# How do I check how much hay I should feed?



## little_critter (6 June 2011)

To make sure I'm not wasting the hay I already have can you advise whether I'm feeding too much hay at the moment?

Pony is 14.1hh, weighs approx 440kg and is out for 10 hours per day Easter to October so just needs a haynet when she's in overnight in the summer. 
In winter she's out approx 7 hours per day but for only 4 days per week, she's in all day the other 3 days so I'll definately need more hay in winter.

How do I calculate how much hay she needs? - she's eating everything I give her at the moment but I suspect that may be more than she needs (greedy cob!)

I was thinking to make the hay last longer I'll only feed her 'required' amount but double net it to make sure it lasts the night. 

The BHS website says feed 2.5% of your horses weight but how do you know what weight of grass they've eaten? 
Or do you ignore the grass and feed 2.5% hay / hard feed on top of whatever grass they eat?


----------



## Wagtail (6 June 2011)

I find that horses need around 3% of their bodyweight if not being turned out or don't have access to grass at all during the winter. This will maintain their weight throughout the cold months. I don't think horses should be expected to lose weight in wnter unless they are too fat. At the moment, my horses are having around 1.5% oftheir bodyweight in haylage despite being out 24/7. This is because the dry spring here in the East, has meant we have very little grass.


----------



## *hic* (6 June 2011)

You could try 2.5% of bodyweight, divided by 24, times the number of hours she's in. You also need to factor in what her body condition is like at the moment.

That's not how I do it, but then I've owned most of mine for a long time and am well aware of how much they need to keep their body weight reasonable. Luckily for most of them it's ad lib.


----------



## unbalanced (6 June 2011)

The 2.5% is for all the food they eat including grass, hay and hard feed. If they are poor doers you need to increase it a little and give ad lib hay. If your horse is fat you might have to decrease it but going down below 1% of bodyweight is dangerous and puts them at risk of something horrid (hyperlipemia?) when fat gets released into the bloodstream.
Anyway, grass does count and it's virtually impossible to measure. Mine is slim at the moment but prone to laminitis so I keep her on a scrub patch and put out hay simply so I can monitor what she eats. If you're happy with yours' condition then he must be eating about the right amount. If you want him to lose weight or you think there's a laminitis risk then it might not be a bad idea to either bring him in or onto a starvation patch just so you control what he eats. 
I swear my next horse is going to be a poor doer! It must be so lovely to be able to feed ad lib hay without worrying!


----------



## little_critter (6 June 2011)

Thanks all, both methods come out with about a 6.5kg haynet for the night.
I have no idea how heavy her nets are at the moment - I'll be weighing them tonight.

She's a pretty good doer - on the porky side of good so could do with losing a little weight but last time I tried to reduce her feed she went very flat on me so it was hard to get her slim through exercise because it felt like she had nothing to give.
I'm trying again but more gradually this time; a little less food and a little more exercise - gradually increasing the exercise.
I don't have the option of a starvation patch but she does always wear a muzzle when she's out.

We're going to camp for three days next week so that in itself should burn a good few calories (for both of us!)

I know I should have got her fitter before camp - that was the original plan but when for 2 weeks she felt like she had no energy I couldn't do much fittening work.


----------



## unbalanced (6 June 2011)

My vet insisted my pony loose 60 kgs last year (she's only 14.1) so I feel your pain! We did lots and lots of hacking. To be honest the best way to get the weight off is long slow hacks, lots of walking and trotting rather than fast work and schooling. Mine is naturally inclined to be quite lazy but with fitness work and schooling - it can be done. I think you will see a difference by the end of camp, definitely. 
Now I feed blue chip lami-lite which is really good and makes her look healthy and shiny without any fat. That's pretty much all she gets, now the grass has completely gone I put out hay to compensate but I spread it really thin to make her work for it. If her weight drops I give a little speedi-beet but otherwise I don't really feed and mine is in medium work.
Double netting your hay is an excellent idea. If your horse is out half the time then only give half the hay and a bit less than that to lose weight. Can you split the hay into two or more nets to put in different corners of the stable for more interest? Also, if you soak your hay for 24 hours it will take out a lot of the calories so your horse still gets her chew time and happiness but it will help with the weight loss. Two warnings though - you must change the water every day and tip it down a drain not on the yard as it is really horrid, like sewage water. Secondly it takes out the vitamins too so make sure you feed a vitamin supplement like equivite or a low calorie feed like happy hoof to replace the vitamins you're losing from the hay. 
And one last weight loss tip from my experience - check who is giving your horse treats! My horse pulls really cute faces when you give her something, begs nicely and will do tricks for food. None of these things help with dieting so I did have to put a note up on the stable door and speak to everyone on my bit of yard. I still use treats a lot when I'm doing groundwork because that motivates her, but now I give high fibre pony nuts (half a nut at a time) instead of those molassed treats I used to use, and at £7 for 20kgs instead of £2 a kg it works out much cheaper too!


----------



## RobinHood (6 June 2011)

Are you sure it worked out at 6.5kg and not 6.5lbs? 

All of our horses (40+) have all their nets weighed and only 2 horses get 14lbs (6.5kg), they are both over 16.2hh in hard work.

My 15hh connie gets 4lbs in the morning, 4 hours grazing and 8lbs (2kg) at night. The 13.2hh NF gets 1lb in the morning, 4hrs grass and 6lbs at night. Both have ad lib clean straw.


----------

