Would a hay bar work?

[BuzzyBea]

Our mare is very picky and doesn't eat a huge amount of hay. The quality is good and all the others eat it but she just picks. Luckily she is a pretty good doer but it's frustrating that she isn't eating it and we have to throw lots away. The matter isn't helped as she's started pooing in it (we feed on the floor) We then moved her bed and her hay but she just shifted position and continued to poo in it...and then not eat it!! We've tried a haynet but she just can't be bothered!!
What are people's experiences of hay bars. Is this likely to help do you think?
Really need to get a decent amount of hay in her as she will be out competing soon and don't want her to drop any weight.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Yes a haybar should work, unless she poos in that, too. It sounds as if she has too much hav available, try cutting it down, she is more likely to eat it.

 

[bouncing_ball]

It seems odd she’s not eating much. Is it not very appetising hay? Might she need her teeth doing?

 

[Equi]

One of my little mares won’t touch hay on the floor. She’ll sleep on it, poo on it, drag it about but won’t eat it. She’ll eat every scrap out of a haynet though. Weirdo. I think it was because I gave momma mare hay on the floor and despite having a stable full of straw she would only ever sleep on mommas hay and it’s a habit that stuck lol

 

[Annagain]

You could be describing Monty. He eats probably about 1/2 the amount of hay the others do. He has a hay bar but he tends to just throw it around. What we find helps it to shake it up a lot so his small portion is very loosely laid in the hay bar and looks the same as the others' full portions. That way he can pick at it gently a few strands at a time, without having to pull at it. It seems to be the need to separate it that puts him off. Because he doesn't try to separate it, when he picks up a big clump it all comes in one go which is how it gets thrown around the stable. He's on box rest at the moment and we were very worried about him not eating enough but actually he's been better than we thought. He has the hay bar overnight and a big very fluffed up hay net in the day (the plan was to keep him occupied) and he seems to be eating more from the net than the hay bar.

The thing he loves the most though is a wheelbarrow of hay parked in front of his stable door. At the weekend, when I was around all morning he got through nearly a barrowful. Maybe it's the novelty or maybe it's because he could keep an eye on the yard at the same time. We wouldn't leave him with the barrow as it makes a huge mess on the yard but while we're there to tidy up after him, we let him have it.

 

[EnduroRider]

I have one like this, he gets through so little compared to the others. He has a hay bar and I agree with the above about really shaking out the hay, he also always has a bucket of Fast Fibre available to pick at (left overs recycled to the others as a treat and he gets fresh every day). What I have found though is that he will eat more hay if he can do so whilst looking out over his door so I often hang one of the large holed (old style!) haynets right next to it at his natural head height. It is like he eats less because he doesn't want to look away from what is going on on the yard!

 

[Green Bean]

A Haybar should work, and as others have said, fluff the hay so it isn't compact, or still in 'slices'. One additional check - make sure your Haybar is cleaned everyday when your horse doesn't finish everything - this doesn't mean it goes to waste as it can be used to fill other haynets, but the Haybar is good at letting the dusty hay settle to the bottom. My horse doesn't like dusty hay and won't eat from the Haybar if it has the remnants of yesterday's hay in it with new thrown on top.

 

[Annagain]

I have one like this, he gets through so little compared to the others. He has a hay bar and I agree with the above about really shaking out the hay, he also always has a bucket of Fast Fibre available to pick at (left overs recycled to the others as a treat and he gets fresh every day). What I have found though is that he will eat more hay if he can do so whilst looking out over his door so I often hang one of the large holed (old style!) haynets right next to it at his natural head height. It is like he eats less because he doesn't want to look away from what is going on on the yard!

Since being on box rest, M has a bucket of fast Fibre twice a day, fed very wet as he doesn't drink much in the stable either so it's a way to get water into him too. He'll wolf the fast fibre in preference to the hay though so we don't give him too much as he'd gorge on it and then definitely not each much hay.

 

[milliepops]

I have one like this, he gets through so little compared to the others. He has a hay bar and I agree with the above about really shaking out the hay, he also always has a bucket of Fast Fibre available to pick at (left overs recycled to the others as a treat and he gets fresh every day). What I have found though is that he will eat more hay if he can do so whilst looking out over his door so I often hang one of the large holed (old style!) haynets right next to it at his natural head height. It is like he eats less because he doesn't want to look away from what is going on on the yard!

yes i have one that gets FOMO when he's eating so has to have hay at eye level so he can carry on being a nosey parkerr, I use large holed nets because he CBA to eat if it's remotely difficult to pull from the net. he gets through a reasonably amount like that, if I put on the floor he just poos on it while gazing over the door.

 

[Griffin]

I would get her teeth checked if this is a new thing or she hasn't seen a dentist for a while.

Other than that, I would perhaps try putting some hay in a net and some on the floor to see if she has a preferred method. It can be worth trying a different hay type or texture too.

 

[blitznbobs]

I use one of the big red gorilla tubs - works brilliantly for me - they eat their hay and I can carry it across the yard without it making a complete mess!

 

[BuzzyBea]

Thank you for all your replies!

Teeth wise she wasn't done long ago so don't think there is a problem there.

Do think that FOMO is part of the reason as she is very nosy so am going to try a hay bar but hopefully put it up a little higher so she can eat and watch out the window at the same time.

We've tried a haynet but she simply can't be bothered even if it is a big holed one...wheelbarrow at her door however is a winner!!!

She is looking good though so can't be doing her too much damage

 

[Annagain]

Thank you for all your replies!

...wheelbarrow at her door however is a winner!!!

If you (or most likely YO) can deal with the mess, it's definitely the way to go. If we had our own place, M would definitely be fed like that all the time. Unfortunately being on a livery yard means we have to consider what the place looks like for everyone else.

 

[Birker2020]

I mix the odd bit of yard haylage that has worked it's way loose of the bale into my horses hay and feed it using a haybar. Trouble is she weeds out the haylage by pushing half of the hay mixture out with her nose so it ends up on the floor and then starts sifting through it that way and I probably pick it up two or three times while finishing off yard duties in the evening and stuff it back into the haybar for her to flick it back out again. It's like a game. Not because it matters really, every last bit is eaten by when I come up the next day. It's more an OCD thing with me, hay should be in the haybar not the floor. Grrr.

Don't make my mistake though, my horse struggles to reach the bottom of her haybar due to her neck arthritis i think. So I put an upturned tub and pile the hay on that but it only lasts a few minutes before she's pulled the tub out in annoyance.