2 bales.

Hay, in winter he goes though 4 1/2 a week and that is from about 6pm to 9am and gets as much as he can eat. I would say for a 15h then perhaps 3 bales. Again the depends on the weight of the horse and if you need to limit it or not but I would think 3 would be about average.

 

[Solstar]

i have a 16.1hh TB gelding.
hes a messy horse and is in at night in winter from 3pm til 7.30am, due to his mud fever.
i use 6 bales to start a bed and 2 to top it up through the week. the pee gets taken out every day.
i use 2 bales of hay a week in winter.

 

[Happytohack]

For a straw bed in a 12 x 12 stable, you would need approx 5 bales to make a decent bed and then top up with half a bale a day, based on you mucking out wet & poo every day. If you can leave the bed up to allow the floor to dry during the day, the straw will last longer. I would work on 3-4 bales of hay per week.