Feeding hay off of a sandy surface...

[Mozart]

So here is my dilemma. DH recently helped me out by re-doing the ground surface of my run in shelter. A couple of areas had become boggy due to prolonged wet conditions and a favourite urination spot was beyond disgusting. The surface was hard packed other than the boggy areas.

We had a failure to communicate. I thought he was going to dig out the boggy spots and pack them with 3/4 down, aka, screened pit strippings, aka "bluestone". When I got home after a day of being Chauffeur mommy, I discovered that he had dug out the boggy spots and put down a good six inches of sand on the entire surface of the shelter. Waaaay more work than I had in mind.

My living out horses get their night time hay on the ground in the run in. Why? It is always dry there and they are out of the wind and weather. I am now leery of feeding hay right off this sandy surface. Seriously, it looks like a beach in there, the entire surface is a good 6 inches of sand. I am sure it is very comfy to lie on but I am worried about sand colic.

My options are:

1) Feed the hay outside on the ground, which is what I am doing right now. That is okay for now but it will soon get really really cold here, they will need to be protected from night time wind chills.
2) Put wall mounted hay feeders on the inside wall of the run in. I am always leery of mounted feeders, horses seem so bent on injuring themselves with stuff like that. Plus, hay will fall to the ground and they will eat it off the sand anyway
3) Just put hay on the ground in the sandy run in shed.

I am a being paranoid about sand colic?

[Trevelyan96]

Can you buy a few rubber stall mats to put in the run-in? That will help keep it dry and clean!

[horsegeeks]

Try putting rubber mats down. If that doesn't work, I'd go with the very small hole hay nets

I don't think you're being paranoid! Sand and even "regular dirt" can be a real danger!

[Mozart]

I thought about rubber mats. But won't they just shove the hay off the rubber mats? Hay never seems to stay where you put it.

[Trevelyan96]

I thought about rubber mats. But won't they just shove the hay off the rubber mats? Hay never seems to stay where you put it.

Probably not any more than they've already been doing, I would think.

[murphyluv]

Regardless of what you do, I would look into some sort of colic prevention anyway... not sure what the verdict on psyllium is, and how to feed it (as I haven't had that problem), or I've also heard that soaked flax is also very good at pushing sand out of the intestines.

[SouthwestRerider]

Having lost a horse to sand colic, my recommendation is rubber mats,however many it takes to cover the area they spread their hay around. Mine eat only off the mats, which I do need to sweep clean about once a week. And I do psyllium one week a month and use the poo in a baggie with water to see how much sand is moving through.

[Lord Helpus]

Living in Southern Pines ("The Sandhills of North Carolina") I am familiar with your dilemma. I would only feed hay inside the shed when you have to. The best way to feed on sand is -- not to feed on sand.

If I have a horse which has to eat off sand, I put the hay in a large Rubbermaid water trough (without the water :winkgrin: ).

Since you are also now living in "the sandhills" ;), it might behoove you to get a couple of the deep, big rubber water troughs that the horse has to really put his head down deep inside to get the hay.

[coloredhorse]

Since you are also now living in "the sandhills" ;), it might behoove you to get a couple of the deep, big rubber water troughs that the horse has to really put his head down deep inside to get the hay.

Living in sandy central SC, this is my favorite solution. My horses get a daily soaked beet pulp meal (several studies in the southwestern U.S. have indicated that this is at least as good, perhaps better, than psyllium for moving sand particles through the gut and out in the manure) and a weeklong psyllium treatment once a month, just in case.

[Simbalism]

A friend from Fla used kiddie wading pools to put hay in. Pretty inexpensive, light weight so easy to move and clean.

[Mozart]

If I have a horse which has to eat off sand, I put the hay in a large Rubbermaid water trough (without the water :winkgrin: ).

Since you are also now living in "the sandhills" ;), it might behoove you to get a couple of the deep, big rubber water troughs that the horse has to really put his head down deep inside to get the hay.

Hmmmm I'm liking this suggestion.....

Two of these troughs (there are two outside horses) would not take up too much room in the run. It would keep things tidy and keep the fines from getting scattered around. I could use them outside in the spring during mud season. I will be moving to a larger farm in a few years and I can keep using them as water troughs, as I will need more water troughs anyway....

The kids pool idea has merit too (certainly cost wise!) but these horses are very playful, one likes to pick up and throw anything he can get his teeth on. ( I envision giant frisbees!!)

Thank you everyone, for taking the time to post with your ideas.

[deltawave]

People have passionate feelings about feeding out of tires, but if that might be an option for you (they give used ones away at tractor dealerships) you can fasten a large tire to a sheet of heavy plywood or a rubber mat and that would be a fairly horse-proof and inexpensive way to keep the hay out of the sand. Works for me! :yes:

[Leather]

Ditto what Deltawave suggested. We got a tractor tire for free, cut off some of the sidewall and bolted a piece of plywood to the bottom (with holes drilled in it) to keep the hay off of the ground.

It's modeled after this design, but is only one high for a more natural head position:

http://www.axeholmeshires.com/tirefeeder/

If space is a concern you could use half a tire and butt the open end up to a wall.

[mhtokay]

How about hanging a couple extra large Nibblenets. I think you can hang them lower than a hay rack, so they don't have their head as high.

[crosscreeksh]

We lived in Southern Pines, NC for many years...and yes, sand colic is a problem. We did several different things. Our run-in sheds had packed clay footing and large ground hay feeders with wooden bottoms. For horses without sheds- those that came in at night and the heat of the day - I hung hay nets from trees with a rubber mat beneath. For others I bought cheap 50 gallon poly barrels and cut them in half...drilled some holes to let rain water out - and put the hay flakes in the 1/2 barrels. Each solution worked well for us.

[PennyChrome]

A big tractor tire with just one rubber mat, (or even a tarp!) under it will do the trick, and you can usually find them for free. Not pretty though!

[sk_pacer]

Hmmmm I'm liking this suggestion.....

Two of these troughs (there are two outside horses) would not take up too much room in the run. It would keep things tidy and keep the fines from getting scattered around. I could use them outside in the spring during mud season. I will be moving to a larger farm in a few years and I can keep using them as water troughs, as I will need more water troughs anyway....

The kids pool idea has merit too (certainly cost wise!) but these horses are very playful, one likes to pick up and throw anything he can get his teeth on. ( I envision giant frisbees!!)

Thank you everyone, for taking the time to post with your ideas.
Kinda late getting into this but, saw a neat idea from your general neck of the woods: the people had got soap barrels from the local car wash (cheap, almost free) and cut openings on the side, then bolted the barrel (cleaned out of course) to the wall, and filled that with hay. Those barrels do hold a lot of feed too.