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Discussion on Pasture and Hay combination
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Member:
Horse4u
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Posted on Wednesday, Aug 2, 2006 - 8:35 am:
Our horses are on pasture, but prefer the hay. The pastures are not in great shape, but the owner is working to improve them this year. It's green, but there are a lot of weeds and tough grass. I think by next year it will be much better as he is now rotating, dragging the fields etc. How much hay do you normally give a horse who is on substandard pasture? We ask that they get 2 flakes per horse AM and PM and I go out and give a flake mid day. In the past they would never leave the pasture for a mid day flake. In reality, sometimes they aren't even in the pasture, they are hanging out in the paddock area. 2 years ago, they would finish their morning grain, have a bit of hay and leave for the pasture. This isn't the case this year. The owner thinks I am over indulging them. Any suggestions? By the way, they are not overweight and a couple could stand to put on some pounds. I want to be able to approach him with facts not what I think. Many thanks!
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Member:
Horse4u
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Posted on Wednesday, Aug 2, 2006 - 10:52 pm:
Please give your input. I found out today that the horses are only getting one flake of hay in the AM & PM instead of 2. The barn owner would prefer I not give them hay in the afternoon, but I will, even if I have to pay extra for it. They had a flake at 5:30 and when I went out at 8PM the 4 horses were scrounging around for bits of hay and not showing any interest in the pasture. I left at 9 and gave them each another flake. They are not leaving any trash hay. I feel like I have to sneak around to make sure they get enough hay to supplement the poor pasture. It's more weeds than anything.
My other concern is that if they are bored and hungry they will start biting and/or kicking one another. We really don't want our horses to have bite marks all over them. The dominant horse is a lot bigger than the others and when he finishes his pile he chases off the others and eats their hay 
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Member:
Kathleen
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Posted on Wednesday, Aug 2, 2006 - 11:50 pm:
Vicki,
If they are getting nothing from the pasture, then 1 flake of hay twice a day is not enough for most horses. What reason did the barn owner give for not wanting to give more hay? When I was moving around the country and having to board, I would pay extra to get more hay given to my horses and they are Arabians and easy keepers. They need to have hay or pasture available at all times (unless they get too fat on it). One boarding barn actually had the horse owners convinced that it is normal for a horse to lose weight in the winter time and they all had a shorter girth for winter riding. Some of them will say anything to justify not feeding enough hay. Unfortunately, even if you have the facts about what a horse needs, it may not convince the barn owner. Maybe DrO can give you the right words to say to the owner to convince him/her. Good Luck.
Kathleen
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Member:
36541
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Posted on Thursday, Aug 3, 2006 - 3:05 am:
Vicki have the pastures been fertilized? Maybe you could take a soil sample in to your county extension office to have evidence for your landlord. It might be cheaper for the boarders to chip in on a load of fertilizer, of course the horses will have to be rotated off the field for one or two weeks depending on what you use and your rainfall. Can the field be bush-hogged for the weeds to allow the grass to flourish?
My horses rarely rarely choose hay over grass, and if they were thin I would certainly look at all aspects of their nutrition pretty carefully. Could they be getting shorted on grain too?
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Member:
Horse4u
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Posted on Thursday, Aug 3, 2006 - 8:05 am:
Thanks to both of you for your input. The reason he doesn't want to give them more hay is because he thinks the pasture is adequate. He is also trying to save money since he had to give extra hay during the spring while trying to get some decent pasture. I know he limed the fields, but he never bush-hogged or seeded. He is working on developing better pastures, but that won't happen this year because he got a late start. Perhaps next year will be better.
As far as grain, we buy our own so that's not a problem. My husband and I actually mix our own up and put it in bags. My horse is an easy keeper and doesn't get much grain at all. I add forage to it to make her "think" she is getting more and to keep her busy. She is very food oriented! My husbands horse is just the opposite. He is one of those "nervous" personalities and worries it off. The owner is rotating the fields, but like I said after a week or so, they have polished off most of the good grass.
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Member:
Scooter
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Posted on Thursday, Aug 3, 2006 - 8:31 am:
Hi Vicki, I have noticed my easykeepers polish off the flake of hay I give them at night. In the spring when the grass is lush they don't look at it. I would think if your horses needed more weight or are maintaining their weight, I would continue to hay them, as I don't think the pasture is as adequate in the late summer. Even mine are DrOpping a few pounds and they are on 10 acres of decent grass.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Thursday, Aug 3, 2006 - 9:12 am:
Vicki since we cannot examine your situation we cannot really offer concrete advice, we can only go on what you tell us. You are correct to look for the facts to support your position and you will find those facts in the appropriate articles on nutrition and condition scoring.
But the real problem is one of a difference of opinion between you and the owner of the property about the nutritional value of the pasture. I would be interested in photos of representative areas of the pasture, then perhaps we can give a more informed opinion of whether hay supplementation is advised.
DrO
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Member:
Banthony
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Posted on Thursday, Aug 3, 2006 - 10:20 am:
Being a big believers in roughage, we hay as much as the horses will eat without wasting. Our big pasture we don't hay at all because they won't eat it. The smaller pastures get a flake or two three times a day depending on how much they eat and how much they leave. I like to feed them enough that they leave a few strands. Then I know they had enough.
I have tried to hay the horses in the big pasture in the shade after I rinse them off - just to keep them out of the sun. But most of the time they leave it and go out to graze.
We don't really have much of a weight problem. We adjust the grain to control weight. I'd much rather feed hay for weight than feed grain.
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