rats, no wonder my horse is so "portly" ! (forage issue)

[Meredith Clark]

I posted a while ago asking for input on on pelleted hay because I don't have much storage until my barn is finished.

Today I finally went down and weighed everything out so I know what I'm feeding.

In total for the day they get:

2.5lbs of Legends Maturity (Southern States Senior feed)
.5 lbs of rice bran

2.5lbs of pelleted forage

15-20lbs of Alfalfa hay (3-4 flakes)

Now.. my horses do next to nothing.. I would put them in the "Mature Idle" and are on 5 acres of now dormant pasture

Now if horses (esp horses like mine that do nothing) are only supposed to get at least 1% of their body weight they are currently getting a bit too much!

How do people that feed round bales keep their horses at a healthy weight?? I felt bad for not feeding enough hay and that they just sort of stand around most of the day

[pintopiaffe]

My roundbales are only 6-8% protein. BIG difference between that and alfalfa! :lol:

Instead, *I* have to fuss with getting toplines, because even free choice, they get plenty o' fiber but not enough 'nutrition.'

Nibblenets for you?

Grass hay? Orchard? Even timothy you'd be able to feed a little more with less protein/calories... I'm only familliar with my local availble types... others here toss around names like bahia and teff and I have NO CLUE about them. ;)

[PRS]

I feed round bales but lock my horses off of it at night where they have access to minimal grass in a smaller paddock. I also give only small amounts of concentrates since my horses don't really need it. Two of my horses could be included in your "Mature Idle" group too. ;)They get the feed 2x a day mostly so I can get them into the barn for an inspection and to make sure nobody is sick or injured. I would certainly NOT cut back on hay before I cut back on the concentrates. Horses should have hay or forage nearly free choice to keep their guts working properly. Failure to provide enough forage is one of the biggest causes of gastric ulcers.

[JB]

Now if horses (esp horses like mine that do nothing) are only supposed to get 1% of their body weight they are currently getting a bit too much!
Not sure where 1% came from. That's the absolute minimum in forage you want to give. The ideal is 2%.

[Scaramouch]

Why feed alfalfa hay and rice bran to horses that are doing nothing? If I had storage issues, the first thing I would think to do would be to feed a grass round bale. Unless they're *extremely* easy keepers, they won't get fat on free choice grass hay.

[Dalemma]

I always thought the min was 1.5% and up to 3%.........but the average being 2%. I have 4 horses that get 1.5% and 2 that get 2% and that is on local hay at 10% low sugars and no grain or pellets.

If you guys are on the heavy side than just feed the alfalfa cut all the other stuff out except the minerals and supplements.

Dalemma

[Meredith Clark]

Not sure where 1% came from. That's the absolute minimum in forage you want to give. The ideal is 2%.

I checked a couple different state university extension publications on horse forage and 1-2% was the average.

I should have said "at least" but you know what I mean.

[Meredith Clark]

Why feed alfalfa hay and rice bran to horses that are doing nothing? If I had storage issues, the first thing I would think to do would be to feed a grass round bale. Unless they're *extremely* easy keepers, they won't get fat on free choice grass hay.

I feed alfalfa because it's the best hay for the best price in my area.

I get it from a good friend for $5 a bale, while grass hay from other people in my area is $5-6 a bale.

I don't have much hay storage until the barn is built so I was trying to have as good nutrition taking up the least amount of space... does that make sense?

The grain and rice bran started because I moved them to my 5 acres from 20 at the end of the summer and I wasn't sure how the grass was going to hold or how the move was going to effect them.

Also one of the horses wasn't as "idle" when I started that feed plan as he is now... :lol:

[MistyBlue]

1% body weight is average for retired easy keepers not in work. Or air ferns like ponies.
If you have to stick to alfalfa (kind of the rocket fuel of hays) I'd lower the amount and get a nibblenet or a small hole hay net and have them use that. Slows down the eating so they don't realize they're getting less.

[Meredith Clark]

1% body weight is average for retired easy keepers not in work. Or air ferns like ponies.
If you have to stick to alfalfa (kind of the rocket fuel of hays) I'd lower the amount and get a nibblenet or a small hole hay net and have them use that. Slows down the eating so they don't realize they're getting less.

I use regular hay nets, but they still seem to go through it so fast! Maybe I need to get ones with smaller holes.

[ThoroughbredFancy]

I would consider a nibble net or two.


Also, I could feed my TB free choice hay/have a round bale for him 24/7 and he'd still probably need a little extra. He's in light-moderate work, 7, and metabolizes like crazy I swear.

Also, there are times where he likes to play or go on wondering adventures instead of eating. There might be something going on over in that corner that he needs to be a part of...or he's decided that taking his blanket off and eating it is a better plan.

However, the pony in very light work across the way would balloon off of free choice hay.

Different metabolisms and work levels.

[Meredith Clark]

Also, I could feed my TB free choice hay/have a round bale for him 24/7 and he'd still probably need a little extra. He's in light-moderate work, 7, and metabolizes like crazy I swear.



My boys are 11 and 7 (ottbs) and the 11yo used to be SUCH a hard keeper! He's suddenly found some sense of Zen or something and has become an easy keeper!

The 7 year old is the one I did compete this summer/fall but he's a pretty easy keeper too and really small for a TB (15.2 and petite)

[oldpony66]

The 1% figure is what is recommended as the minimum amount of roughage, not total feed. That's where that number comes from. So if you're feeding concentrates, the horse should still have at least 1% of it's body weight in hay or pasture. The *total* feed for the day is the 1.5-3% of body weight, that's including everything.

[SmartAlex]

I found 1.5% to 2% of IDEAL body weight. Which means you need to calculate on what they should weigh, not what they actually weigh ;)

My mom used to practically bed with hay, and I first had to introduce the theory of hay nets which made stall cleaning so much easier. Now, we have two horses on the IR emergency diet, had to put one down for severe founder on Sunday, and my mother (who does the feeding) has finally gotten serious about all these recommendations and is having to weigh stuff and soak hay and it has put her in an emotional tail spin.

When I showed up at the barn with a counter scale and a hanging scale I thought it would be the last straw! Because this means she can't push hay at them all day and love them with food. It has rocked the foundation of her horse care beliefs. She is actually considering exercise for her pasture puff. After 4 days I think I have gotten everything right down to the sugar free applesauce for meds addressed, and she is on the road to recovery! Poor Mom. I think she will adjust.:)

My horse, who has had his contra banned sweet feed (she was feeding it to him on the sly) and his Jimmy Ball taken away has gone into a sulk. Our whole barn is in uproar, and there is wet hay (a.k.a. seaweed) everywhere. :winkgrin: Life used to be so much more simple.

[mjmvet]

Sounds like an awful lot of feed if you ask me. My horse (about 1000 lbs) gets about 18 lbs of grass hay of varying quality and just under a pound of triple crown lite daily - she's a little heavy. If I fed her that amount of alfalfa plus all the extras you mentioned, she'd pop! But of course, each horse is different.