Intro to two new rescues and myself

[Boss Mare]

Welcome!

 

[Lil Eowyn]

Hi! I'm, new here too (since yesterday) Thank you for sharing =)

 

[DJF Miniature Show Horses]

Flying W Farms Little Crescendo is a showhorse. Komoko and Bond bloodlines are in several world champions. I owned a son of Crescendo. He was a sensational driving B mini (36.50 size) He has a Hall of Fame in country pleasure driving and all stars. He is 16 today and still kicken butt

Your Rusty has got some nice foundation blood there. He is related to several of my showhorses. Cookie is also very nice. Congrats to you on rescuing them also. Big hug

 

[DJF Miniature Show Horses]

Oh forgot! Purina miniature horse feed at 1/4 pound servings twice a day for each horse. Good grass hay.

 

[Merogsrha]

Thanks to the new welcomes and hellos

Marty - Fear not, manes and tails are being grown at the moment. While, come spring/summer, I may still roach Rusty's mane

DJF - THANK YOU for the insight to Rusty's bloodlines! I never would have known he had some champions back there! I know Rusty was used as a stud for several years in one of his (who knows how many) homes. He was gelded late, thats for sure, and still thinks he is Mr Stud He needs to learn some manners, and how to pick up his feet without a fight (complete with full hearted kicking attempts), but I think he will come out OK. I know he needs to be put to work to get into better shape! He needs to loose about how much poor Cookie has to gain!

Cookie is a beaut- I cant wait to see her come spring when she sheds that wooly coat! I *think* she may have a beautiful, petite little head under all that hair! I've got a long ways to go with her weight-wise though! I would dare rate her between 1-2 on body scale - but she may be a 3. It is hard for me to pin down a more precise number without having any visual on her with the hair - but by feeling, I can feel her spine, hips, shoulders, sternum, whithers easily. Tomorrow I will be picking up some grain for her (with a teaser taste for Rusty ), and will be picking up another load of hay sometime this weekend (still several bales left).

I have a question for you, and others in general as far as hay goes. I know there a lot of problems with answering hay related questions due to the variety in locations, etc. So, all I am looking for is a general answer. I am currently feeding just "normal" good grass hay from Upstate NY. I have never fed the "correct" amount of hay, thanks to my grandfathers "they can never be too fat" approach, our riding horses had hay in front of them 24/7 it seemed, especially in the winter. Wasnt uncommon to go through a bale - bale and a half a day between two small (under 14.3h) riding horses. Rusty and Cookie are currently sharing an oversize stall with "tie out time" for the time being (fence is still in the works - not a lot of notice and I was not previously set up for any sort of livestock ) They nibble on what is left of the grass, though I know that has little to no nutritional value. They aren't tied out a long period of time, about an hour while I do all the chores and a thorough stall cleaning/rebedding etc. I l ive in Northern NY, where night time temps are starting to creep awfully close to single digits. Day time has been up to low 30s. I give them about 4 flakes (2 in each hay feeder) in the AM before I leave for work, another 2 (1 in each) when I get home in the afternoon, and then another 4 in the evening with chores. I have a gut feeling that this is likely too much for overweight Rusty, and either not enough, or close to right amount, for underweight Cookie. And opinions?

I AM currently trying to figure out a way to get a roomy tie stall for Rusty built inside the "oversize stall" where he can learn some patience and manners, and allow for regulated hay and easier to observe individual intake (I may have previously noticed Rusty pushing Cookie away from the hay racks at times.) Grain will be started slowly tomorrow afternoon (Likely the Purina or the "personalized" feed of my co worker who has rehabed MANY staved horses and donkeys)

 

[Merogsrha]

Forgot I took a quick video of Rusty, trying to get him to move the day after he got here I believe. Nothing fancy, funny, or anything like that... just me kissing to him to try and get him to trot (I highly doubt he had any "formal" training) on camera... and a funny butt shot (I think I was going for a rear view conformation angle, but he moved off). Dont be too harsh LOL

http://youtu.be/Qbg-4xAsSvc

 

[happy appy]

I normally give 6 flakes in the morning, 4 flakes at 2 pm and 6 flakes at 8 pm. I have 7 minis and one donkey in the group. I have them outside in paddocks beside the house with run in sheds over night. I feed with slow feed hay feeders that I have made myself. I find that they just finish the last of the hay about 1.5-2 hrs before the next hay is coming. This system works very good for me. Now in the beginning I did weigh the hay to see what the daily requirement was for the group but now I just eyeball it and everyone seems to be doing great. I'm at work for the last feeding of the day so I have the hay set out for the kids to feed for me.

 

[Merogsrha]

Happy Appy, Sounds like our general feeding schedule is the same and alike; except Quanitity per animal I am searching for hubbys old fish scale to weigh some flakes to see what they average out to be - to be honest I have never in my life weighed a flake or seen anyone weigh one- so that aspect is all new to me. I AM looking into the slow feeders now that I know of their exhistence! I see the thread that originated a few years ago just got bumped to the top, and I have been reading and reading

Just came in from my evening check - Rusty is on his first night of being tied- I tripled enforced the hay mangers I crafted, and witnessed him putting them to the test while I was out there - they werent budging. Looked like Cookie finished 3/4 of her hay, and Rusty 90% of it. He was very sure to let me know he was NOT thrilled with this idea of mine! We shall see what he thinks of me in the morning