which do you prefer?

[Shari]

No flip feed pans for the Vitamins. ( which doesn't stop Maggie from proudly flipping them upside down and then look at me to see if I notice

)

Hay is fed on the ground

Its just easier to show you my night pasture fence. It is 2 acres in size.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SZLFqG-7Bto/TLSjY7-DWcI/AAAAAAAADDY/P2NhvfE9Zis/s1600/nightpasturefencefinished.png

The shed in the night pasture is a 12 by 24' heavy duty anchored metal shed with a floor of packed 1/4- and rubber stall mats over that. They run free in the night pasture 24/7.

Water tank is properly grounded in the winter when I have a tank heater in it.

Pretty simple set up but it works.

 

[Matt73]

Great thanks for all the replies everyone!! I got some great ideas and info too!

I was wondering for those of you who's minis are out most of the time and not stalled.. I was wondering what kind of winter temps /how deep of snow do you get??

also do you not worry about coyotes and such?

My big horses stay out 24/7 and only come in for feed morning and night and in for storms, wet /cold weather, ice storms and such. but since getting the minis we've been stalling them all night.. worried about dangers of coyotes and such (even though they're paddock is DIRECTLY beside our house and behind us)

I also figure that the snow will be eventually too deep for them unless hubby plows a spot for them

I've been using Hay nets for the minis so far, I just tie it up fairly high and they 've seemed ok.. and they only eat a flake each in the barn at night. but I think after reading some of your posts about dust and hay bits being breathed in, I might look for a different solution. I guess I could keep an area of their stalls swept back and clean of shavings and feed them on the floor.

I've also been using the big rubber dishes and am pretty happy with them.

You can just drop the hay on the shavings. I've ridden/been around horses for a long time and at every barn that Ive been to/ridden at/worked at uses shavings (including most A Circuit barns) hay is just thrown in the stall on the shavings. What's the hang up about not throwing hay on shavings? Just curious.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Without having read the other replies:

for grain-

those round rubber tubs that sit on the ground, mangers, buckets hung up or other??

Our three stalls are all attached to a central, elevated feed room so the only practical way to feed grain is from hanging buckets we can reach from the feed windows. My boys think rubber pans are play toys and scatter their grain by flipping them which sort of wastes those expensive meds several of my horses need and gets the dishes dirty so I avoid them when possible.

Hay-

hay nets with small holes (tied up high of course) , hay racks, something home made, mangers?

I feed on the ground in stalls- always! Hay racks have got to be the most idiotically-designed, unnatural way to feed ever invented. It's no wonder stalled horses fed that way have respiratory problems!

for barn floors-

dirt with mats, cement with mats, Wood floors, other?

We have dirt floors with mats and the mats are always getting messed up. I don't like stalling on concrete but I think if the mats were thick enough I'd try it! I think my preference would be graded subfloor with sand and gravel for drainage topped with mats.

fencing/pastures-

metal posts with many strands of wire, many strands of poly rope, cattle fencing, pens etc?

My absolute favorite is white vinyl board fencing. So pretty, easy to maintain, strong, the horses don't chew it...I'd kill to have my pastures fenced with that stuff! It's pricey though so we currently have no-climb horse fence strung between wood posts and the gates are those swinging farm panels. When we only had big horses we had no-climb around the perimeter with hot wire above it to prevent stretching and marked hot wire fences between the paddocks and as gates but that didn't work to keep the minis separated. They do rub on the no-climb so it's not ideal but a strand of hotwire at the right height would take care of that.

how large do you prefer your mini dry lots to be?

As large as possible!

how large do you prefer you pastures?

My pastures are practically dry lots. I only have a couple of small grass areas I can turn them out in (fenced driveways, the yard, etc.) and even with only a couple of hours on them a day or two a week they are grazed down to almost nothing. I hand-walk my horses to the neighbor's nice pasture to graze when I can.

general Care-

How many hours a day are you Miniatures not stalled?

