Horse Talk

[ShrekDawg]

Oh, yeah. I used to "horse sit" for someone who lived in one. Only a handful of the people who lived there actually had horses, but that was the intent when it was created. They even had designated riding trails on some right-of-ways along the edges of some of the properties. But then someone's lawyer had a hissy fit over possible liability, so the HOA closed them down.

Wow it sounds cool but that is ridiculous they shut them down! That's what it's designed for. What the heck. If you didn't want horses near, don't move to a horse subdivision LOL

This one seems pretty cool but then it's leased to a horse trainer so you pay a fee to use the arenas or barn I think? How does that work if you own the dang thing? Lol maybe you don't really own it idk

 

[BridebelieverDD]

Hi everyone. I'm getting started with horses in the next 2 months and although I have taken riding lessons for a while and know the basics, I still have a lot of questions. Any tips are helpful . I have many questions ranging anywhere from what type of gravel/sand is used to prevent a muddy area around run-in and how many bales of hay should I plan on buying in a week....so basically any horse knowledge you have helps. Thanks!

Sorry for the long post!

 

[KentuckyRooster]

Hi everyone. I'm getting started with horses in the next 2 months and although I have taken riding lessons for a while and know the basics, I still have a lot of questions. Any tips are helpful . I have many questions ranging anywhere from what type of gravel/sand is used to prevent a muddy area around run-in and how many bales of hay should I plan on buying in a week....so basically any horse knowledge you have helps. Thanks!

Sorry for the long post!

Hay is usually bought by the ton in the summer, and you'll want to stash it away for winter as it very quickly becomes scarce once farmers stop baling and it's bought up. Then prices rapidly rise and it's hard to get. What breed do you want? Horses usually eat their weight in hay every 2 months I believe, approximately. I am buying 3 tons to get through the worst of the winter this year.

Gravel isn't usually used for horsey areas because it can cause hoof bruising. I have seen sand used, but you need to be careful with sand and dirt because horses are prone to something called sand colic from eating it. Basically, they need to eat out of a trough or feeder and not off the ground and then sand/dirt is fine. Many people use stall mats around their feeding areas also to try and keep sand out and away. It can be a hard lesson to learn and I wish someone would have warned me years ago about it. My gelding is very prone to sand colic and got deathly sick because we simply did not know any better, I was pretty young.

I've had my gelding 10 years, so if you have any questions just yell.

 

[Kusanar]

Hi everyone. I'm getting started with horses in the next 2 months and although I have taken riding lessons for a while and know the basics, I still have a lot of questions. Any tips are helpful . I have many questions ranging anywhere from what type of gravel/sand is used to prevent a muddy area around run-in and how many bales of hay should I plan on buying in a week....so basically any horse knowledge you have helps. Thanks!

Sorry for the long post!

I use Pug (I believe that's what it's called, basically sand, gravel, dirt, and concrete powder all mixed together that kind of sets to a firm surface) about 6 inches deep on high traffic areas, like the area going in and out of a run in shed where they will be walking on the exact same spot multiple times a day. The grass will still grow through it, but it doesn't crush down into the ground like regular gravel will.

As for hay, you need to know if you will be feeding round bales or square, I assume squares since you need heavy machinery to move the rounds. Typically with a good quality square bale, each horse will eat 1/2 to 3/4 of a bale each day, this can change depending on quality of hay, size and breed of horse, availability of other food (grass), etc, but if you are buying by the bale not by the ton (I have never purchased hay by the ton, I have no idea what my hay weighs) that's a decent rule of thumb. It is always better to have too much than too little. If you tarp it, keep it up on pallets so it doesn't get moist, sun bleached, or dusty, it will still be perfectly good next year when you need hay again, or you can do what we do, we feed rolls primarily, but put up 100-200 squares a year, then we sell off our 2 year old hay each year to a guy that has cows, we don't lose all the money on it, he gets decent hay that is just dusty and bleached, it's a win win.

 

[chicken19]

Hi everyone. I'm getting started with horses in the next 2 months and although I have taken riding lessons for a while and know the basics, I still have a lot of questions. Any tips are helpful . I have many questions ranging anywhere from what type of gravel/sand is used to prevent a muddy area around run-in and how many bales of hay should I plan on buying in a week....so basically any horse knowledge you have helps. Thanks!

