What do I do?

Halfpass

Halfpass

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I have a 6 year old WB mare she can be quite a tense horse and generally shows it during the winter months by dropping off weight.

Her routine is out at night and in during the day. She is in medium level work and is clipped and very well rugged according to the weather.

This routine seems to suit her as she seems less stressy. It also means I can feed her 3 times a day.

I have a few problems:-

1) she only eats when she feels like it

2) she pines for her friend that is in at night

3) I am not allowed to feed hay in the field

Last winter I changed to in at night and this is when she really started to drop off so changed her back and she began to slowly put on weight.

So she has now stopped eating again. So what do i do? Do I give in and let her be with her pal only feed her morning and evening and hope that she deosn't loose too much weight. Her condition at the moment in just right so she's not carry any extra to drop off.

Or do i leave her as she is and hope that she eventually starts to eat. She will happily munch hay and will eat hard feed if there is no hay. She has adlib hay in the day and is in for roughly 10 - 12 hours. It is a soley DIY yard so no one around to chuck feed or hay in when I am working. Teeth check and all are ok.

I am truly stuck she really is a funny little madam.
 
I have a similar wsort- she will take or leave hard feed and hay.
She thrives living out b ut that's on decent grass or with hard feed out in the field
 
Would she be better with her pal in? I know my hanno hates being alone. He lives alone, alas, but has 5 dogs and me around a lot, he likes any company and stresses out otherwise.
You can try being patient, work her hard so she is hungry. The add lib hay should help. Maybe she just eats so much hay she doesn't feel hungry?
Have you tired nice bits mixed in her food, when my lad is off his feed, I use my juicer, and make carrot apple and ginger (little bit) juice, and he has the fresh pulp mixed in with dinner and the odd polo. He eats then!!!! Maybe a handful of happy hoof like feed would raise her interest?
I mean you know her and trial and error is probably the way forward. I guess you will just have to see which routine works best for her, I think I would persevere at first and try tempters in her feed, monitor her weight and feed a larger volume of food when I know she is most likely to eat. Sorry, pretty useless reply eh!
 
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Would she cope with coming in at night now that it's colder? Might be worth a try - you can always change her back to out at night if she doesn't settle. It'll be easier to get hay into her if she's in as well. I think I would also feed haylage rather than hay while she's in as she may be more like to want to eat that.

Get hold of some fresh mint, chop up and mix well into her feed as it might tempt her into eating.

What are you feeding her?
 
Thanks for your replies guys keep em coming as am willing to give anything a try.

I have a juicer that I will dig out to try and tempt good idea.

I could leave her out 24/7 but can't feed hay or hard feed in field so I am 99% sure I will end up with a ribby skinny horse in a matter of days.

I could try changing her to in at night, she has company where ever when ever she is, I just remember doing this last year and this was when she really dropped weight!!

Haylage would be good but ( and I know you all think I am coming up with 'buts' to all your suggestions) we get adlib hay included in our livery price and are not allowed to supply our own!!!

You see I am stumped too . I know she is going to lose weight aagian and get skinny but I just can not see what I can do. Very frustrating!!

She is currently fed the following split into 3 feeds:-

3 round scoops alfa a oil
3 round scoop pasture mix
1 scoop midlings (she's not very keen on this)
1 scoop soaked speedi beat (again not very keen)
garlic
Equi jewel.
 
What about changing your pasture mix to a conditioning mix? Will she eat normal sugar beet if she's not very keen on Speedibeet?

I assume she is warm enough?

I think I'd try bringing her in overnight, see how she takes to it. In an extreme case like this, wouldn't your YO be reasonable about you buying in haylage? You can also feed some chaffs as a hay replacer so could leave her with a big bucket of something like Hifi as well as her hay overnight.

TBH I'm not sure I would want to stay at a yard where they refuse to let me give hay or feeds in the field, resulting in my horse suffering...
 
chestnut cob said:
What about changing your pasture mix to a conditioning mix? Will she eat normal sugar beet if she's not very keen on Speedibeet?

I assume she is warm enough?

I think I'd try bringing her in overnight, see how she takes to it. In an extreme case like this, wouldn't your YO be reasonable about you buying in haylage? You can also feed some chaffs as a hay replacer so could leave her with a big bucket of something like Hifi as well as her hay overnight.

