how much hay do you give

I feed ad lib - Molly currently eats about 6-8kg overnight, I give her about 4 sections of our hay and she always has a bit left over in the morning :)
 
Totally depends on the horse really.

I think Ad-lib hay feeding is best. In my eyes, ad-lib doesn't have to mean as-much-as-your-horse-can-eat. I think you can still restrict ad-lib if you need to using varying methods from soaking to putting the hay in 2-3 small holed haynets! Ad-lib means the horse doesn't get bored in the stable, fibre is constantly passing through the gut so colic and ulcers are less likely and you don't need to faff about with sums (%age of bodyweight etc!)!
 
inthesaddle said:
thanks for advice - would you give a morning haynet before turnout if there was nothing left?
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You could if you wanted but providing the paddock still has quite a bit of grass on it then no, its not essential. I would probably give more overnight though, because you don't know how long they have been without anything, do you know what I mean?
 
My HW cob is out for about 5 hours during the day - I'm currently making up 4 nets for him but TBH he rarely gets through 3 nets. If I do find he's eating more I usually just double the nets so that he takes a bit longer to eat it.
 
my lw cob is out 10 -12 hours on good glass and only gets 2-3 sections soaked, sometimes he has some left and others he doesn't
 
Have a 14.2 good doer out by day - in at night, she has a 4k net (soaked), but I feed to demand; if there's hay left I reduce amount, and if she's hoovered the floor clean then I up it. Some depends on external temperatures and grass conditions too - it's not a fixed amount!
 
As much as it'll eat. It's not an exact science and you'll have to see how he goes over the first week. I generally give 4 sections a night, or as much that will fit in a haynet. Sometimes soaked, sometimes not depending on quality. If there is any left, which there usually isn't, it goes on the floor for the next evening.

I'm on haylage now, so about 8kg a night. Plus a section or two of hay on the floor.
 
hey

I'm with the adlibbers - my hw cob 15.2 has 3 or 4 haynets- and doesn't eat it all but in the winter as much has as possible I always believe is the best - the nutritional value of the grass (if you are lucky enough to have it) is low and you don't want them getting bored in stable..... mine can't wait to get into their stables to pack the hay in ....all looking well and my youngster gets a whole round bale over his stable door to help himself!! It keeps the gut healthy and so long as they are not getting fat on it - which I guess some good doers can then the more the better!! You just don't want them wasting it and dropping it in bed and not hoovering it up.
 
My TB is out for between 4-12 hours in the day (depending on weather and what time I need to get to college).

I give him 1 haynet of haylage and one bucket of haylage (bigger then a tub trug there is about 2 haynets worth in there) so he gets about 3 haynets in all. There is usually some left in the morning though.

As my TB is a poor doer I don't mind giving him as much as he can eat so that he always has something to eat but with a good doer this is harder. :)
 
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