How much hay should i give my horse???

M

*MoneyTalks*

Guest
Hiya
well i have a 14.2-14.3hh bay gelding, 9yo, and atm he is having 2 sections of hay for morning, and 2 at night,,,
would you say thats about right???
im not sure how much he weighs lol:p
 
Hmm this is tricky.

Depends on his work load and how much grazing, for a horse that is out in the day 2 at night is prob ok but IMO 2 in the morning too is a bit much...what breed is he? Is he a good doer?

I really think you should weight tape him to get a better idea tbh.

However I am still learning about all this so those with more knowledge may correct me!
 
I don't personally think there is such thing as 'too much' hay. I personally would just feed ad lib - if he eats it, feed it. Sometimes my 16.2 WB yearling will eat a bale in a day if she has to stay in!

xx
 
Molly is 14.2hh and 10 yo. She eats 3-4 sections overnight when out during the day. When she is in 24/7 she will eat about double that (6-8kg overnight roughly and 5-6kg during the day)

Is he eating it all or leaving it? If she is eating it all I'd probably up it a bit.

I feed ad lib, when I feed 3-4 sections overnight she will have about half-1 section left, depends what time she comes in and I go up.
 
he is eating it all he is ridden most days, atm he isnt being turned out due too mud fever :l , but normally everyday he is turned out :D
 
Aww poor boy :( in that case it sounds ok but if he is eating it all up and not having any for a few hours he might need a bit more.

You probably already know this, but if the haynets are a bit heavy split into two as it's easier to tie up and takes them a bit longer to eat it.
 
my boy had a hay rack,, yes i can imagen him saying now, feel sorry for me i have mud fever lol,:rolleyes:

well 1 section normally lasts him 3-4 hours?
 
Erm I doubt it if he is in all the time!

Doey eats 2 and a bit sections a night atm but she doesn't do a lot of work (ridden 3/4 times a week), and is on a new field with loadsa grass (she has to have a grazing muzzle on as she is a fat moo!)

have you considered one of those treat ball things to take his mind off the hay if you are concerned he eats too much?
 
Just to question, does ad lib mean chuck a load in the stable, like a bale, and let them eat it, or does it mean add some as and when throughout the day?

I only ask as if it is the latter the OP (like myself) may not be in a position to do this. Also if we gave Doey loads she would jst get fatter and fatter and it would be really bad for her.
 
Just to question, does ad lib mean chuck a load in the stable, like a bale, and let them eat it, or does it mean add some as and when throughout the day?

I only ask as if it is the latter the OP (like myself) may not be in a position to do this. Also if we gave Doey loads she would jst get fatter and fatter and it would be really bad for her.

Ad libitum is Latin for "at one's pleasure"; often shortened to 'Ad lib'
IMO that just means to have hay "available".
I'd personally avoid chucking the bale in as alot will get trampled into the bedding and you could have alot of wastage. A good idea is a corner hay bar, or use haynets (smaller holed are better as the greedy ones will be slowed down!).
 
So basically, we give Doey enough hay at the mo that she usually leaves a little bit in the bottom.

So we are currently giving ad lib hay as suggested?

yeah because she has had anouth to eat,, i was exagarating i think about the 2 sections lol, because i relised in that time he had been tied up while i mucked out and i did ride :rolleyes:
i think im going too put him on lib hay,, because a bale atm is lasting me
3 days, nd then whole thing is gone by the next day :confused: so he prob needs more, so im going too put him on lib hay so a bale should last me 2 days :D
 
yeah because she has had anouth to eat,, i was exagarating i think about the 2 sections lol, because i relised in that time he had been tied up while i mucked out and i did ride :rolleyes:
i think im going too put him on lib hay,, because a bale atm is lasting me
3 days, nd then whole thing is gone by the next day :confused: so he prob needs more, so im going too put him on lib hay so a bale should last me 2 days :D

Feeding is a proper minefield at times! Are we overfeeding, are they too fat, are we starving them, I can't wait til we chuck em out for the summer and be done with it :eek: mind you then she wont come in tho....damn!
 
Drummer gets through 30 lbs of haylege in 24 hours....i like him to have loads to nibble on to keep the weight on and to stave off the winter boredon due to having no turnout in winter.
Caz xx
 
the horses at my barn get 4 flakes in the moring and the ponies two and at nigth the horses get 4 or 5 and the ponies 3 =] and my horse gets 2 bails in the moring and 2 at nigth hes only with 3 other horses there fatties =] in a good way
 
the horses at my barn get 4 flakes in the moring and the ponies two and at nigth the horses get 4 or 5 and the ponies 3 =] and my horse gets 2 bails in the moring and 2 at nigth hes only with 3 other horses there fatties =] in a good way

are you rich?
haha i wish i had that money at the ongoing rate atm, 2 bails:eek::eek::eek:
thats around £8 a day worth of hay. OMG!
i dont think my horse could even eat one bale haha,
he is on 1/2 a bale now :)
 
lol no im not rich my horse is just a pig haha he can eat a whole bail and a half ha ha i board him at my aunts barn all the horses gets as much hay as they need cuz merlot sleeps outside he gets more and i think my trainer pays $3 for a bail not sure could be more lol
 
newrider.com