Trying to understand this No Hay thing,

[Frankie]

I have seen where a lot of people use no hay, or very little.

I am not questioning you, just curious. Hope this doesn't turn into a debate of right or wrong, not my intent.

But my questions are,

Did you switch your horse to just a complete feed and did the horses attitude change?

Do they get bored?

Is it easier if done as a foal?

Do you then offer more toys?

My thinking, especally those stalled by themselves, what do they do?

If you switched to this, what type of positive things did you see?

Are they never on pasture?

Just trying to learn.

Thanks in advance for responses.

 

[lyn_j]

[SIZE=18pt]No pastures here only dry lots....no stalls for most only run in sheds..... no boredom that I noticed. they graze at their bowls throughout the day....they get 6-8 cups twice a day. great attitudes here.... no complaints. Started using the complete 4 years ago ..... visit my web page and see if they look like deprived horses to you.[/SIZE]

Lyn

 

[cat_in_the_hat72]

I've been curious about this too. Does anyone put them on pasture? Do you feed like this year round or only during show season? If not how do you feed over the winter? Not that I have to worry about it anytime soon but sure helps to know whan the time comes.

 

[Erica]

LOL - I WISH!!!

I go through about 50 big round bales and 150 square in a year and I only have to feed hay to the "outside" (non show horses) Nov-March(ish)........then again I don't feed grain to anything besides weanlings(till they are a year old) - broodmares in last two months and month after foaling, and show horses......we have good pastures and excellent hay we bale ourselves and don't they just don't need it as they are grazing animals.

Got 50 acres of pasture and all my horses go out to pasture 24/7 - even show horses from Oct - April - now during show season of course they go up in the barn. If my broodmares, maiden mares, stallions get a tad chubby, no big deal - never had a problem with them being a bit fat, I like them that way, foal easy, get in foal easy......(My opinion)

Now during show season my show horses are on a "restricted" hay intake (not a NO hay diet)........but then again this is coming from someone who during off season and all the other horses are on FREE CHOICE all you want to eat forage and hay. Show horses get about a flake a day and then 4 cups of feed twice a day. They are fat and conditioned and sassy.

 

[minimule]

I used to not feed any forage at all. When I first got into minis, the people I bought my first one from fed alfalfa pellets and grain. It was easy to do, every body got their own amount. We don't have pasture, all dry lots. I will admit I had a lot more trouble with colic/impaction with just the pellets. Once I switched to feeding grass with a vitamin filled feed, no more colic issues.

We did a test with the aflalfa pellets. Since they are actually baked or dehydrated, they will soak up a lot of moisture. I know it is not a substantial amount but when you are only 28" tall and have a tiny stomach, if you've got something soaking up all your moisture.....YIKES! It leads to serious issues. Mine were all happy or at least seemed to be then but now I KNOW they are happy with their hay.

 

[Miniv]

Our kids have always been fed hay, year round.........granted we have some groups that get seasonal grass to munch on, and those groups don't get quite as much hay during the height of the grass growing season. Right now our grass pastures are pathetic, so everyone gets fed hay......... We just feel that horses are grazers and should be given stuff to munch on.

MA

 

[Frankie]

I am not questioning health or condition of the horses either way. We all do what works for us or what we have avalable.

I guess the main reason for my questions, is Mental Health, boredom. If experiencing boredom, would they or could they develope any type of bad habit, or get theirselves in trouble? We can make a guess as to that, but if you feed no hay, you would have the answer.

 

[kaykay]

i can only go by my own experience. i have seen horses that never get fresh hay (complete feed is hay is just compressed) imo they are not happy. Ive seen them at shows just go crazy when they see another horse get hay. To me its not a nutrition thing is like Frankie said a mental thing. Horses are grazers and like to chew. If you read articles on it they do cite a much higher incidence of ulcers and bad habits.

Kay

 

[whitney]

Here's an observation that I just recently had.

My 2 1/2 yr old gelding had a high fever and went off hay for a little over a week.

During that time he was getting timothy/alfalfa hay cubes, Gro N Win, beet pulp,

and wheat bran all soaked in warm water.

The belly that I thought was fat disappeared in that short a time.

My hay is short, young, green, grass hay, but I feed by others standards ALOT 2 flakes a day (I feel its insurance against colic).

So I've decided when I get ready to show I will put my guys on 1/2 flake of hay, beet pulp, hay cubes, and Gro N Win. I couldn't believe how much he tucked up.

 

[RJRMINIS]

Sorry I can't imagine a horse not having hay to munch on....................

Guess it is the farmgirl in me, No Hay---------------NO WAY!!!!! JMHO

Course hubby would probably like that idea, no bales to haul, no round bales to clean up after.... Not having to Listen to me complain when we get a bale that I won't feed! :lol:

 

[Jill]

Currently, I am feeding a lot of complete feed and am happy with the results. I have used it for a long time but now as a bigger percentage of their diet than previously. They all do get a small amount of hay at night. They spend A LOT of time playing and I have not noticed any boredom.

I'd like to point out as I have before, there's a wide range of fiber contents in different complete feeds! Some Senior complete feeds are as little as 14% fiber! Which scares me when it comes to feeding non-senior horses now that I think I'm learning more... What I'm feeding my adult horses right now is Purina Equine Adult, which is 25% fiber -- a huge difference from the senior feed I used to use.

