# NO HAY AT NIGHT??????



## Malibu (27 November 2006)

I have asked about this before but does anyone feed no hay at night for their horses in stables?

I am finding out more and more people dont give their horses hay when in at night!!
is this not bad as they could colic and also wont they run the risk of getting those tummy ulcers?

i am just very confused - is this not cruel


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## frannieuk (27 November 2006)

This post quite suprised me - I can't fathom leaving a horse in overnight without hay (obv. except on vet advice). IMO they are trickle feeders and need the hay to keep the gut working properly, and to keep them amused. I don't think I know anyone who doesn't put hay in - what are their reasons?


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## Super_Kat (27 November 2006)

How would you feel if you were locked in a 12 x 12 foot room with nothing to do and an empty tummy from about 6 PM (ish) until around 7AM (ish). Bear in mind that horses are designed to eat for most of the day.


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## Judie (27 November 2006)

here here ....can not imagine a horse being in all night with no hay - how odd


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## Llwyncwn (27 November 2006)

Never heard of this.  Imo you would be asking for digestive problems together with stable vices.


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## Magicmillbrook (27 November 2006)

I agree.  Even those who are laminitic or on strict diets need to be trickle fed.  If weight realy is a problem soak hay for  several hours to remove soluble goodness and put it in two small holed hay nets (one insoie the other).  This would slow them down and reduce calories, but still allow them to have something in their tummies.  I was always under the impression that to leave a horse for longer than eight hours without food is V bad news.


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## Malibu (27 November 2006)

well about a year ago i found out a friend although i only know her to speak, that she didnt give the horse hay at night,in summer they were brought in at about 11 at night and out at 7 in morning and in winter she does it too! but they come in at 5 and out at 7 so OVER 12 HOURS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

this is surley cruel!
i askled about this wen i discovered it in summer and few people didnt do it but it was not that uncommon!


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## claire1976 (27 November 2006)

OMG how awful for the horse to having nothing to eat all night. They need trickle feeding to keep warm and to keep digestive system working correctly - they are just not designed to go long periods without eating.


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## Malibu (27 November 2006)

thats what i thought, i WOULD NEVER DO IT! EVER but i just could not belive the horses didnt colic but i BET they have tummy problems!


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## Theresa_F (27 November 2006)

Some people do give their horse a smallish net at 5 and expect that to last until 8 the next day.  Poor horse has normally finished the net by 8.  I like mine to have hay all the time when in, or certainly no more than a few hours without.

I give mine huge nets and alwasy like to find a little left.

There was one stupid girl at our yard trying to diet her pony - left it in 24 hours with two slices of hay a day - one about 8 am and the other at 4 pm.  Tried explaining to her (a) the pony was not that fat (b) to increase its excercise and (c) she was going to end up with a pony with vices and colic.

Used to give the poor thing a slice of my hay in the evening and the YO did the same during the day.


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## Chex (27 November 2006)

wow, I've never heard of that before! Its appalling though!


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## burtie (27 November 2006)

A horse will start attempting to digest it's own stomoach after around 8 hours without food. So leaving overnight without any food is asking for trouble and health problems.


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## JoBo (27 November 2006)

If they dont have hay do they have something else? Like straw or Redi-grass? Just wondering.

Would never even consider leaving ours in with out something to nibble on!


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## Malibu (27 November 2006)

i think i have nothing else to do but say how i feel and the facts, for the horses welfare ! as it is not fair!


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## Malibu (27 November 2006)

i dont know joella, i just know they get two feeds and graze for about 10 hours


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## magic104 (27 November 2006)

I can well believe it, shame people do not educate themselves b4 going out &amp; buying an animal.


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## Baileysno1 (27 November 2006)

The yard where I do my BHS training don't give any forage to allot of their horses for through the night  - I was really shocked I've always given enough hay or haylege so there is a little left the day after.


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## UKa (27 November 2006)

Seems simply cruelty to me - I get worried when my girl finishes all her hay over night and always like to see some leftover in the morning then I feel she has had enough ...

was at a yard before where they gave very little hay at night only (flimsy haybnets, no idea what the reason was) and all the horses were looking out of their stables and kicking their doors by 8pm because they had nothing to bite (standing on shavngs on top of that) - needless to say we were there for not very long ...


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## CJ1 (27 November 2006)

whats the point of giving them 2 feeds a day and no fibre?  surely not weight gain or money...so what is their reason?


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## frannieuk (27 November 2006)

I've just been looking at the Equine Industry Welfare Guidelines Compendium for Horses, Ponies and Donkeys, and I quote5, para 18

 [ QUOTE ]
 "Horses are "trickle feeders" and should have access to forage feed  *during most of their non-active hours* . This may be fresh grass, hay, haylage or straw as appropriate or preferred." 

[/ QUOTE ] 

IMO this clearly states that forage should be provided and I believe that this document is used in Courts as guidance for prosecutions etc.


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## Amymay (27 November 2006)

Oooo this is a tricky one - because my horse falls in to the catagory of 'please don't put anything else inside your mouth' as she does tend to be a little plump shall we say.