24

how many times a day do you feed? (Hay & Grain)

Two complete meals with hay and grain, a late night snack of hay only and I'll often throw them more hay during the day when the weather's bad.

 

[Kim~Crayonboxminiatures]

Great questions!! It's so interesting to read.

for grain-

I use the round 8 quart plastic pails, I can color code them for each horse (matches halter, etc), it's the easiest way to get all the supplements to the right horse, and easier to carry out to the pasture when they are out 24/7.

Hay-

Outside I have a hay feeder for the mares, it's intended for cattle, but I love it, has a plastic bottom and metal dividers so they have to put their head in. I also use big plastic water tubs, like 40-100 gallon size so they can move the hay around but not pull lots of it out. In the stalls I just put it on a clean corner on the ground dirt/stone floors.

for barn floors-

Dirt or stone (don't like the kind of stone I have, it's fine ground mixed with big peices, my dad got it for me, not what I had envisioned).

fencing/pastures-

Wooden posts with woven wire, right now it's big squares 4"x4", but hope to get it replaced soon with smaller squares, and cattle panels divide some of the pens.

how large do you prefer your mini dry lots to be?

Right now I have one that is too small, and one that is a good size. Big enough they can run in it.

how large do you prefer you pastures?

Right now I have about 1/2 an acres divided into two pastures and dry lots, it's a good size, but I only have 4 Miniatures. A 3 acre pasture was more than 3 mares/foals could keep after on 24/7 turn out. I would probably say an acre, but I would divide it.

general Care-

How many hours a day are you Miniatures not stalled?

Until it gets really cold and the water buckets start freezing, or over foaling, they are out 24/7 with run in sheds, other wise they are stalled about 12-14 hrs (overnight).

how many times a day do you feed? (Hay & Grain)

I just recently started feeding hay 3 times a day, they get grain (pellets) twice a day, but supplements only in the evening.

 

[Raine Ranch Minis]

for grain-

I don't feed grain, I feed Strategy. Anyway I use hanging buckets.

Hay-

Outside we have a round bale and a hay ring around it. In the stalls I feed it on the ground.

for barn floors-

Dirt with shavings. I would LOVE

concrete floors and mats, but that won't happen right now.

fencing/pastures-

Hot Fence = T posts and wire

how large do you prefer your mini dry lots to be?

I don't have any , but would love some.

how large do you prefer you pastures?

Mine is about 14 acres. I only have six on it right now and I live in MS so we have a LOT of grass. We are fencing in a area for our stallion. Would be great if we could fence off more.

general Care-

How many hours a day are you Miniatures not stalled?

They are out in they day ( unless bad weather ) and are stalled at night.

how many times a day do you feed? (Hay & Grain)

I feed twice a day Hay and Feed. Once in am and once in pm.

 

[chandab]

Great questions!! It's so interesting to read.

for grain-

I use the round 8 quart plastic pails, I can color code them for each horse (matches halter, etc), it's the easiest way to get all the supplements to the right horse, and easier to carry out to the pasture when they are out 24/7.

I color coordinate too, it does help with keeping everyone's feed straight. Although, I used colored electrical tape to mark all my "dishes", then I dump into feed pans in their stalls. It has helped, although, most of my minis get pretty much the same feed, I do have a couple that get supplements, and two get grass hay pellets instead of alfalfa pellets.

 

[Thinking small]

which do you prefer for your Miniatures? if you want to share pictures of what you have that is home made that would be great!

for grain-

those round rubber tubs that sit on the ground, mangers, buckets hung up or other??

The grain goes into flat backed fortiflex buckets.. i have the same brand bucket holders so it keeps them on tight, mind you i pull buckets after grain is done anyways.(saves on wear & tear of buckets)

Hay-

hay nets with small holes (tied up high of course) , hay racks, something home made, mangers?

The heavy rubber round fortiflex tubs, it keeps the hay slightly under control plus they make great toys

for barn floors-

dirt with mats, cement with mats, Wood floors, other?

