Trying something new(to me)

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

I haven't been posting much lately, my husband has been unemployed since the beginning of October so I've been enjoying my time with him and we've been gone from home most days. Today tho I have some time while my bread rises so i thought I'd share a bit. This year I am trying a whole new way of feeding my horses. I have had minis for nearly 12 years now and always sided with those who believe that their diets should be monitored and weighed to prevent obesity, which we see a lot of around here. This year I decided that I needed to have a more relaxed attitude and since I know how long it takes for my horses to eat the weighed out portion in a hay net I choose to allow them access to feed for that length of time rather than weighing it first. I started that way and then life got a bit hectic and they were on the hay for longer and longer until they were on all day(14hrs) and off all night (10 hrs) I was surprised to find that my bale actually lasted longer than when I was weighing it, and the horses were not getting terribly fat and began to act more like horses and less like their entire lives revolved around food. Just before Christmas I extended the experiment to all day and all night. The hay is netted to slow them down but horses who I would have sworn would never walk away from food or spend time playing when they could eat are proving me wrong. All of the horses are more relaxed, more interested in interaction with each other and me and best of all not putting on huge amounts of weight. I don't know if this will be the case as spring approaches (we have pretty cold winters so more feed is always needed in winter) but for now both I and my horses are happy with this new arrangement.

 

[supaspot]

if they are kept short of food then the seem to become obsessed with it and gobble it as fast as possible with an "eat while you can attitude" , my minis have grass all day and hay all night they are a little over weight but not obese , Ive never had Laminitis or any other weight related issues

 

[Brody]

I have had the same experience as you this past year. After I got reading some different nutrition blogs and books based on natural horse care (trying to create an environment that mimics the wild as close as possible), I read several places that giving them 24 hour access was better for their digestion (as they can graze), and that they eat less. According to what I read this is also true of pasture time - if you limit pasture time, then they go crazy binging when they have access to the pasture.

Like you, I gradually decided to give it a try - and the horses are eating less. They have constant access to hay in a feeder (not a slow feeder, just a regular feeder). Previously, when I measured their food by weight, I would feed a bale of hay every 1 1/2 days. Now, with constant access to the hay the bale lasts 2 to 2 1/2 days.

I did have a bit of an issue with weight loss about a month ago (posted on here about it), but that definitely wasn't due to no access to hay. I added in some bran mash supplement and alfalfa pellets, and now everyone is in great shape. Vet was out for routine visit a couple weeks ago, and actually commented that he hadn't seen a gelding in as good as shape as mine (for his age, 18) - which made me very happy. Mine have always been a bit overweight, and I could never get it off. Well, free access to hay has done the trick.

One last thought, while I also did free access to pasture (before winter hit and there was still food for them in the pasture, I only gave them free access starting mid summer, as the spring grass is too moist and can definitely cause laminitis, founder, and all sorts of issues. So, in spring I still give free access to the dried hay, and let them out for a couple hours of binging on the sweet fresh grass.

 

[AnnaC]

Well done to those of you trying/using this more natural approach to feeding. It is a well known (and proven) fact that horses given free access to their main fibre food (be it hay or grass) will eventually regulate themselves and their intake will fall back to a natural trickle feeding approach instead of the 'binge/gobble it down quick' method of eating. Many cases of colic can be avoided by using the more natural way of feeding. However it is also important that horses have enough space to play, chase, interact, take or be given exercise on a daily basis alongside their chosen trickle feeding times.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

I would have argued that it was unsafe to feed as I am now and that those of you who do would be forced to change your approach if you lived in a different area but ...yes, it seems that this works well for my horses and it feels better to feed this way. I have always known that horses need to trickle feed in theory but felt that was not doable with minis. Seems I was wrong (Hallelujah!!!) and while there may be horses who will not ever self regulate I am inclined to think they are not so common. I have at least one gelding who I have been very strict with because he is inclined to be fat around his middle, across his back and develop a cresty neck. Imagine my surprise to find that even he has not gained large amounts of weight. In fact his neck crest is no where to be seen so far. As far as giving them free access to pasture I may yet try that since I have large pastures with varied terrain that includes trees and hills, rocks, dry and wet spots etc. and they tend to move about alot. Of course, laminitis/founder is a concern in this area when spring grass is lush and full of sugars so like you Brody I would not even consider turnout full time on spring grass (nor would I with a full sized horse actually). AnnaC, I agree that space is important, not everyone has room enough to really let their horses romp but since we live on over 200 acres and have minimal livestock I have not been inclined to stint on pasture/paddock size. My horses have plenty of room to stay out of each others space if they don't get along and can run as fast as they like without risk. That helps them stay mentally sound too IMO.

 

[Max's Mom]

I have noticed this recently, too. My horse is boarded, so I have less control over feeding than I'd like. Because he gets fat easily, I got him a nibble net, but for a long time the barn owner would put only a small flake in at a time, and then ration out another small flake in the early afternoon and a slightly bigger one at night. Even with the nibble net, he'd consume that hay quickly, then gobble up the next round whenever it came (which was unpredictable- sometimes as long as 8-10 hours later.) After one of the other horses died of colic, I asked if she could keep more hay in the nibble net, and got him another one for his stall. I didn't want him waiting for so long, and since it was winter I thought he needed more hay. And here's the great thing: Now he always has some hay left, he doesn't seem to obsess on getting fed, and he is not gaining weight. And he doesn't seem to be eating much more overall.

It seems like when he doesn't know when the next meal is coming, he feels like he needs to eat everything in sight while he has a chance. When he knows that there will always be hay, he doesn't have to worry about it and can eat when he's actually hungry!

