views on Ab lib hay instead of upping cereal feed

[Quartz]

Last winter when my horses feed was upped he went loopy with it. He was fed hard feed twice a day and then some hay once a day. He is on full livery and I have asked to keep his hard feed as it is (he is calm as a cucumber) but to up his hay as he is doing more work than before.

My YO will not up his hay as she says too much hay is bad for him. She wants to up his hard feed instead. I don't want to up his hard feed as the feed they use there sends his a little bit crazy, infact last year he was a nightmare, whereas the year before on the smaller amount of hard feed he was calm.

I want to stick up for myself and say that in fact I do want his hay upped to make up for his extra work (not a massive amount just ridden once or twice more a week). So he is doing 3 one hour sessions a week and 2 half hour sessions and a hack.

I just want to check that I am not going mad and trying to hurt my horse by giving him more hay?? What are your views on the amount of hay to give?

Thanks

 

[be positive]

I think you are right on this, your horse should ideally have more hay, access to hay most of the time is more natural as they can trickle feed, rather than buckets of hard food.
Does he get turned out during the day.

 

[splash30]

No your not going mad, to me your doing the right thing, I'm all for ad-lib hay and very little hard feed, it makes for better horses, mine is on chaff, a balancer and ad-lib hay and she looks amazing and has all the energy I need for schooling 3 times a week and hacking twice, go with what u want, its your horse and u have to ride them,

 

[Quartz]

He is turned out during the day and back in the stable from about 4pm.

 

[Quartz]

No your not going mad, to me your doing the right thing, I'm all for ad-lib hay and very little hard feed, it makes for better horses, mine is on chaff, a balancer and ad-lib hay and she looks amazing and has all the energy I need for schooling 3 times a week and hacking twice, go with what u want, its your horse and u have to ride them,

When he was at mine during the summer he only had ab lib hay and no hard feed. He did not loose any weight, and is one of the healthiest looking horses now he is back at the yard. Everyone always asks what supplements I give him as he has such a shiny coat. Sometimes it just really annoys me that I have to justify what I want for my horse.

 

[Supertrooper]

How can hay be bad? It's fibre therefore it's more natural! Much more so than cereal feeds.

I only feed mine on fibre, ok he's a good doer and not in heavy work but I know there are plenty of competition horses that are fed on fibre only xx

 

[Quartz]

How can hay be bad? It's fibre therefore it's more natural! Much more so than cereal feeds.

I only feed mine on fibre, ok he's a good doer and not in heavy work but I know there are plenty of competition horses that are fed on fibre only xx

Great, I can go armed with the right information tomorrow. Thanks very much.

 

[roshah]

my horses are on 24/7 turnout and have ad lib haylage. they only get hard feed on the days they are hacked out or schooled, more as a reward than anything else. now i'm wondering if i'm doing the right thing!!

 

[Mrs_Wishkabibble]

I have 4 horses that are out in the day and in at night and they all have ad-lib hay fed from corner mangers.

There is always some left in the morning so I cannot say they eat for the sake of it.

They are all healthy horses and I have kept horses like this for as many years as I can remember.

If yours is looking good and behaving well on the amount of hard feed then why up it?
I would stick to your guns and feed your horse what you want to feed it.

 

[Firewell]

I've just cut my TB's hard feed figuring if he's hungry he can eat more hay! He's looking rather too well at the moment! He's on a scoop of chaff and a handful of fibre nuts now. Doesn't need any more!! Most horses if they have ad lib hay don't need much hard feed at all .

 

[Daytona]

Sounds like she trying to cut costs, do you pay for your own hard feed and hay is included in your full livery charges..?? You would always up hay before hard feed , can't see any reason why she would suggest otherwise unless she trying to keep her hay costs down.. But full livery you should be able to have as much hay as your horse can eat. That's what I would expect anyway.

 

[Dizzle]

I have a tb and he gets ad-lib hay and his hard feed consists of Graze on, which is just fast dried grass cut short so it's like a chaff, he used to get pony nuts but I've stopped them too. So basically my formerly skinny ex-racehorse gets nothing in the way of hard feed!

 

[Magnetic Sparrow]

Surely the point of hard feed is to supplement grass, hay or haylage when those are not sufficient to maintain energy or condition? Horses were designed to eat grass. Hard feed is artificial and has to be managed carefully.

 

[Quartz]

Sounds like she trying to cut costs, do you pay for your own hard feed and hay is included in your full livery charges..?? You would always up hay before hard feed , can't see any reason why she would suggest otherwise unless she trying to keep her hay costs down.. But full livery you should be able to have as much hay as your horse can eat. That's what I would expect anyway.

I am pretty sure its to keep her costs down. Thats why she is trying to tell me its bad for him to have too much hay and he is better to have more hard feed. Hay and hard feed is included in the full livery that I pay. However saying that her livery charges are less if its just hay, as that is what she does for ponies (no hard feed for ponies just hay) this is cheaper than full livery for horses which does include hard feed.

 

[Quartz]

Surely the point of hard feed is to supplement grass, hay or haylage when those are not sufficient to maintain energy or condition? Horses were designed to eat grass. Hard feed is artificial and has to be managed carefully.

I agree, I much prefer more hay to hard feed as it seems more natural for them to eat hay.

 

[Tim's Girl]

i would definaltly go for ad lib hay. its a gret filler and horses can pick on it. my tb gets a manger full of hay and a scoop of hard feed for dinner. cereal feeds only produce energy so thats why your horse when loopy. they are mainly used for horses in hard work to keep energy levels up but aren't good for the digestive system as they can cause problems like stomach ulcers where the cereal cant be completely digested.

 

[The Amber Gambler]

I am another in agreement for ad lib hay/ haylage, my TB is on full livery, she has as much haylage as she likes and is only given half a scoop of chop & half a scoop of pasture mix twice a day, she is ridden 5 times a week and looks fab & is working well (maybe carrying an extra pound or two though!), a well known competition rider's (cant remember who) opinion is that if the hay or haylage is good enough & enough given the horse shouldn't need hard feed.....you are the horses owner & you know what is best, you have the choice and decision of what your horse should be feed, good luck!

 

[TGM]

I always work on the basis off upping the hay before increasing the hard feed, as it usually works out far more cost-effective, is better for the horse's digestion, helps keep them occupied in those long winter hours in the stable and helps keep them calm and well-behaved.

Can't see why you YO doesn't follow this strategy unless she has bought very expensive hay and/or very cheap hard feed!