In this forum I keep reading that you suggest free-feeding hay 24/7 if pasture is not available. Can you make any suggestions on how this is possible? I work so my horses get fed in the morning and again in the evening, as most "hobby-horse" people do. A lunchtime "hay-meal" is out of the question. Also, mine tend to gobble up whatever is put down immediately so if I were to put more than 2 sq. at a time I feel sure they'd stand there and hog it down, then its gone w/in an hour and they go all day, immobile with all that hay in their bellies?! Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Kelly

Where are you from? VA

How did you locate this forum? searching

Hi Kelly,

You're right -- at first, if you were to leave, say a bale of hay out in the morning, it would all be gone very quickly.

But, horses have the ability to self-regulate if given the chance. The reason they overeat at first is because they are not relaxed enough to simply walk away. They fear that if they do, the hay will be gone.

But, if horses are given all that they want, eventually (a week for most, sometimes longer for some, and in several cases I've seen, within 2 days), the horse will relax enough to walk away, rest, bend a leg, and then come back to the hay later. This is because he knows that it will still be there if he leaves it for a while.

Feeding hay or other forage at set times is completely against the horse's natural way of eating. Horses are trickle feeders and therefore, need to graze and chew throughout the day. This protects their digestive tract against ulcers. And, feeding hay in such a way where hours go by in between feedings, can cause colic. I've seen this happen time and time again where horses "bolt" down their hay because they are so anxious to have something to eat.

So, if you were to put enough hay down in the morning, so that there is hay left over in the evening when you return, you've fed enough. (Water nearby is a must when feeding this way!)

Yes, at first they will overeat. The "hay belly" you describe is not fat. It's gas -- fermentation gas from the bacterial flora living in the hind gut. And, it is normal and quite healthy. Once your horse starts to calm down and self-regulate his intake, the hay belly will also diminish.

I've had client after client experience what I'm discussing, including my own recent experience. I rescued a 23 year old horse who was severely underweight and was fed hay throughout the day, but it was never enough to keep him with something to eat 24/7. When he came to my home, he had hay available at all times. He literally stood in front of that hay feeder non-stop for a week. And, he was consuming more than a bale a day -- approximately 1 1/3 bales. Well, within a week's time, he started to find that he could relax enough to walk away and look at the scenery without fear of losing his meal. And, within a month -- he was only eating 1/3 of a bale each day. (His demeanor also changed -- he was so much more calm and eager to please.)

So, my philosophy is to treat a horse as much as possible the way nature intended. Horses that go for hours without anything to eat will also develop bad habits such as chewing on whatever they can find. They may also start eating their own manure. This is not uncommon. And, they most certainly have the beginnings of an ulcer -- since their stomachs secrete acid at all times (unlike us, who only release acid in our stomachs when we eat). That acid, when exposed to the lining of an empty stomach, erodes the lining. Chewing produces saliva, which acts as a natural antacid and neutralizes its effect.

Well, you got me on my soapbox. I hope this helps sway your thinking in the horse's direction.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO

Hi Dr. Getty- just wanted to say that I totally agree with your post. You are "right on" about both the nutritional & behavioral affects of feeding free-choide hay 24/7 vs. scheduled feedings w/long lapses in between. I too have seen the exact same results as you, with horses settling down into a more calmer routine and, pretty quickly, become much more willing and able, both on the ground and under saddle. And, I've recently followed the method you described for switching over, with great success. The horse does adapt quickly & learn to pace himself once he no longer feels the need to binge before it's gone! . I've also seen so many "boarding type" barns totally ignore the horses's requirements and then wonder why they have "hot", incondudtent and nervous-type horses on their hnads! Thanks for your so called "soap box"! LOVE the word getting spread!

Where are you from? ct

Hi Dr. Getty!

Kelly, you need to trust Dr. Getty on this. It is so true. I fed my QH gelding this way for the last year of his life. He was a older IR horse, my vet wanted me to restrict his hay as he had a weight problem. This really drove him crazy, he was hungry all the time. He was being fed 4 times a day but small amounts. When Dr. Getty and I started working together, I kept his hay net filled in his stall and out side 24/7, within a few days he stopped acting like he was starving. He wound go stand in the sun, knowing his hay was still there. He would eat for an hour or so and then go relax. He relaxed and his IR got alot better. His weight went down. He was only consuming about 3-4 flakes per day. At first he consumed about 1/2 bale, my bales weighed 70 pounds so he was eating about 35 pounds of hay per day at first. Then it went down to about 18 pounds once he started to self regulate.( Note: I always had my hay tested and it was below 10% NSC) It really does work and he was so much happier!

