[CrazyHorse]

Originally Posted by Kicks

For a pasture ornament (horse not working at all) 2.5 lbs per 100 is too much in all but a very few cases.

"Big bellies" usually indicate worms rather than fat.

I agree 100%. Ben still gets 20% of his body weight in hay but that's because he doesn't have grass. If he had good grass to graze on I would cut that in half as he's a very easy keeper. He gets a ration balancer, a few alfalfa pellets (about 2lbs. per day) for the taste and 2 cups of BOSS as well, no grains. Your horses look like easy keepers and you now have a Mustang cross (looks like an easy keeper as well) who will not need grains at all

[Finallyownhorse]

For a pasture ornament (horse not working at all) 2.5 lbs per 100 is too much in all but a very few cases.

"Big bellies" usually indicate worms rather than fat.

2.5 % of body weight. So the one horse is getting 25 lbs of hay a day and the second is getting 30 lbs. Each get less than 1 pound of grain a day. They live outside in the cold weather, with shelter, but its still very cold. I was told the hay ferments in their stomaches causing heat to be released.

They don't have worms. They are on a regular worming schedule and the vet was just here on Thursday and all the horses got a clean bill of health.

[Finallyownhorse]

Ben still gets 20% of his body weight in hay but that's because he doesn't have grass

Grass? Whats that? We live in South Dakota. Lots of snow/mud right now and no grass.

They don't get hay at all in the summer months when they can graze.

[Finallyownhorse]

I've never heard the term "dry dock" used with livestock - 'dry lot' yes. Is that what you are referring to?

Sorry for the wrong term. I have always been told Dry Dock, not Dry Lot.

[wyldterv]

Originally Posted by finallyownhorse

Sorry for the wrong term. I have always been told Dry Dock, not Dry Lot.

LOL that's ok I do keep envisioning my sail boat up on blocks for hull cleaning and painting though when I see "Dry Dock' I grew up in the world of boats, can't help myself but see boats in a dry dock ... BUT I figured you meant Dry Lot We call them dry lots in the summer and SACRAFICE areas here in the winter since we get SO MUCH MUD, lol and you SACRAFICE a small area to keep your pastures intact

2.5% of body weight is the same as 2.5lbs per 100lbs of body weight

[jumpthemoon]

Originally Posted by crazi4horses2

I agree 100%. Ben still gets 20% of his body weight in hay but that's because he doesn't have grass. If he had good grass to graze on I would cut that in half as he's a very easy keeper. He gets a ration balancer, a few alfalfa pellets (about 2lbs. per day) for the taste and 2 cups of BOSS as well, no grains. Your horses look like easy keepers and you now have a Mustang cross (looks like an easy keeper as well) who will not need grains at all

If Ben weighs 1000# and you are feeding him 20% of his weight in hay; then you are feeding him 200# of hay per day.

[jhalton]

The less hubbys know the better hee hee

[wyldterv]

Originally Posted by jumpthemoon

If Ben weighs 1000# and you are feeding him 20% of his weight in hay; then you are feeding him 200# of hay per day.

That is ONE happy mustang! LOL

[belle4]

Wyldterv pretty much summed everything up. Just wanted to add that I agree 100%. While I am not quite the feed Natzi that Wyld is, I do know what my horses eat, where it comes from and how much it costs. We also have our own hay fields, but we don't have all the equiptment to get from grass on the field to hay in the loft. We pay a farmer to help us out.

We take core samples every year, sometimes twice if we want second cutting. Feilds are fertilized spring and fall and sometimes after first cutting if we want second cutting. You also have to figure the cost of twine. Then pray for rain on the right days and no rain on the other right days.

I do know what you are saying about feeding more in the cold months. I live in a harsh climate also and my horses go out all winter long. There is some sort of formula that for every 10 degree drop in temp, you feed so much more hay. I forget the exact numbers, but on that line, you are correct to feed more hay the colder it gets.

I feed one 45 pound bale a day to two horses. While that may sound like a lot to some, it's cold here! And one of my horses is young and big, he eats a lot and could still stand to gain some weight. It's all relative.

It's so refreshing to see a relatively new horse owner really wanting to learn and do what it best for her animals. I've recieved lots of help on nutrition from HGS, still learning, and I've had horses for years.

Good luck to you and your animals. SueB, JBandRio, PeggySue and Dawn are all great resources on equine nutrition. When you see a post by them, pay attention.

[Finallyownhorse]

2.5% of body weight is the same as 2.5lbs per 100lbs of body weight

Geez, I didn' think I put that much Morgan in my coke. At least I spelled everything right.

Well, horses are in their dry LOT this morning. Waiting for their hay.