Speedy Eating - any tips to help slow her down?

[thistledonicely]

Hello – I’m looking for tips for slowing down a speedy eater.

My mare gets a large bucket of chaff/readigrass mix over the winter as forage replacement and I wondered if anyone had any suggestions to help slow down her eating. I put large, smooth stones in the bucket last winter which helped so I’m planning the same again but I wanted to ask around to make sure I’m not missing any other obvious tricks!

A quick google search brings up lots of ways to trickle feed hay, many of which I utilise!, but can’t really see much for slowing down short chop feeds… so I thought I’d pick the brains of the lovely H&H forum 

Thanks for reading and Happy Friday!

 

[hollyandivy123]

i was going to say plastic balls like the one you have in the play pit, easy to wash and should slow them down or tie the trickle net over the bucket?

 

[Auslander]

I find that buying a prohibitively expensive supplement usually does it...

 

[DD]

I find that buying a prohibitively expensive supplement usually does it...

yep

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Hello – I’m looking for tips for slowing down a speedy eater.

My mare gets a large bucket of chaff/readigrass mix over the winter as forage replacement and I wondered if anyone had any suggestions to help slow down her eating. I put large, smooth stones in the bucket last winter which helped so I’m planning the same again but I wanted to ask around to make sure I’m not missing any other obvious tricks!

A quick google search brings up lots of ways to trickle feed hay, many of which I utilise!, but can’t really see much for slowing down short chop feeds… so I thought I’d pick the brains of the lovely H&H forum 

Thanks for reading and Happy Friday!

I always put one of the large mineral bricks in my feed as it does good and slows them down.

 

[Annagain]

Could you feed the forage blocks instead, the ones that fit in those mini-haynets? Same sort of thing but should take much longer to eat?

 

[Pingu42]

Could you feed the forage blocks instead, the ones that fit in those mini-haynets? Same sort of thing but should take much longer to eat?

Haha! My greedy pony eats a forage block in roughly 5 mins flat!

 

[Annagain]

Haha! My greedy pony eats a forage block in roughly 5 mins flat!

Ah. Maybe not then

 

[Pingu42]

Ah. Maybe not then

And quite often, part of it would end up over the door as she would pick it up whole and shake it around! But she is a strange and special pony!

 

[Pingu42]

Hello – I’m looking for tips for slowing down a speedy eater.

My mare gets a large bucket of chaff/readigrass mix over the winter as forage replacement and I wondered if anyone had any suggestions to help slow down her eating. I put large, smooth stones in the bucket last winter which helped so I’m planning the same again but I wanted to ask around to make sure I’m not missing any other obvious tricks!

A quick google search brings up lots of ways to trickle feed hay, many of which I utilise!, but can’t really see much for slowing down short chop feeds… so I thought I’d pick the brains of the lovely H&H forum 

Thanks for reading and Happy Friday!

Could you put it in several small buckets dotted around stable? Or possibly a grid inside bucket which moves down? Haha - I'm just coming up with random ideas now!

 

[thistledonicely]

Thanks all!

Oh yes, that's the rule of horses isn't is? If it was laced with some kind of made-of-ground-up-money-supplement there would be no such problem. No matter though, there's bound to be a similarly expensive guaranteed-to-make-your-horse-eat supplement on the market to redress the balance, phew!

I like the idea of ball pit balls - my nephew has some that I might have to steal as an experiment. I'm sure he'll not miss a handful! Also the mineral brick is a good option too.

I hadn't considered the fibre blocks as have to be careful with long chop... pony has an intolerance to long chop which makes it difficult for her to break down the fibre in large (or indeed long) quantities. But if they were condensed short chop then there's no reason why they shouldn't do the job - good thinking!

Lots of experimenting for me to do as we rattle towards winter. Thanks folks!

TDN

 

[Goldenstar]

Mixing ration with plain chopped straw even the greediest horses get bored with straw chop.

 

[thistledonicely]

Could you put it in several small buckets dotted around stable? Or possibly a grid inside bucket which moves down? Haha - I'm just coming up with random ideas now!

Not at all - all the best inventions have to start somewhere!

 

[thistledonicely]

Mixing ration with plain chopped straw even the greediest horses get bored with straw chop.

Unfortunately any meaningful amount of straw chaff is a trigger for her due to the complexity of the fibre... She has volatile fatty acid production so struggles to break down fibres in her digestion. In an ideal world I'd have her able to short summer grass all year round - strolls off to look into bi-annual emigration!

 

[Annagain]

Thanks all!

Oh yes, that's the rule of horses isn't is? If it was laced with some kind of made-of-ground-up-money-supplement there would be no such problem. No matter though, there's bound to be a similarly expensive guaranteed-to-make-your-horse-eat supplement on the market to redress the balance, phew!

I like the idea of ball pit balls - my nephew has some that I might have to steal as an experiment. I'm sure he'll not miss a handful! Also the mineral brick is a good option too.

I hadn't considered the fibre blocks as have to be careful with long chop... pony has an intolerance to long chop which makes it difficult for her to break down the fibre in large (or indeed long) quantities. But if they were condensed short chop then there's no reason why they shouldn't do the job - good thinking!

Lots of experimenting for me to do as we rattle towards winter. Thanks folks!

TDN

I think they are condensed/compressed short chop although I've never bought them myself.

 

[WelshD]

The blocks we sell where I work are pretty short chop but there are two varieties and one contains straw so be careful if shopping for these

I had this problem and now feed a small nutrient dense feed which they eat fast, this is no more than a couple of handfuls of feed

Then give them a fibre feed later before 'lights out' which they are less desperate for

Alternatively a mineral or himilayan salt lick in the bucket works

My dog has an awesome bowl with bumps in the bottom to stop him eating fast, someone should make a horse one!

 

[rara007]

Lots of water in it, like loads. Plus bricks!

 

[Tnavas]

For mine a very large wide feed bowl, where feed spreads into a thin layer, she can only pick up a small amount at a time. In a smaller bin she's like a JCB - the jaws open and half the feed has gone. Add bricks to the mix as well.