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Daneva
2nd Oct 2007, 08:56 AM
He is a 14.2 Dales cross a very good doer and I'm having a hard time shifting some weight off him.
He has a couple of handfuls of readigrass in the morning with his supplements and is in his stable from about 10am till 4.30pm with just two kilos of hay. He then spends the rest of time out on pasture which is now overgrazed. He is ridden at least five times a week with a mixture of flatwork and jumping.

He weighs 425k but I think he should be about 375k. I know what and how much to feed him it is just that I worry about leaving him for hrs with nothing to eat. We dont have grass areas that can be sectioned off and our small rubber turnout paddocks can only be used while we are on the premises.

I did think about putting a feed ball in the stable with some nuts in. But its the time issue that most concerns me does anyone really know just how long horses can be left without forage/feed.

Any thoughts appreciated.

Denbenj
2nd Oct 2007, 09:06 AM
I am a great believer that horse should always have access to food/hay etc when ever possible anyway.

Have you thought about using a haynet with very small holes in to spread/trickle feed the time out of him eating, backed up also with a grazing muzzle for the paddock. Sometimes overgrazed/starvation paddocks can be just as rich as a lush one as the new grass coming through! ( cant think of the term at present I'm sure someone may have it lol!.)