Were dirt with the rubber mats here. Should add we use shaving as bedding in addition to the mats.

fencing/pastures-

metal posts with many strands of wire, many strands of poly rope, cattle fencing, pens etc?

Wood posts with graduated page wire fencing. It's graduated to help reduce the smaller dogs from sneaking in... notice i said "reduce"

how large do you prefer your mini dry lots to be?

No such thing here.

how large do you prefer you pastures?

Couldn't tell you exact sizes of them, decent.. well plenty of space to run, graze etc

general Care-

How many hours a day are you Miniatures not stalled?

24 hours, they are free to go in/out of their barn 24-7.. we only separate(stall) during grain times.. which of coarse isn't very long.

how many times a day do you feed? (Hay & Grain)

Their grained twice, morning and evening .. hay is given in the morning more added at night feed if necessary.

Thanks! Will be interesting to see everyones input!

 

[Thinking small]

Great thanks for all the replies everyone!! I got some great ideas and info too!

I was wondering for those of you who's minis are out most of the time and not stalled.. I was wondering what kind of winter temps /how deep of snow do you get??

also do you not worry about coyotes and such?

I'm also in Canada, the snow level varies.. i couldn't tell you exact amounts since some years it's tons, others practially nothing.. temps were awful last year so many -25 and below days but the horses like to be out since they have access to their barn their not without shelter.. we don't blanket either, i do have "coolers" that i will put on them during a night grain to dry them off but otherwise they resemble little yaks already... seriously their coats are several inches thick.

As for the coyotes and wolves... their here last i saw one was last fall, we usually only hear them as we have a huge gravel pit out behind us with almost a small lake they stop to drink at... my barn/pasture combo is quite close to my home... and we have a fenced area the dogs go out into, their in/out throughout the night and would go off if something were to be hanging about near the horses.

I won't lie and say i'm 100% confident however the horses really do not like to be shut in, were not the only ones with horses out 24/7 either our neighbours a couple houses up leave their 2 full size horses out to. I think if i were to start seeing them frequently i may adjust things but for now i can count on one hand how many i have seen and we've lived here a long time(almost 20yrs) again their mostly heard and not seen here.

 

[wingnut]

In my area of Maryland, our average yearly snowfall is around 30". Of course, we did have *3* blizzards last year with each averaging about 25" of snowfall. Because these were blizzards, with harsh winds and a storm that lasted over the course of an entire 24 hour day, we kept them stalled for the duration. It was also our first winter as horse owners, so we took our cues from the horses as much as anything. Most days, they didn't seem phased at all by the cold temps. Our hard-keeper did wear a blanket frequently because she doesn't get the same uber-thick yak hair coat as the younger three. We would stall her specifically on rainy days because she would get wet and then cold and we didn't have waterproof blanket (we do now). We learned that they will show us if they are cold.

As far as temps go, we generally range in the mid-30's to the mid-40's. There's higher and lower days thrown in obviously. When we know it's going to be <30 degrees (F), we would stall them. This year, I bought the highly recommend Kensington blankets for everybody, so the younger three can spend some of their day outside. Wind is a big factor too. If it's cold but the winds are calm, it's not as necessary for us to protect them as much.

 

[Rebecca]

for grain-

I use a bucket for one and a round rubber feed pan for another, who makes a mess out of buckets!

Hay-

Eat it off the ground. It's natural.

If trailering/at a show for the day, hay bag with hole in front.

for barn floors-

Concrete floors with rubber mats, shavings/wood pellets for bedding.

fencing/pastures-

Wooden fencing

general Care-

How many hours a day are you Miniatures not stalled?

From the time they eat breakfast (around 6 am most days) until they eat dinner (6 pm ish) This is an average. During the summer on nice nights they are out 24/7, and in winter or rainy weather they are in.

how many times a day do you feed? (Hay & Grain)

Hay 3x a day, grain 2x a day.