too long between feeds?

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arabianbaby

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Jul 12, 2005
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i'm concerned now that it gets dark so early my horses are only out grazing from 7am-4pm. they get grain/hay at 4 when they come in to stalls but of course it's all eaten quickly. i think it's too long to go all evening/night without food. i hate to pester my barn manager about stuff like this as there are 20 other healthy horses there and this is how she's always done things. i just want the best care for my babies though and don't know if it's unreasonable to ask for a late evening feed? what are the short/long term effects on a horse's health going that long between feeds?
thanks. :)
 
Having the last feeding at four is fine. It's not too long of a time to go without grain as long as they have hay.
 
ooops sorry. i meant to say they get hay at 4 as well as grain. but only a few flakes which at least one of my horses finishes within an hour. :S
 
Mine get a feed in the morning, grazing until about 6 or 7pm, then an evening feed. Jake gets three thick slices of hay on a night and Salsa gets four, and they have them in different places around the stable to keep them occupied, a slice in two haynets and the rest in a rack. Horses in the wild spend the majority of their time grazing, so I like them to have something to pick at for a few hours. Although, I personally think it's all eaten by about an hour after we've left because they're desperate for food in the morning. My RI likes to give enough hay that there is some left in the morning, but my lads are little dustbins and will just pig it because it's there, regardless of whether they really want it or not.
 
Mine are fed at about the same time as yours.

BUT.... I do like to leave enough hayledge to last until morning. Usually 2 large nets which hold a section from a big rectangular bale each. If I'm going to be late in the morning then I leave a 3rd net.

Sarah
 
IMO it's far too long to be without hay.

If you can't feed it ad-lib (enough to last overnight), is there any way you can slow down your horses eating so that it lasts longer that way? Small holed haynets (doubled up if necessary), putting hay in different piles around stable or giving another lot of hay late at night might work.

I do as Sarah described and put enough hay out (I feed it in a tubtrug from the floor) to last overnight. If I know I'm going to be late the next morning I put more out to compensate.
 
Ours are fed between 8pm and 9pm after we've ridden - but they have 2 large haylage nets to last them throughout the night - I'd never ever leave them without haylage - as they'd just start nibbling their beds! Plus its bad for them to go too long without something to munch on.
 
I agree with Bebe.We found Duchess was finishing her hay within an hour so we got a couple of large small holed haynet.Not only does it keep her occupied for longer but the hay lasts longer too.
 
Agree with Bebe & ElvisFan. Saff has ad-lib hay if she's ever in. Horses eat for up to 18 hours a day given the choice (forage, not hard feed/cereals), they're less likely to colic if their digestive systems are kept working. Using a haylage net or, as Bebe suggests, putting one net inside another, is a good idea.
 
arabianbaby said:
i'm concerned now that it gets dark so early my horses are only out grazing from 7am-4pm. they get grain/hay at 4 when they come in to stalls but of course it's all eaten quickly. i think it's too long to go all evening/night without food. i hate to pester my barn manager about stuff like this as there are 20 other healthy horses there and this is how she's always done things. i just want the best care for my babies though and don't know if it's unreasonable to ask for a late evening feed? what are the short/long term effects on a horse's health going that long between feeds?
thanks. :)
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I certainly feel it's too long. Can you not go up at 8pm-ish and give a last feed? Always better to divide a day's feed into three rather than two meals. Horses should not go for more than 8 hours without a source of food. If you can't arrange a late night feed you should be sure that your horse is given sufficient hay to last through the night. Difficult given the "gannet" propensities of most horses! The ideal amount of hay is enough that there is a tiny amount left in the morning - you have to experiment a bit. In my experience, for a big horse, you'd be talking about possibly 1/2 to 3/4 of a small bale for the length of time you are talking about at this time of year when there is little or no food value in the grass and if the horse doesn't have a hard feed breakfast.
 
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thanks for all the replies. i completely agree it's too long.. but wanted to make sure so i can approach my barn manager about it. i can't go at night as it's over an hour drive and once a day (midday) is all i have time for with work/family/etc. if i had my way i'd just move to the barn but my daughter isn't too keen. :p i'm worried about haynets especially since one has respiratory problems already.

i'd like to ask that mine get an extra couple flakes of hay later in the evening... problem is i know my requests aren't well recieved. like i said they have always done things this way and think it's fine. also there are 18 other boarders who seem to be fine with it. :S

i don't want to move my horses as they are one of the few barns even remotely close to me that has a pasture so they can graze and play with the other horses which i feel is so important. i am really happy with the barn except for the long stretch at night without hay and the lack of bedding which i'm also trying to work on (i put up another post about this).

if anyone has ideas on how to convince her or links to studies showing the effects of not having hay for that long i'd love it. i'm happy to pay more and always help with feeds/take in/etc when i'm there but don't think she's very open to individual feed/bedding routines.
 
arabianbaby said:
thanks for all the replies. i completely agree it's too long.. but wanted to make sure so i can approach my barn manager about it. i can't go at night as it's over an hour drive and once a day (midday) is all i have time for with work/family/etc. if i had my way i'd just move to the barn but my daughter isn't too keen. :p i'm worried about haynets especially since one has respiratory problems already.

i'd like to ask that mine get an extra couple flakes of hay later in the evening... problem is i know my requests aren't well recieved. like i said they have always done things this way and think it's fine. also there are 18 other boarders who seem to be fine with it. :S

i don't want to move my horses as they are one of the few barns even remotely close to me that has a pasture so they can graze and play with the other horses which i feel is so important. i am really happy with the barn except for the long stretch at night without hay and the lack of bedding which i'm also trying to work on (i put up another post about this).

if anyone has ideas on how to convince her or links to studies showing the effects of not having hay for that long i'd love it. i'm happy to pay more and always help with feeds/take in/etc when i'm there but don't think she's very open to individual feed/bedding routines.
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Could you come to a reciprocal arrangement with another owner so you feed hers when she'd not there and she feeds your when you aren't there? Make sure she is totally reliable and you both have each others phone numbers.
 
sidesaddlelady1 said:
Could you come to a reciprocal arrangement with another owner so you feed hers when she'd not there and she feeds your when you aren't there? Make sure she is totally reliable and you both have each others phone numbers.
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i've thought of this... problem is most other boarders don't go every day. it's a full board barn and i'm amazed how many people just leave their horses for days at a time thinking food is all they need. i'm not sure who goes at night since i'm usually there in the day but i'll definitely start asking around to see if anyone else goes regularly at night. the other problem is that the barn manager doesn't like people "doing their own thing" with her hay so i'd still have to clear it with her which is my biggest worry.
 
Not sure how much truth there is in this but I read somewhere that the longest a horses gut can cope without food is 4 hours - and longer than that and you get an upset in the gut flora.

Anyone know any more?
 
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