I am in the happy position of being able to bring her in at 4.00 to a handful (and I do mean handful) of hay - knowing that she will be topped up with her final ration at late night feeding time (around 11.00-12.00pm).

For those people with fattys it's so, so difficult getting that balance right - although not for one minute would I advocate leaving a horse for more than 4 - 5 hours without any hay.

I prefer to feed a mix of haylage and hay substitute such as HiFi, or Happy hoof.


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## Theresa_F (27 November 2006)

[ QUOTE ]
The yard where I do my BHS training don't give any forage to allot of their horses for through the night  

[/ QUOTE ] 

May I suggest you find somewhere that actually knows horses - anyone who does this has not got a clue about how a horse feeds.

God knows what else you are being taught!


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## Sooty (27 November 2006)

Is it on a straw bed? Maybe it just eats its bed...


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## Santa_Claus (27 November 2006)

woman at my yard does it as she fears her horse will become too fat. She gives it 2 or 3 slices of hay when it comes in at 4pm these are normally completly gone by 6pm especially as the hay is fed loose on the floor instead of in nets. The result is horse has nothing between 6pm and 8am when it is turned out. 

It has been raised with her and YO but YO says owners choice and Owner is putting belly size over fact it could potentially be harmful to horse due to fact they are trickle feeders. Currently horse does seem fine, but it constantly boots the door VERY loudly when me and other liveries are down during the week in order to try and get us to give her something. I hate to see it but nothing I can do, other than bring it up every so often with the owner.


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## Jemayni (27 November 2006)

I always give my horse a large haynet at night, and would never do otherwise.

However just wondered what your thoughts are about the day... In the summer my horse is out for about 18 hours a day, and comes in 9-2 I dont give him any hay during this time - mainly because hes fat but also because he just sleeps when I bring him in during the day.....

Do you give yours hay always during the day aswell?


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## Tempi (27 November 2006)

Id never leave a horse without hay at night.........


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## UKa (27 November 2006)

it is simple for me: whenever the horse is in the stable there will be hay to eat - full stop. they dont make a difference between day and night as they live totally different waking and sleeping patterns from us!!!


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## magic104 (27 November 2006)

Now this is many years ago, but I am sure that some people fed a mix of straw &amp; hay to ponies that were prone to putting on weight.  This way they could be sure the pony had enough forage, &amp; they were only given chaff (again chopped hay &amp; straw) with a few carrotts &amp; vits, along with a mineral lick.  No actual hard feed and lots of exercise.


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## piebaldsparkle (27 November 2006)

Well mine has about half a bale of hay per night.  Poor cob oposite has about 3lbs of hay and is in from 17:00hrs to 08:00hrs (later at weekends) and has a shavings bed, so has nothing from 18:00hrs onwards, poor little sole, no wonder he is soooo grumpy.  Have discussed with his owner, but she says it is coz he is a good doer.


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## magic104 (27 November 2006)

PS just did a search to see if straw is still fed &amp; found this which is quiet interesting; (For those fatties!!)

Do not starve your horse - Commonly owners are led to believe that they should starve a pony with laminitis, but would you starve an ill person? It is vital that the pony with laminitis receives a fibrous diet supplemented with minerals and vitamins to keep their metabolism working. By restricting fibre intake too much you may risk inducing hyperlipaemia. This occurs when high levels of fat are released into blood in response to starvation and can be fatal. 
 Give them a high fibre diet  It is a good idea to have your hay analysed to establish its feed value (Dodson and Horrell offer a forage testing service for a small fee). If your hay was found to have a high feed value, you could try soaking it for 12 hours before feeding it. This will leach some of the energy from the hay - thereby helping to reduce your horses calorie intake. Another method of providing a high fibre, low calorie diet, which can help to control weight gain, is to dilute the hay with good quality oat straw (50:50). However, feeding straw is not advised for horses with dental problems because straw is coarser and less digestible then hay and does require thorough chewing. Straw is also not advised for horses prone to colic. 



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## Sags_Deer (27 November 2006)

blimey this is dreadful, mine are so well looked after they have their hay staggered, some when they have their supper between 4 &amp; 5 pm then a late night net ranging from 9pm to midnight!! so their tummies are kept going and to keep them warm as well.  my gelding would eat his way out his stable if left with no hay and my old mare would be very upset.


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## Malibu (27 November 2006)

I know the horse is bedded on shavings as she got the number off of us! To be honest i dont know what it gets fed as i am not that friendly. The horse def DOES NOT look underweight- its just perfect ! So not sure why she does it, i did ask and she replied that she just does!


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## magic104 (27 November 2006)

Oh well as it has been said many times b4, we all have different ideas, &amp; what suits one may not suit another!


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## Pasha (27 November 2006)

I can't understand why people do this.... I have a very good doer but he always has plenty of hay (he even has a net straight after his breakfast whilst i'm grooming/mucking out and getting him ready).... if they are prone to putting on weight then you cut down (or out) the hard feed and increase the excersise


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## riotgirl (27 November 2006)

My stable would not be standing the next morning if I left my Welshie with no hay!  Having said this, I am not sure how quick she eats it and therefore how long she has to have without it.  I cannot give her ad lib hay as she would eat about 2 bales a night!  She comes in about 7pm and has a large haynet full to eat after she had had her hard feed.