 

[billiethekid40]

I found i didn't need to cut the hay completely out of my horses diet to get his "hay belly" to go down. I simply added MORE protein, and a filler, and reduced the hay significantly. My filler of choice was beet pulp. By the time the beet pulp was soaked it was a large amount, and filled him nicely for a couple of hours. He would then have a small amount of hay to munch on, not for the nutrition in it, but for the long-stem fiber and pass-time qualities. I give him much more hay in the winter, and I find that as long as he doesn't get "fat" all over, the so called "hay belly" he gets over the winter will go away within a few days/weeks of putting him on his show diet. He likes his winter hay, but he doesn't seem to mind not having as much in the summer. Now if he didnt have any hay at all... well, I wouldn't have a barn or fences either.

:

 

[lyn_j]

[SIZE=14pt]Also please remember that there is fiber and forrage in the feed.... THese feeds are DESIGNED to give a horse complete nutrition....I dont feel bad about not giving hay to the horses here. They are happy and healthy and in GREAT shape.[/SIZE]

Lyn

[SIZE=14pt]Also please remember that there is fiber and forrage in the feed.... THese feeds are DESIGNED to give a horse complete nutrition....I dont feel bad about not giving hay to the horses here. They are happy and healthy and in GREAT shape.[/SIZE]

Lyn

[SIZE=14pt]Also please remember that there is fiber and forrage in the feed.... THese feeds are DESIGNED to give a horse complete nutrition....I dont feel bad about not giving hay to the horses here. They are happy and healthy and in GREAT shape.[/SIZE]

Lyn

 

[minimama]

Count me in on the no hay side. I feed a complete feed. And then my horses go out to graze for aboug four hours a day. They ar enot bored and, if I put hay and the grain out, they do not touch the hay, they will eat the grain and walk away to go graze.

This whole thing for us started because we could not get consistent quality in our hay. One time it would be the most beautiful hay you ever saw, the next time all stem. Yuck. And the horses would not eat it. I was having fits and then talked to our feed guy, he said we should try a complete feed and see if we were happier. Haven't gone back to hay yet and that was two years ago now.

The horses get bored a bit when there is nothing in the pasture to graze on, but most of the time there is plenty out there and they are fine. Lots of toys and other horses to talk to over the fence.

 

[Marty]

Carolyn, ask yourself why anyone would not want to provide grazing because I don't understand that either.

What could possibly be the answer when God created the horse to be natural grazers to withhold hay/grass?

(except for a founder/illness case)

Why would anyone prevent them from doing what they were created to do is beyond me?

And if it's for the sakes of showing, then don't even go there.........

If you don't have good quality hay, boy, I understand that. Some years hay is so bad it makes me tear my hair out. So I road trip till I get good hay. Lots of time and gas. In Florida some years hay was impossible to get so we made road trips to Kentucky. If there is a storage problem, build a shed. If you are worried about hay bellies, get out and exercise them and do a part time dry lot but don't take away thier grazing rights.

I don't care who designed what complete feed.

God designed horses to be grazers.

 

[lyn_j]

[SIZE=14pt]My non show horses get the complete feed the others get sweet feed and forrage.... They "graze" their feed troughs as they would grass.... a little here and a little there. Here are some pics of horses that have spent the last 4 years on complete feed only.... how do they look to you?[/SIZE]

Fancy 9 months pregnant.

Bailey 4 months preg in this pic...

Sillouette also pregnant.....

Blue....breeding stallion durring breeding season..

This is the type of body I keep with only the complete feed....it is not a terrible thing!

Lyn

 

[Frankie]

I have seen many horses on just a complete diet, and I do admit they look very healthy. From the horses I have seen, know to be on just a complete diet, I can not argue that point.

My questions were concerning mental health and many have answered with their experience and I appreciate it. Not saying I could or would do it, but your responses have helped me to understand more.

 

[Frankie]

I have seen many horses on just a complete diet, and I do admit they look very healthy. From the horses I have seen, know to be on just a complete diet, I can not argue that point.

My questions were concerning mental health and many have answered with their experience and I appreciate it. Not saying I could or would do it, but your responses have helped me to understand more.

 

[coopermini]

Its obvious that some horses do exceleent on a complete feed. I think there are many factors that make a complete feed ration work. Just like anything it has to be done correctly. As pointed out earlier there is a major difference in the quality of the feeds and certainly programs need to be adjusted for individual horses. Lynn seems to have much success with a complete feed program but I bet she has done her homework and knows her horses and modifies each ones diet as needed. For her and many others it works.

We've all seen hay and grazing programs at other farms that work well and I bet everyone has seen some that don't work. Same story though you've got to know what your feeding, how much your horses need and when to change the feed to match the horses needs.

With that said a friend of ours works at a well know university at the equine center. They feed a very high grain ration with minimal hay. Colic is a way of life there! If there is a chance for a quiet weekend you know some one will colic, if the barn help is short or the vets are not availible you know some one will colic.

You would think they would modify thier feed program. Not a chance, they are very competitve on the show circut and heaven forbid anyone tell the trainers they are off a bit on the feed program.

 

[lyn_j]

[SIZE=18pt]We have been very blessed to have had only one colic and it was for a twisted intestine not a blockage.... in all these years. We do feed lots of the complete feed.... some as many as 12 cups per day. We have had poor quality of hay for sale for the past 3 years and found this ration to be the most regular and stable feed for our horses....We feed Legends Sr Complete.[/SIZE]

Lyn