switching from hay to haylage? loopy horse?

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missyme10

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A week ago I started to switch my daughters pony from hay to haylage, increasing daily the haylage.

I don't know if its coincidence but the last 2 hacks out he's been full of it, thankfully it has been me riding and not my daughter because he's thrown some mighty bucks and leaps in the air.
He's normally great out hacking, is a knobber in the school but its due to being only 5, teenage tantrums and all that.

So, could haylage cause such a change in behaviour? He was also fully clipped two weeks ago, oh and he's just started getting a breakfast of hi-fi lite and a little speedibeet as there really is no grass in his paddock and he was starting to lose weight.

God I hope its the haylage, if not and its more age related tantrums, I've had it as those bucks were massive and I still don't know how the hell I stayed on :(
 
Yes, it's happened to me. Gelding who was mostly pretty sane, switched to haylage with a relatively high protein level, turned into an unrideable bucking machine. You could almost see his eyes whirring round in his head, he just didn't know what to do with himself. Back to hay, cut out hard feed for a week and I had my 'old' horse back. I feed haylage again now but very carefully.
 
yes it can affect some especially ponies who dont need the extra goodness in haylage. my 15.2 can be silly if only on haylage so she gets hay at night and a small section of haylage for breakfast... it could be the combination of being clipped, haylage and a small feed, so why not cut out the feed and haylage and give plenty of hay....good luck!!!!!
 
Last year I fed my normally sane 15hh 'pony' haylage and he lost the plot, just could not keep his back feet on the ground!- nothing nasty just so excited!!

Sticking to hay this year!
 
Thanks for the replies so far, I am relieved to see that others have had similar problems after feeding haylage.

Well its back to hay tomorrow until the normal Billy returns. I think the hay is going to run out and we're all going to have to go onto haylage, but I'll cross that bridge when i come to it.
 
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