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

depends on the horse. My 30" gelding will have the same amount of hay as my 32" mare but it lasts him twice as long. Yes he's smaller but he eats much slower, she eats twice as fast so puts away twice as much food and gets twice as big. So she has to be monitored. Last year I tried the free 24/7 access to her and she got morbidly obese.

 

[sfmini]

We have always fed this way, that's how horses are fed so we fed them like horses. People were just shocked when we went to horse shows and gave everybody large flakes of hay telling us what a big mistake that was. Really? Funny, been working for years. Always did amaze me that others felt compelled to come tell us what we were doing wrong with our horses when they didn't know us from adam.

Their horses blow up on hay from gas because they aren't used to getting enough, ours don't, this is the everyday fare and is healthiest.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

I honestly believe that the gradual increase helped my horses get past their need to over eat. In the past they too showed every sign of being un-inclined to stop eating...ever... and weight gain was a constant problem, and in the beginning they did seem like they were going to explode but it has only taken a few months to see them level out and they aren't gaining huge amounts as I feared they might. I trust other people to find their own way to feed and am not suggesting this is the only 'right' way to feed, I just know it is working for me and I am happy to know my horses are more content and have food in their stomachs to buffer the constant flow of acid they produce.

 

[AngC]

I'm loving this topic also! (...along with the Paddock Paradise topic.)

There are so many variables... lushness of grass, lushness of hay, etc. etc. etc.

A couple comments, with the caveat that all three of ours are probably too fat. [Or maybe not??? ...still trying to figure that one out; we had lots of rain in the past couple days and seeing them rain-wet, with hair all plastered down, I think I might be doing better than I thought I was.]

Nicky, our grandpa stallion, is apportioned more hay at once, than the two girls. But he stops eating. He saves some for later. (...and/or wastes it, but he does seem to have a food regulator.) Our two girls rarely walk away from hay. They actually did so today, but only because (and I speculate) I had kept them confined to their stalls/mud lot for over 24 hours because it's been so rainy. Hallelujah! The girls actually left their portion of hay in the stall and went out for a run first.

We feed hay four or five times per day; I've been trying to portion it out across as long a period of time as I can stay awake. I do have a nice webbed net for the girls, but I don't like to use it unless I'm outdoors and keeping an eye on them. It took Baby two sessions with the Nibble-Net to cram her head down into it and wear it on her head, which scared the heck out of me. I think I'd rather have fat than choked to death.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

My nets could not get hung up on the horses heads at all. They are closed much like a draw string bag once they are filled and there are just no holes big enough for head (or feet for that matter which is my big worry).That includes the net that encompasses a round bale when I use that.

I feel like I have to say too that my horses will not look like they are ready for the show ring when spring comes. I would need to put them into daily exercise to 'fit' them and build muscle but I also don't believe they will need to be dieted at the same time they are being worked to get their weight back to a reasonable point. If I work my fingers down into the thick winter coats I can just feel their ribs under their flesh (not as in ribby but not lost in fat either) and I am looking forward to spring (of course lol) and seeing them without the hair for my final judgement on this experiment. I was speaking to a group of other mini owners in this area about trying this way of feeding and got some pretty shocked responses. I hope to be able to demonstrate to them that it can work and the horses are better off for it too.

 

[AngC]

My nets could not get hung up on the horses heads at all. They are closed much like a draw string bag once they are filled and there are just no holes big enough for head (or feet for that matter which is my big worry).That includes the net that encompasses a round bale when I use that.

Not sure what you are using. I looked at something similar (looked like a duffle bag with drawstring at top) at our local co-op. The "netting" material looked too flimsy--similar to the string they use to bale hay around here. I didn't buy that one.

I'd like to clarify... Baby didn't cram her entire head in the nibble-net. ...just the end of her nose so the upper part of the webbing was near her eyeball level (which makes me wince; no more eye injuries wanted here!) I measured and analyzed everything to death before selecting a product and before filling it/hanging it. The first time I hung the net in the girls' stall, Baby marched right up and started batting it around with her nose; in the process scaring the be-jibbers out of her dam. The second use, I watched until the girls got started and then just left the stall for a few tiny minutes--my bust. When I returned Baby had used her front hooves to climb up on the nibble-net and poke her head/nose in from above. (I ordered the smallest size with 1.25-inch openings between the mesh so no hoof-hang-up, luckily.)

I don't know; perhaps I'm paranoid or just really unlucky. I like to err on the side of caution. So for now, the girls only get the nibble-net when I can spy on them.

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

My two are definitely thinner this year i think - and its Jan so i normally don't look for loss until now (the weather here never gets very cold until about now) so i'm expecting them both to drop even more. I've been actively feeding more but less - i mean i give a slice of hay to do them all night at about 8 or 9pm, rather than a pulled bit off a slice at 4pm and the rest of that slice at 11pm. They also get a lower cal chaff and less hard-feed but its a higher protein one than last years.

 

[SpringFlowers]

I'm new to the board, but not new to reading it.

Just new to being able to reply.

Anyway, I had tried something like this before, and couldn't get my mini to quit overeating, but, it did teach me that such tiny feedings that is always suggested, just makes them scarf it all down faster, which in turn makes the hay belly and a food obsessed horse. So, my approach now, is I still weigh out the hay, but way more than I use to give, and there is always a tiny bit left by next feeding. I also dropped the feed amount, I was giving by half, but added soaked beet pulp. What I've ended up with, is a mini that is more satisfied. Actually, will eat some, then go and rest some, instead of staying at the feeder all day long, and she isn't any bigger or fatter than she was when I was weighing out a tiny amount. She even will go play, when she didn't use to do that even.