Free Feeding Hay..............

[A Yankee In NC]

Our so called pasture area is mostly scrub....

whilte our one mini does graze a bit he does not have much to graze upon.

Can I free feed hay or should I stick to giving him a flake 2x a day?

 

[Laura]

[SIZE=12pt]All of my horses in paddocks have free choice hay. Horses are grazers, so we let them do what's natural

I have found that horses who are used to individual feedings will stuff themselves for a while, until they realize it's going to BE there tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that. [/SIZE]

It also gives you a little more leeway on feeding times. If you're going to be late, you know he's not standing there hungry.

 

[Brandi*]

I give Melody free choice grass hay at night when she's not out in the big pasture. She never eats all of it but at least it's there if she wants it. I think that is especially important for horses that have a history of ulcers. They need food to keep their gastric juices at work.

 

[Marty]

Kinda hard to say; depends on your particular situation.

I'm pretty much in Lauras camp when I don't have ample grass I'm pretty generous with the hay as they are grazers and also as Brandi said to help keep the ulcers at bay. However I don't like waste so I don't put out more than they will clean up so I moniter it.

 

[Reble]

The only thing different in grazing and horse free feed, normally is the walking they do when grazing.

So if I give my minis hay in a dry lot like to spread it around thin so they have to walk and graze.

 

[dawnsminis]

Hi,

I agree with Laura...that's what I do.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

I think it depends too on the horse you are feeding. I have a couple here who can't be given free choice because they just get way to fat. For them I try to give them a bit less than free choice and LOTS more exercise. I have also got horses on the other end of the spectrum who I can feed as much as they can eat and they stay fairly slender just hanging around.

 

[Keri]

My horses get fed 2-3 times a day. They are show horses and need to be kept on a diet. You can free feed them fine, but make sure its in a nice big feeder. If not, they'll just waste it and you'll be forking out more cash.

 

[Carolyn R]

I give all of mine, except my stallion, free choice of hay. My stallion is a little chubby, so he gets several small servings of hay throughout the day. If I was to go out for the afternoon, then he gets free choice.

Carolyn

 

[maplegum]

free choice here too when not in the field. They don't make pigs out themselves either as they know there is plenty there. I panic if there isn't food in front of them

 

[barefoot]

I have done it both ways and I really really prefer the free choice 24/7. Plus my horses look better, have better attitudes. My big pony actually seems to loose that excess fat and looks leaner. I really believe they gorge if the food isn't there all the time. Now circumstances matter. I got really low on hay for awhile this early spring. So I fed as many smaller feedings as possible.

Now I spread a bale at a time. I spread it in sprinkles, takes me forever. They keep busy going from pile to pile, cause you know the next pile might have something better.

Emma