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Post by bevbob on Jan 12, 2008 14:12:36 GMT -1
to ponies weight??
Iv bought myself a hay weigh balance thing so I can work out exactly how much to feed Bobs but cant find any good info?
He is currently having around 151b of hay twice a day as he is in 24 hours and a small feed of hi-fi lite, speedibeet, and fibre nuts with magnesium supplement morning and night.
We have very limited turnout this year so he is in one day and out the next....... the field is around 5 acres and there are about 12 horses in it when he goes out so you can imagine the mess!
He stands at the gate wanting to come in as there arnt many 'blades' of grass left to eat, I dont think this is a fair way to keep him when Im at work all day so have left him in stable with hay net which he seems happier with.
Since feeding magnesium he steadily lost weight and has stayed at 513kg for months now, I just dont want him putting on weight as he isnt having any exercise and when he is out he doesnt play, he just stands at the gate rubbing his bum on the barbed wire and trashing his rug (summer weight just to keep mud off him) Last Sat I brought him in after 1 and half hours as he was still stood at the gate looking miserable.
Sorry for rambling but does 151bs of hay for a 513kg pony sound about right?
Iv read a horse in work needs 2% of its bodyweight but obviously thats far too much. Iv had a look on internet and cant seem to find anything for Dales types who arent in work for weight.
I am looking around again for new yard lol, I think I do it every year! this year has gone from bad to worse and some of the things going on in different fields are appauling, no thought for the horses at all and some fields are dangerous, trouble is with strangles on the farm there isnt a lot we can do at the mo to moving off.
Any info appreciated thanks.
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Post by harveydales on Jan 12, 2008 15:50:48 GMT -1
Poor Bobs and poor you, not easy to manage that sort of turnout easily. Our fields are also bad, certainly no grazing and Quest also spends much of his daily turn out waiting to come in. Our fields are also dangerous. Andy spent all afternoon trying to drain away water from the gateway - it was over a foot deep!
I think the amount of hay you feed will depend very much on the quality of it. I weigh my haynets meticulously for Quest. He is getting much the same as Bobs in terms of feed and he gets 5lbs of hay first thing before turn out (which he never manages to finnish). I do put some hay in the field - he probably gets about 2 or 3 lbs. He comes in at 3PM and gets a feed plus the rest of his breakfast hay. Then at 6PM he gets 10lbs of hay. So in a 24 hour period he gets about 17lbs which seems right for him. So a lot less than Bobs but if I gave him more he wouldn't eat it.
Even when I've had Harvey in I've never fed more than 20lbs of hay as an absolute maximum but maybe my scales aren't as accurate as yours!
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Post by greydales on Jan 12, 2008 16:03:12 GMT -1
I can't really comment on the hay as I feed mine as little as I can get away with lol. Toby has been in since Gem arrived and he hasn't lost an ounce! Trouble is they are yarded as I can't give them grass turnout at the mo as the fields are too wet, and they tend to stand around not moving as you say. I do take Gem into the arena for a run around but she's not too happy being away from Toby for long!
Sounds like your yard is awful Bev, I do hope you are able to find somewhere you are happy.
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Post by tinkerdorisalison on Jan 12, 2008 18:36:49 GMT -1
not sure of the ratio either, have you thought of mixing the hay with straw in the net?, if he is hungry he'll eat it and the feed value will be lower.
Good luck if you start looking
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Post by bevbob on Jan 12, 2008 19:29:34 GMT -1
Thanks folks, well I have had another look and found a few more sites saying 2% is around the right amount of dry matter to feed. I dont know why (well I do, Im poo at maths lol) but I worked it out wrong and got 100kg hay instead of 10!!! LOL, so I am feeding slightly over that amount so I might start weighing nets more often now.
Pam your regime for Quest sounds ideal, I would love to be able to do that but obviously working all day so no chance of that, Bobs eats all the hay and then starts on his bed.
I didnt mean some of our fields were dangerous because of mud, I felt sickened today as me and a friend walked down the lane to check ponies in fields and we were horrified to see 3 ponies in a strip of field that was completely mud and I mean probably 8" deep, absolutely no grass whatsoever and some sappling trees that had grown by themselves. This strip of land wasnt used since I have been on there and it is directly along a motorway with very dodgy fencing. The Y.O. had replaced an old rusty gate with a new one and left the old gate proped up by some dodgy fencing and barbed wire to stop the ponies getting in the adjoining field. You would have to see it to see how horendous it is! The ponies had stripped the bark off the thin sapling trees and looked really miserable.
I dont even know if there is water in there? Im sure there will be somewhere but these ponies are in there 24 hours.
It just made me sick to think she and the owners could do that.
Shes taken off her own hay this year and has restricted all the grazing probably because she is making a lot more money not having to buy in hay.
Her hay is in big bales and is the dustiest hay you have ever seen, its also very fine which I dont like for Bobs and some of it is very very green which I dont like either.
I could cope with the alternate days out grazing IF there was some grazing!
Alison Im going to see if I can get some feed straw tomorrow to mix into the hay. I have seen Bobs eating his bed even when he has hay so maybe its the coarsness he needs as the hay is really fine?
