When the grass freezes,can i turn the horses out?

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Oh dear lord....if your horse looks poor, has no access to grass, and needs more hay....then bugger the rules....FEED IT!! :rolleyes:
 
She is your horse, no yard owner should tell you what you should/shouldn't feed your horse or how much within reason etc. If your horse is loosing weight you need to up her hay....don't let them deny you the extra forage!!! I can't believe this is a rule!

Pssst...horses can eat frozen grass no problem, how do you think horses eat in the wild when it snows? The only potential problem is when the ground is as hard as concrete and they may canter about and cause injury. But I would rather turn out with a pile of hay than keep them in.

You said your horse is looking poor, then sod the rules and give her more hay! I like horses to have some hay left when I see them in the morning, so I know they haven't gone through the night without anything to eat. Also have to say, 2 big feeds will do nothing for weight gain, the same amount of food but in lots of smaller quantities may do wonders.
 
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I have no idea in pounds how much food a horse needs per day (mine mainly eat grass!) but I would not think that four haynets was enough for a whole day no.

I know thats haylage, but tbh horses need to eat little and often, not have hourse between meals.

See how she does on the 20l a day maybe to see how she fares, and if buying mroe hay is not an option, maybe buy some readigrass or similar (I'm not a feed guru!) to feed in her stable to up her bulk and calories. :)
 
BSJAShowjumper123 said:
we pay £2 per day for 20lb per day! cause the livery doesnt include hay! so thats what we pay for hay
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Ah i expect youll prob be able to get more than that then and just pay an extra pound for every 10lbs you have i wouldnt think that will be your limits, thats probaly enough for some horses some will need more some will need less. If they did it adlib some people will take the p***, we had adlib as a set price and people used to put 3 haynets in there stables at night, then when they didnt eat it all chuck it on the muck heap!!!! Theres now a limit of 2 (big) haynets and if you want more hay bay it buy the bale. Cant complain the standard rent for stable is 180 per month and thats includung hay!!! So taking 3 haynets was a liberty really!
 
The horses I am caring for this week get 4 big haynets a day and go out in the field for half a day (and might i add do not look poor) So i dont see how you feel a horse of that size doesnt need more than 20lb
 
BSJAShowjumper123 said:
we pay £2 per day for 20lb per day! cause the livery doesnt include hay! so thats what we pay for hay
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Surely you can bring in your own from elsewhere as you have to pay extra a day because its not included in the livery. What if you decided to not give them £2 a day extra, If they only want you using their hay surely it should be included in livery cost and not extra?
 
So just buy some ready grass and give it to her when shes in?
yes hay prices have gone up ect so maybe thats there way of making sure no ones wastes anything
no we were buying are own hay and are suplier has run out so we couldt fine any thats why we started buying from the yard, then borough in new rule
 
If you could get 40lb of hay then she could have a 10lb net to munch in the morning before she goes outside, 10lb in the field if she is on her own and then a 10lb net when she comes in and another for last night checks.

We weigh all haylege / hay nets and we only have 2 little fattys that get as little as you are giving your mare.
 
It will be cheaper to pay the extra for extra hay while she needs it.
Her size is irrelevant, it's how she looks, and you say she struggles to keep condition.
When it is cold she will use up more energy trying to keep warm, and therefore lose more condition. She doesn't need more hard feed, just forage, and more forage.
When my boys start to mooch by the gate after going back out aftyer tea, I know it is time for more hay. It will all be gone in the morning. When they are turned out, and bugger off across the field they generally are not fussed, hay is left over, and I start to cut it down. However, they have been in that routine for years, and know it well. Ebs, however, is relying on you to anticipate her needs. Whatever she gets normally, she WILL need considerably more when the weather is freezing, and the grass has little or no nutritional value.
 
BSJAShowjumper123 said:
So just buy some ready grass and give it to her when shes in?
yes hay prices have gone up ect so maybe thats there way of making sure no ones wastes anything
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Yes. Mine gets a giant tub trug of just grass along with her hay/haylage overnight. She eats it all, is well rugged because she's clipped, and looks good but not fat. So I assume from this that she is eating enough to maintain condition.
 
I dread to think what the horse gets in its " 2 big feeds a day" JEEY that was hard work 10 pages till it sinks in the horse needs more hay
 
These threads are getting ridiculous.

BSJA123 posts a question.
Nice people try to reply in a respectable manner.
"Nasty" people with more experience of the threads voice their opinions.
Thread gets way too many replies.
BSJA123 goes in a huff.

Happen every couple of weeks!

BSJA, if you button bushed and got NP banned for this (since her name has gone darker) that's just ridiculous! :(
 
emm0r said:
I am giggling :P

I am slightly confused that they dont allow anyone to bring their own hay
But you cant have anymore
Hmmmmm im not sure whos more confused us or her
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Most yards round my way don't allow you to bring supplies on to the yard (hay/straw) and liveries are a captive market with the YOs baling their own and supplying liveries. My YO would go crazy if I brought hay in from elsewhere, although he hasn't bought in extra, despite failing to get a second cut from his fields this summer:(

OP, stick your horse out: I promise you it won't kill her and will stop her going mental in her box.:)
 
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