hackinharry
Well-Known Member
Mind your own business!! TBH I have natives and they DO NOT get adlib hay, they would explode! If the horses have straw beds they will happily pick through it and come to no harm at all.
What would you do???? Say nothing or fall out with everyone!
- Thread starter Princess P
- Start date
1stclassalan
Well-Known Member
Ah the HorseyWorld - this thread shows up the parts I'm so glad to miss! We already have a 50-50 split and daggers being drawn.
Quite besides the unforgivable idea of jumping the gun to feed a horse you may not know the full story on - to do so by sticking your oar in - is inviting a hissyfit of Titanic proportions on any yard I've been on.
Most yards form cliques that will start a campaign against you for grooming your charges mane in the "wrong" direction - or you not returning that worn out brush back in 2001 - and now you want to take over moral responsibility in their abscence????
The Best of British to you!
Quite besides the unforgivable idea of jumping the gun to feed a horse you may not know the full story on - to do so by sticking your oar in - is inviting a hissyfit of Titanic proportions on any yard I've been on.
Most yards form cliques that will start a campaign against you for grooming your charges mane in the "wrong" direction - or you not returning that worn out brush back in 2001 - and now you want to take over moral responsibility in their abscence????
The Best of British to you!
JDChaser
Well-Known Member
But if you don't want your horse to scoff it all down, then use small holed haynets and double or triple them if you have to. A horse shouldn't be left without forage unless it's medically necessary IMO, i.e. before an operation or when colicing.. Native or not!
freckles22uk
Well-Known Member
I wouldnt worry about it to much.. I give my lot a slice of alfalfa each (no hay here) and sometimes straw in the evening, and even though they all live out, I often have no grazing at all, so when its gone its gone, but in the 6 years ive lived in Spain, ive had no problems and no colic.
its amazing how you worry less when you move to another country and have to adapt to the different way of keeping them,
its amazing how you worry less when you move to another country and have to adapt to the different way of keeping them,
OneInAMillion
Well-Known Member
I owuld maybe mention it to a good friend you have at the yard first to see what the reaction is like and then decide where to go from there
tallyho!
Following a strict mediterranean diet...
Those who think horses in the wild get forage 24/7, well they don't. They can travel in deserts (sandy or snowy) for hours on end until suitable grazing is found. Our own natives don't actually get 100% grass.
Scientifically speaking if a 500kg horse is to eat 1.5% of it's own bodyweight (7.5kg) to be healthy then it needs spreading out either into 4-5 ad-lib or using multiple layered haynets.
This ulcer talk is rubbish if you think it's brought on by lack of hay. It is brought on by excess acid caused by grains not fibre as this takes longer to break down (5-6hrs) so after hay, chewing a straw bed is very beneficial.
If the tale that horses get excess acid if there is not a constant stream of food, well this would equate to thousands colicing, tying up, ulcerating each day.
My colleague keeps several veterans (>24) on the very diet described and are still winning rosettes!
Hope you can stop worrying. They will be fine
.
Scientifically speaking if a 500kg horse is to eat 1.5% of it's own bodyweight (7.5kg) to be healthy then it needs spreading out either into 4-5 ad-lib or using multiple layered haynets.
This ulcer talk is rubbish if you think it's brought on by lack of hay. It is brought on by excess acid caused by grains not fibre as this takes longer to break down (5-6hrs) so after hay, chewing a straw bed is very beneficial.
If the tale that horses get excess acid if there is not a constant stream of food, well this would equate to thousands colicing, tying up, ulcerating each day.
My colleague keeps several veterans (>24) on the very diet described and are still winning rosettes!
Hope you can stop worrying. They will be fine
.eggs
Well-Known Member
Sorry but we must come from different planets. If some of my horses had ad lib forage they would be down with laminitis. I have to carefully monitor their weight. Fortunately they are kept at home so they get a small handful of may when they come in abou 4 pm then a small haynet at 7pm and another at 10pm. I can guarantee that they will have finished that before 11pm and then don't get fed again until 8am. No colic, no problems with this routine.
bumper
Well-Known Member
Personally, I always follow a basic rule of thumb when on a livery yard:
Never, ever feed anybody else's horse anything at any time without their express permission.
Never offer any advice re anyone else's horse unless asked to do so.
I would not like my horse to run out of forage overnight, but then that's me, and that's my horse......ie. let them look after their horses in their own way, as they see fit, according to their own horse's needs. As long as they are all still actually alive every morning, nothing really bad happened.
Never, ever feed anybody else's horse anything at any time without their express permission.
Never offer any advice re anyone else's horse unless asked to do so.
I would not like my horse to run out of forage overnight, but then that's me, and that's my horse......ie. let them look after their horses in their own way, as they see fit, according to their own horse's needs. As long as they are all still actually alive every morning, nothing really bad happened.
Seahorse
Well-Known Member
I worked at a riding school/livery yard where the manager was very strict about each horses hay intake. We had to weigh the haynets every day according to her calculations and 1 horse only got 6lb of hay overnight. They were hayed round at 4.30 and this mare would have nothing left an hour later.
I had to do a late night check and told my boss that she had no hay left, she told me that it was fine and not to worry.
The mare was actually in very good condition and by no means underweight. Just makes you wonder really!
My horse always has hay left over in the morning, but one night I checked him at 11pm and he had only a small amount left (the same as the morning) I gave him some more and the next day he still had loads left! My friend that was looking after him that day phoned me up worried that he was ill!! I had skipped him out too so he had hardly any poos in there!!
I had to do a late night check and told my boss that she had no hay left, she told me that it was fine and not to worry.
The mare was actually in very good condition and by no means underweight. Just makes you wonder really!
My horse always has hay left over in the morning, but one night I checked him at 11pm and he had only a small amount left (the same as the morning) I gave him some more and the next day he still had loads left! My friend that was looking after him that day phoned me up worried that he was ill!! I had skipped him out too so he had hardly any poos in there!!