Florida Horse Hay Sales and Delivery
My 3 1/2 year old filly gets fed hay 2-3 times a day. But we are trying to work on putting her on a diet because she is FAT. She is around 15hh I would guess and I would like to know how much hay she should be getting a day. (She gets some in run-in stall and some spread out in her pasture to encourage her to graze rather than stan around in one spot all day.) Thanks so much in advance!
Crayon doesn't wear blankets… so i would guess she need a bit more food. I give her 15 pellets of hay stretcher morning and night just so she has something to look forward to. Most of her hay is first cut and she's a quarterhorse. I really don't know her weight right now =]
edit:: i have not had this horse for long at all and she was well overfed when i got her. but she is currently working on leading properly before it is safe to start lunging for excercise. she does run around a lot during the day though. (yes i do know how to take care of a horse. i've worked with them for years. i just like to see other people's opinions when i have a question) =]
Well, it depends on the hay and amount of exercise. Normally, a horse should receive about a half a bale of hay per day. But this changes depending on the hay. The better the hay, the less you have to give to the horse. However if you get cheaper hay, then the amount goes up.
Honestly, there's really no accurate way to answer this on the computer without seeing the hay and your horse. I would consult your vet, weigh your horse, and set up a diet plan.
But don't just evaluate the amount of hay, also look at how much grain she gets. If the 15 pellets of hay stretcher are just given to her so that she has something to look forward to, and not as a part of her main diet, then maybe you should substitute that with an apple or a few full carrots.
Good luck =)
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10 Responses to How much hay should a horse get every day?
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Florida Horse Hay
How many flakes does she get a day? A 15hh horse shouldn't need more than 4-5 flakes of hay a day. Since you want her to lose weight, I would give her 4. 2 in the morning and 2 at night.
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I have square bales that weigh about 45 lbs. i'd give about half a bale a day.
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Because she is growing i say 8-10 pounds a day.
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horse owner +10 years
I give my horse a flake in the morning. Another in the afternoon. And either one or two flakes throughout the night.
But don't just look at the hay. How much feed are you giving? Do you feed pellets/ sweet feed? Maybe you might need to cut down on that. If you don't find something that works, you can always talk to your vet.
And also up the exercise. If you can't ride, then at least try to lunge for about twenty minutes. You can even put a cavalletti (if you jump) in the lunge ring once she canters.
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I'm not sure exactly what your filly would get, I would consult with your vet.
Our (my stable's) 15hh horses get about 3 flakes of hay (Bermuda) twice a day, plus 2 pounds of grain twice a day (horse chow). However none of them are growing horses. They are in large dirt pastures and get no grazing except the occasional time a year when it rains a lot. And the horses at my stable are fat too (most get ridden 3-4 times a week). The horses eat in the morning in their stalls, get turned out during the day, then come in and eat at night and sleep in their stalls.
We would be able to help you more if you gave us your filly's weight, breed, the type of hay you feed, and if you feed any grain.
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I give both of my horse's one flake of alfalfa in the morning and one at night. Everyone else at my barn does the same. They also get some grain with it.
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FIrst, all horses are different and depending on the exercise require different feedings. Quarter horses as a general rule are easy keepers. My 4 yr old quarter horse gets 3 flakes of hay morning and night as well as grazing and about 2 pounds of pellets a day. He is growing and active. I have an old quarter who gets 2 flakes morning and night and a large handful of grain morning and night, just because the others are getting it. My big girl who is 5 and 17hh gets 3 morning, 2 night and about 3 pounds of grain morning and night.
My personal preference is to give them better quality grass mix hay and keep them occupied opposed to adding a lot of grain as they are meant to graze not gulp their food.
You can feed them more grass mix hay than you can alfalfa. So depending on what your barn is feeding that too can put on weight.
As you can see not only from me, but from the others, there are many ways to feed your horse. Ask your vet to give you a recommendation as he will be able to better judge as he can see the quality of the hay and grain that is being fed and will understand better how to adjust to meet your horses needs. Who knows, fat to you may be prep for a growing spurt
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Well, it depends on the hay and amount of exercise. Normally, a horse should receive about a half a bale of hay per day. But this changes depending on the hay. The better the hay, the less you have to give to the horse. However if you get cheaper hay, then the amount goes up.
Honestly, there's really no accurate way to answer this on the computer without seeing the hay and your horse. I would consult your vet, weigh your horse, and set up a diet plan.
But don't just evaluate the amount of hay, also look at how much grain she gets. If the 15 pellets of hay stretcher are just given to her so that she has something to look forward to, and not as a part of her main diet, then maybe you should substitute that with an apple or a few full carrots.
Good luck =)
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A minimum of 50% of a horse's diet should be forage. Generally, hay would be at a rate of 20% of the horse's body weight. An 1,100 pound horse should have about 20# daily of grass hay (16# of legume). She needs forage more than grain type feeds if she has weight issues, but she needs to have fiber going through her gut all the time she is not sleeping (2 hours per day). Your horse's feed should be determined by weight (of the horse and the feed substance) and then you can make adjustments according to your horse's needs. I give free choice hay.
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if you had this horse for any legnth of time you should have an idea of what your horse needs just by looking at her. seems she has gotten fat because you have over fed her or because she dont excerice enough (turned out is not excercise) you may want to pick up a few books on how to take care of a horse, i'm sure there are a lot more important things you need to be aware of besides hay intake
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