Re: Adding weight


> >
> >You have no idea how glad I am to hear this! Thanks so much! Ruth W.
>
>
> OK, so I give up--why so glad? 'cause you feed a lot, or that doesn't
> seem so much when I say it like that? 'Cause you think your horses
> need more and this gives you ammunition?

Hehehehe! Yes, no and no. <bg> We feed heavy and I thought we were
alone, given the comments from people when I mention how much we feed.
Hubby and I are, for the most part, on the same page as far as feeding.
It's an on-going adjustment for us. We were feeding about 30 lbs. per
horse per day (minimum). This summer the horses got a bit too heavy
and I told hubby to cut back on the hay. We don't have a lot of
pasture as our property seems to grow rocks, not grass. Now, the
horses are just about right. They're where I want them going into
winter. Our weather has changed and it is definately, fall. I have
one thin horse that I just can't get any weight on him. We've upped
the hay, again. So, I was glad to hear that someone else feeds lots
and lots of hay.

I know that the general consensus here is when it gets colder, throw
them more hay. If they seem to need more food, then throw them more
hay. I remember one of Terry's posts - "they don't need all that
crap... just throw them more hay," or words of like effect. It's just
that I got tired of hearing, "OMG! That's sooooo much!" Ok, our horses
are on the heavier side, rather than the thin side. Tough. They are
not FAT! (Yes, I did the Henneke scoring on them.)

However, I did forget to ask what kind/quality of hay it is that you
feed. I did appreciate the weight of the horses information. It gave
me a good idea of how big your horses are for what you are feeding
(comparison to mine, too). :)

> Really, I got this style of major feeding of hay, lots of hay, when I
> worked for an A circuit hunter barn. Lots of show horses, maybe 50-70
> on the property, high stress life with schooling, travelling, etc.
> Compared to other show barns, *tiny* number of prolems with stall
> vices, colic, keeping weight on the hard working horses, etc. Why?
> Every horse was turned out a minimum of 1/2 a day, most all day (or
> all night in summer), and they were fed as much hay as they would eat,
> in several feedings through the day. The rule of thumb was offer 1/3
> of a bale for a single horse for a morning feed, 1/2 a bale between
> two horses, a full bale between three, a bale and a half for 4-5.

I LIKE IT! Our horses have turn out 24/7 to 4 acres. Typically, they
also have turn out to an additional 4 acres during the day. We've had
no colic (yet).

Our bales of hay average 100 lbs. for our grass/alfalfa mix and our
alfalfa. Our Timothy hay averages 115 lbs. per bale. If we bought the
local grass (crap) hay, then we would likely use much, much more and
have a great deal of waste. It's just garbage. I consider it to be
expensive straw. We are feeding 7. Of course, our horses are not
working horses, either. So, as a result, we have to watch it or we
would have huge butterballs (except that one).

I tried locking that one thinner horse in a stall to feed him
separately, but when he finishes, he circles the stall and gets very
anxious. He's one of our newer horses and I just don't want him
stressed out in the extreme. I tried rice bran mixed with all kinds of
things (at different times) and he won't eat it. with the open stall
and hay, he eats, then he leaves (with hay still there). With hay on
the ground, outside, he eats, then he leaves, with hay still there. He
just doesn't eat enough to gain weight. I am considering beet pulp,
but am concerned he won't eat that, either. Then I'll have a bunch of
beet pulp that I won't need or use.

I'm considering a complete feed to supplement his diet, but I don't
want to screw up his system, either. I thought about oil, but one must
be careful about that, too. {sigh} Suggestions?

Anyway, thanks Eileen. I appreciate it. Ruth W.

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