Give it a try!
Hope this helps.
Della

Where are you from? Necedah wi

Thanks for the advice. I can't be there all day, only in morning and evening. So if I go w/ this plan I would be throwing A LOT in at one time. I totally believe it works, I just need to suck it up and throw a bale in I guess. My boys stay in during day and out at night. One has metabolic syndrome so is presently on a dirt lot. The other has grazing through the night. I've learned a lot on this forum. Thanks again,
Kelly

Where are you from? VA

How did you locate this forum? searching

My horses have hay in front of them 24/7 and they definitely are very relaxed about it now. Since I often am out only during the morning (someone else feeds at night), I leave them hay for the day. To cut down on waste, I invested in a feeder. It has paid for itself many times over at this point. Plus, I don't have to spend nearly as much time raking up hay that has been scattered and stepped on. Hay in my areas has been $$$ lately, so I don't want them wasting it!

Other people at my barn have questioned how much hay I feed, but my horses are healthy, a good weight, and much more relaxed than the horses who are given 2 flakes a.m./p.m. Knock on wood, they have had no problems with colic, either. In fact, about 6 months ago I stopped feeding them any grain at all and switched them over to a ration balancer to supplement their hay. Even my OTTB is holding his weight nicely with the regime (and he was at least 150 lbs underweight when I first got him).

Where are you from? Boston

Hi Jen, Della, Kelly, and Liz!

What a wonderful conversation about this very important subject!

There has been study after study that shows how the metabolic rate gets faster (meaning burns more calories) during eating. And, the opposite happens when long periods of time without food are imposed, where the metabolic rate slows down. The body perceives this situation as "starving" and will therefore, hold on to body fat longer.

Ironically, eating is the best way to help a horse lose weight. Calories are important, of course, so forage (hay) is what you want to feed and plenty of it.

And, of course, there is the stress factor of starvation, which leads to behavioral changes, ulcer formation, and even weight gain (due to cortisol increase and the resulting insulin resistance).

So, keep on setting an example for other horse owners!

Best regards,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO

Hi, DR GETTY,i was wondering what kind of hay should be left for them 24/7??alfalfa or a grass hay??can i do this with my pregnent mare also,i put in a pasture for her of 2 kinds of rye grass and an orchard grass mix.would it be ok to leave her on the pasture most of the day?THANK YOU.

Where are you from? calif.

Hi Judy,

Grass hay and or pasture (rye, orchard, and others such as brome, timothy, and bermuda) should be the main part of the horses diet. To this, I generally advise some alfalfa in order to boost the protein quality. Alfalfa is a legume and as such, it has a different amino acid profile than grasses. So, feeding them together "complements" the diet.

Yes, pregnant mares need to be able to eat as much as they want (all horses, actually, need this). But, is is especially important that she get the nutrients she needs, so 24/7 on pasture and/or hay with approximately 30% alfalfa added, is excellent. To this, add another source of calories during the last three months of pregnancy, such as beet pulp or a low starch/low sugar commercial ration. And, depending on how much of a commercial ration is used, a good vitamin/mineral supplement designed for pregnant mares, is essential.

If you find that you need some more personal assistance where I can go over your particular mare's needs in detail, please consider setting up a phone consultation. This way, I can assess her history, physical makeup, exercise and environmental demands, and medical interventions, etc. to customize a feeding plan for her to keep her healthy during her pregnancy.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO

DR GETTY.THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GIVING ME THE ANSWER IV BEEN WONDERING ABOUT FOR A LONG TIME.NOW I CAN FEEL OK ABOUT LETTING MY MARE HAVE AS MUCH ORCHARD GRASS AS SHE WANTS WITH 30% ALFALFA AND I WILL GET SOME BEET PULP AND SOME MARE AND FOAL SUPPLEMENT. I FEEL BETTER ALREADY !!!THANK YOU

Where are you from? calif.

This is SO interesting! Since I board my horse I am not in control of feeding. He spends much of his time in his stall (foundered right after I got him), is only turned out in a dry lot, is it okay to always have hay in his stall? Of course, this could happen only if I could work it out with the barn manager, don't know how that would go over even if I offered to pay more. They feed morning, 1 flake for lunch, and then evening. Sure sounds like having hay available 24/7 makes sense.

Where are you from? PA

How did you locate this forum? google

Hi Judy and Molly,

Judy -- I'm glad I relieved your mind. Glad to help!

Molly....Yes, feeding forage 24/7 is something that is a must for horses -- that is the way their digestive systems are designed. If they go without hay and/or pasture for hours, they increase their risk of ulcers, colic (I just had a client lose a horse toward colic because of this), and laminitis. Colic is common because horses will tend to eat hay very quickly once they have been without it for hours. And, the risk of impaction is high. Their intestines are not utlized and become immobile during the non-feeding times, making them weakened and more vulnerable. Laminitis occurs in this scenario because of stress-induced cortisol levels that become very high.

So, yes -- you can certainly give your horse hay in his stall. He should always have hay there and the only way to know if he's getting enough is to have some left over in the morning. If your barn manager won't provide more hay, even if you pay extra, then I strongly suggest that you find a facility where the managers know something about horses' physiology.

I have literally seen hundreds of cases of colic, ulcers, stress-related bad habits, and laminitis in my years of working with horses that could have easily been prevented if horses were simply allowed to be, well, horses.

Thank you for bringing up the very important issue.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO