Trying to understand this No Hay thing,

[whitney]

I'm jumping in here.

Can complete feeds work YOU BET THEY CAN.

I have experience with both types of feeding.

I'm a hay feeder by choice, but I have a situation where hay DOES NOT WORK!

My 33 yr old Q.H. mare has lost the ability to chew her hay. She has been on Wrangler Complete for 10 YEARS, within the last 2 years I've included beet pulp, & wheat bran. She has not coliced (knocking on wood here). And she is FAT in fact I need to pick Robin Cs brain to help me fix this.

I do believe lack of hay creates boredom, but my mare is still able to chew a wad of hay and spit it out so she is still busy.

I also think if you keep the horses in a run in type situation with metal everthing you shouldn't have barns and fences to fix.

 

[Wally]

These dry lots are news to me! No grass on them????

How big are they?

It's just if I put my hill bred ponies into that sort of situation quite a few of them would be making it their life's work to find something to do, like taking things to bits to see how they worked! They'd have a tunnelling committee set up in 5 minutes and you'd see them shuffling about with their hands in their pockets emptying dirt down their trouser legs! :lol: :lol:

Our lot get several hundred acres of hill land to roam about on, bogs and high hill land, sometimes with access to the beach where they eat seaweed. It can be a pain when you can't find them when you want them.

So you guys feed no hay and just a mix?

 

[Marty]

Hello Wally, a dry lot is an area without any grass. It can be any size. I didn't understand it either when I first got into minis until they were so fat that they were on the verge of founder, I thought anyway. And I did not have a dry lot. I am heavy into very good rich grazing pastures here.

But now I understand it. Those bellies can lead to founder easily especially in the spring time when the grass is all new and so very rich.

By having a dry lot avaiable, I can adjust thier grazing time in the field of grass, and then bring them into the dry lot part of the time, where I can put some hay in there for them and toys, swimming pool etc and moniter just how much hay they eat. That way, they no longer will get obese. They still will be on the plump side and that's fine with me, but they will not be in any serious danger of grass founder.

Also dry lots are used to keep mares off of fescue grass during thier last 90 days prior to foaling to hopefully avoid any fescue toxidity and red bag deliverys.

I do feed grain also plus hay.

I hope I explained it good for you.

 

[minimama]

If you think about the grazing horse, and God's grand design (I do not mean that sarcastically), then really we are doing the horses a great diservice by even feeding them. They should be allowed to just graze and find their own food like God planned for them.

Truth is, we have domesticated the animal, their digestive tract is not the same as the wild horse anymore, close but not exact, and as long as they have some type of forage they do quite well. Complete feeds have forage in them. Built in for just this reason. And for some people, me included, it is a very good option to have.

 

[Sanny]

Our lot get several hundred acres of hill land to roam about on, bogs and high hill land, sometimes with access to the beach where they eat seaweed. It can be a pain when you can't find them when you want them.

So you guys feed no hay and just a mix?

Just had to jump in here and say Wally...this is all I know about your "set up" and I am SO JEALOUS!

can we all come live with you?? Your horses/ponies/minis must be in heaven.

 

[HGFarm]

I have always fed hay. I tried just pellets once with the Minis when I first got into them - and had a mare get impacted. No roughage. After a big vet bill, and almost losing her.... never fed just pellets again. Feed a mix.............

 

[minimama]

Feed what works for you and your horses, there is no pat answer in this.