Gill I think I would be happier with Bobs on a yard with a haynet than turning him out in the mud, at least he could walk around if he wanted. I am going to have to look further away for the right yard but I think its going to be worth it. I wouldnt mind too much if the present yard had a menage so I could ride at night but theres not much chance of that either. We are having to take them for a walk in the dark around the estate and thats it for exercise!
Some of the people there are riding in the dark but I dont like doing that, we walk inhand.
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Post by harveydales on Jan 12, 2008 21:11:50 GMT -1
Crikey, Bev, I can see why you want to move Bobs to another yard when you can.
You are probably right in thinking Bobs is looking for more roughage if your hay is very fine and green. When was it cut? I'm still feeding our 2006 hay which was superb hay but will be starting on 2007 hay in a few weeks. I think, because it was such a wet summer and we didn't get it made til the beginning of August, it is also quite soft and green but probably not as nutritious. It is such a worry when you are dealing with a Lami prone horse. Good luck finding some straw to mix in.
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Post by bevbob on Jan 12, 2008 21:21:35 GMT -1
Im not sure when it was cut Pam, I think it was July? I think she did 2 cuts of hay and some haylage, she has about 120 acres maybe more so I think she cut some in Sept?
I have soaked some of it too.
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Post by harveydales on Jan 12, 2008 21:36:18 GMT -1
If it is the September cut, it will be fine, green and soft. Bobs will deffinately be better off if you can mix in some straw. Quest reacts badly to this sort of hay and it can trigger his lami but he is a different case to Bobs.
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Post by bevbob on Jan 13, 2008 19:46:38 GMT -1
Thanks for that info Pam, I asked today and it was cut in the last week of June and there was a Sept cut but that was made into silage.
The bales are so very different! we have just had a brownish looking bale so Iv netted up as many as I could, the bale we have now is very fine and green! dont like the look of that at all.
I didnt manage to get any feed straw today but Iv now cut his nets down to 121b at night and 101b throughout the day. I know he will eat his bedding but not really that bothered about that too much.
I have also put him on Formula 4 feet today, they say it can help an IR pony so seeing as though he has lost weight with the Magnesium Im going to give it a go. I have asked the vet to test him for insulin resistance but he said it wouldnt be worth it as he isnt fat enough? Im convinced there is something going on somewhere though.
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Post by knight on Jan 13, 2008 20:01:02 GMT -1
Oh Bev, things don't sound good at all, no wonder you're looking. Here they figure 20% also but most folks here feed less hay & more hard feed. I'm jsut the opposite & give maybe 30% hay but no hard feed, jsut some beet pulp. I can see why you asked for the insulin resistance test, I wish the vets would just humor us and do the tests. My vet had the same response about testing Topaz and I wish I had been more persistant& gotten the test. Do you think you coauld ask the vet again? I know the vets don't like to be second guessed but you know Bobs alot better than he does. Trust your feeling, there probably is something going on but it may take some persistance with the vet to get the testing you want.
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Post by bevbob on Jan 13, 2008 20:19:18 GMT -1
Hi Nancy, yes I could ask the vet again.. he is quite old school and good for doing vaccinations and stuff but isnt really cutting edge on all the new stuff around at the mo so I could get alternate vet to do it.
Im really pleased with the weight hes lost since being on magnesium. This time last year he weighed in at 554kg which is massive I know but now hes at a steady 513 its great.
I would still like to see him lose a bit more but overall Im really happy with his condition.
It would help if I could ride more and he was getting a lot more exercise but until we have light nights theres not a lot I can do.
Im going to see how he does on formula4feet and the hay weighing thing and then maybe see about the IR test.
I always thought he looked good at 525kg so Im over the moon hes below that weight! I keep looking at him and still think he looks fat though LOL! poor Bobs.
How is Topaz doing these days?
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Post by bevbob on Jan 13, 2008 20:23:27 GMT -1
Forgot to add, Im always looking for a new yard LOL! I do this every year but never find anything that is suitable.
I have found lots of good yards but there is always something thats not quite right for Bobs, I wish they would do 'Laminitic' yards, that would be fab! lol.
This year is just the pits though, we have had quite a lot of people move off already.
Im looking for somewhere with all yr turnout, not too much grass and smallish fields in the spring, a menage, turnout facility would be a must if its too far away to get to before work......... am I asking too much? LOL!
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Post by greydales on Jan 13, 2008 20:23:41 GMT -1
I also got two differnt types of hay in - the first lot was quite coarse and the ponies didn't seem to like to too much, but the second lot I bought is very fine and soft and they love it! I have a feeling it's not so good for them though ... although it does smell better!
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Post by harleydales on Jan 16, 2008 19:10:56 GMT -1
I'm still on 2006 hay as well, but will be moving on to 2007 this weekend. The 2006 stuff is lovely but 2007 will be mainly gut fill and warmth rather than any nutritional value!
I much prefer long hard stemmy hay - they take much longer to eat it and I *think* it is lower in feed value.
It is such a worry with a laminitic, there is not a summer goes by when i don't thank my lucky stars that my current neds are all OK, and offer a prayer that they all stay that way too.
Good luck in finding a new yard for Bobs.
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