TBH I'm not sure I would want to stay at a yard where they refuse to let me give hay or feeds in the field, resulting in my horse suffering...
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The problem isn't really WHAT she is eating its that she will not eat it!!

TBH I have faffed around so much with her feeds the more I change it the less likely she is to eat it!!
As I previously stated she is rugged accordingly and never gets cold.
I wouldn't say my case was extreme, again as stated previously she currently looks fine but this will obviously change is her starvation continues.

And since when did I mention that my horse was suffering!!

I can not feed in the field due to other horses being out. Yes no hay is a problem but that is due to the hay shortage we have down our way and most yards in the area have the same rule at the moment.

Thanks for the advice re hay replacers though. I may try her in at night for a week or 2 and see hoe we go.
 
I could leave her out 24/7 but can't feed hay or hard feed in field so I am 99% sure I will end up with a ribby skinny horse in a matter of days.
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It is totally unreasonable of your YO not to allow you to pop a feed in the field with her (providing she is the only horse in there), however I can understand not allowing hay.

Is she happy in the stable overnight with a companion???

And since when did I mention that my horse was suffering!!
Click to expand...

You haven't. However, a horse that starts dropping weight for various reasons, isn't doing well.....
 
Halfpass said:
As I previously stated she is rugged accordingly and never gets cold.
Click to expand...

Yes sorry, I did spot that after I'd replied and re-read your OP.

I wouldn't say my case was extreme, again as stated previously she currently looks fine but this will obviously change is her starvation continues.

And since when did I mention that my horse was suffering!!
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But if "her starvation continues", as you put it, then your horse will start to suffer. She clearly isn't going to be an RSPCA case but she also isn't going to be doing particularly well if she won't eat. Suffering is probably too strong a word and I wasn't trying to upset or offend you, however if you look at it objectively, you have told us your horse is starving herself (your own words, above), that your YO will not let you buy in haylage (which she might well be more inclined to eat), feed hay in the field (we turnout in groups at my yard but we still put hay out) or give her a hard feed. I can only go on what you've posted. I am not trying to suggest you are deliberately starving your horse or making her suffer.

I wish I'd never bothered to reply. I was trying to help and all I've done is suggest what I would do.
 
Halfpass, I suppose ultimately, your best bet is to find somewhere that offers 24/7 turnout, year round. With guaranteed companionship and ad lib hay via a hay feeder through the winter.
 
Well apart from the obvious ..moving yards, which I guess is not an option at the moment.

Have you tried feeding apple cider vinegar to help increase her appetite?

Try make meal times a bit more interesting and bob a few snack balls in that will trickel feed fibre her nuts, this should help to increase her need to digest food thus stimulate her appetite.

Stable mirrors? may help to her to relax a bit.

Try exercising her at different times of the day to change her metabolism and hopefully increase her appetite in turn.

Perhaps try bobbing a lighter weight stable rug on (as a trial) not so she feels cold but less cosy, this may encourage her to eat to keep her body temp up.
 
You're feeding her a lot. Personally I'd halve the amount of AA Oil and pasture mix, that's a lot for her to take in, she's possibly over faced and might eat smaller feeds) possibly add a scoop of stud nuts (excellent for weight gain) forget the middlings if she doesn't like them and change to either full SB or possibly alfafa pellets that you soak.
A lot of horses do well on micronised barley or you could try soaked barley rings which most seem to love.
 
My old horse was very similar. He lost weight when out too though. I had 2 different types of feed that I fed at different times of day to keep him interested in his feed. Also adding extra bits to his feed half way through a feed tempted him back to it. Apples, polos etc. I was also at a yard without space to buy in haylage. I got small bales/bags of horsehage and then mixed one section in with his haynet, they are only small and don't take up much room. Sometimes putting the horsehage in the middle got him to eat the hay to get to it. It is really hard and I can sympathise!
 
Axey stopped eating for a while one winter, he would only eat a tiny little handful of feed in the morning so I went and got him some Saracen Bio-Life 2000 from Hailsham feeds.
You only have to feed a mug full at a time and it's really tasty. Axey ate it all up anyway :)
I stopped giving him sugar beet in the mornings as he stopped eating that too, even when it was made fresh and added just before he ate it!

Might be worth a try hun xx

http://www.saracen-horse-feeds.co.uk/products/42149979/biolife-2000/
 
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