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## RachelB (27 November 2006)

If I ever forgot to give my horse hay at night it would be a crisis, and even if I was half way along a long trip at 1am, I'd still either get someone else to feed her or turn around and go back! I'm always worried that her hay won't last the night, but I started feeding her loads and loads and cut it down until it was just enough to last, but so that she'd hoovered up by morning. That's her 'diet' as well, she's fat but I'd never cut down on hay to get her thin again!
I really don't understand some people, they can be so cruel without even realising (or caring?)!


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## Tia (27 November 2006)

I always feed ad-lib hay, whether the horse is in the field OR the stable.

I have been surprised when some people mention how little hay they feed their horses overnight.  I think most people understand the 2% bodyweight : hay ratio, but some seem oblivious.


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## OWLIE185 (27 November 2006)

It is cruel and bad stable management not to give hay overnight.


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## GinaGem (27 November 2006)

I used the same method to get the amount right with my mare - if i give her a bale of hay she eats some of it but the rest get trashed round the stable, if i give her half a bale she's hungry in the morning,  3/4 of a bale and she's happy.  She is prone to getting fat but i don't find hay makes a difference - it's rich grass that does it for Gem.  I wouldn't dare leaving her without hay overnight


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## GTs (27 November 2006)

You are meant to feed horses??


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## albert (27 November 2006)

a girl on a yard i was out, took her horse away for a few weeks training with a pro-dressage rider.

When she came back, he had told her not to turn the horse out at all and that it does not much hay, he said it would be fine if she only fed it at night so she only came down once a day rode feed and gave a small haynet, then he would get nothing for the next 24 hours, when we tried to tell her it was wrong, we were told that we dont know what we are talking about  and if the Pro can do it that way then he must be right.

Very sad, we used to give him hay but she moved yards in the end


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## Chumsmum (27 November 2006)

I am given different advice (from experienced people) on whether hay makes them fat. My pony is a good doer but is fine on the amount I give him in a small holed haynet - there is always some left in the morning. However, due to a back problem, my back lady told me to feed him on the floor.  However, he is racing through his normal ration in record time!  Can anyone recommend a way of feeding them on the floor but that slows them down  
	
	
		
		
	


	




   Or should I just feed him ad-lib - which would be a lot - he barely raises his head from the grass during the day! I know exercise is the best way to keep his weight down but I only can ride at weekends this time of year.  Any advice would be much appreciated


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## Vicki1986 (27 November 2006)

never heard of it and wouldnt do it. i am constantly despairing with my mare when she scoffs all her hay by 8pm, i plead with her to save some for the night but she refuses 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 !!


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## spotty_pony (27 November 2006)

I would never leave a horse for the whole night with no hay. I think this is cruel and could lead to colic as horses are trickle feeders and designed to eat little and often.


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## Bossanova (27 November 2006)

My family members in France dont feed hay at night, it seems fairly common place where they are and they have a very happy and healthy bunch of horses!!
I wouldnt do it personally, even real fatties should have a small section every few hours to keep the gut moving


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## JessPickle (27 November 2006)

I think they should have some at night pickle normally gets some hay in the afternoon then the YO gives him some at 9pm ish


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## MagicMelon (27 November 2006)

I think its terrible and cannot believe anybody would basically starve their horse overnight. It is bad for them, totally un-natural and awful for them mentally.

Personally, I ALWAYS leave too much hay in with them (if their stabled) just so they dont run out! Ive been having massive problems with a lami pony just now who has gone off lots of hay Ive been offering her (long story) and I was worrying so much she was going hungry that Ive ended up buying her Hi-Fi Lite as a full hay replacement - she gets a massive bucket of it overnight to amuse her. Bloody expensive way of doing it but I HATE to think my horses ever go hungry!!


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## ru-fi-do (28 November 2006)

OMG no hay! NO NO NO! This is a real bug bear of mine, horses should be trickle feeders. Where i keep my horse the women next door has got a 14hh section c, he comes in at 3pm and she gives him 4lb of hay to last all night til 8am the next morning and she can't understand why he is getting nasty with her when she puts his net in, he doesn't get a bucket feed and he is on restricted grazing! He hasn't got any weight problems, laminitis or anything. I went to check on mine at 8pm the other night and he has eaten all his hay, so the following day i told her and she said well there was strands in his bed so he would have eaten them if he was that hungary! 
Mine all have as much as they can eat.....


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## Nailed (28 November 2006)

i can think of one little horsie who is stuck in his box from 7pm til 6pm the next day with a small amount of hay which has been p'd on =o(
bless him
lou x


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## Oaksflight (28 November 2006)

Can't on earth see any advantages to not feeding hay at night. Fibre deficiences (although since they can't see whats blindingly obviously right for the horse, they're probably not feeding enough of anything, so lack of protein, carbs, etc!), they'll start eating their own bedding, colic, gastric ulcers, the list goes on and on!


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