Sorry for the long post!

That's awesome. Having horses is the best. I use pea gravel which won't bruise their feet or cause sand colic. 1 horse (13-16hh) usually eats about 1 bale a day or more, minis eat wayyy less and drafts eat wayyy more. I don't recomend buying hay every week as the loading/unloading can sometimes be a hassle.

 

[PeepersMama]

Hi everyone. I'm getting started with horses in the next 2 months and although I have taken riding lessons for a while and know the basics, I still have a lot of questions. Any tips are helpful . I have many questions ranging anywhere from what type of gravel/sand is used to prevent a muddy area around run-in and how many bales of hay should I plan on buying in a week....so basically any horse knowledge you have helps. Thanks!

Sorry for the long post!

It looks like all your questions have been covered.... So here's my two cents.
Make sure you're set up for them BEFORE you even start shopping. Cuz if you buy one, and you arent set up... Its a BIG hassle.

 

[res]

You need to make sure to feed your hay by WEIGHT and NOT by "flake count" or "half a bale". Bales of hay can vary widely in weight, some are 30 lbs, some are much much more. I can feed 10 horses off of TWO bales per day, because the bales weigh 80 lbs each! When fed by weight, most horses consume 1-2% of their body weight in hay per day. So a 1000lb horse would eat 10-20lbs of hay per day. You can EASILY overfeed hay, which is a waste of $ and can contribute to the horse being overweight.

Watch your horse eat hay and figure out if he/she is a "hay waster". Many horses can safely and successfully be fed their hay on the ground, but some chose to stomp the hay into the dirt or mix it into their stall bedding. In my barn, those horses get fed in hay bags - and not the old fashioned hay bags with the HUGE holes. I only use small hole nets, that allow me to safely hang the bags below wither level, and also slow down the consumption of the hay.

If you can find a supplier that sells hay by the ton, you will save LOTS of $. Buying hay by the bale count is a crap shoot as to how much hay you are actually getting for your $. Example - I can have AMAZING 2nd cut timothy/brome delivered from 150 miles away, AND stacked, for $240 a ton. If I buy locally, by the bale count, those $6 bales that weigh 30lbs end up costing almost $500 and I STILL have to go pick them up, load them, drive them home and unload them (If I have them delivered it is $7.50 per bale!). Hay by the ton is WAY cheaper, and is the only honest way to buy and sell hay. We put up several hundred acres of hay in Kansas, and we weigh each semi load, and sell by weight.

I used double crushed asphalt as my footing in my dry lot, and around gates/water tanks. It is super cheap, $300 for 20 tons, and is available everywhere. It packs down tight, but still lets water percolate thru and doesn't hold it in puddles.

 

[Kusanar]

You need to make sure to feed your hay by WEIGHT and NOT by "flake count" or "half a bale". Bales of hay can vary widely in weight, some are 30 lbs, some are much much more. I can feed 10 horses off of TWO bales per day, because the bales weigh 80 lbs each! When fed by weight, most horses consume 1-2% of their body weight in hay per day. So a 1000lb horse would eat 10-20lbs of hay per day. You can EASILY overfeed hay, which is a waste of $ and can contribute to the horse being overweight.

You can also easlily cause ulcers and vices by letting them run out of hay and letting their stomach empty. My horses have never had a single vice or digestive problem (other than Wings colicking 1 time, and that was because the silly thing wouldn't drink and got dehydrated) in the 17 years that I have owned horses, and that is because they are never alone (again, a human counts as a companion, but only if they are there always) and because they never have nothing to do. There is always grass or hay to eat. Now, if I'm pulling them in for the farrier and they will be in for an hour, I don't refresh hay in stalls, what is in there is what they get, but if they will be in for longer than that, I toss them a few flakes, if they will be in overnight, they get half a bale each.

 

[Peaches Lee]

Hi everyone. I'm getting started with horses in the next 2 months and although I have taken riding lessons for a while and know the basics, I still have a lot of questions. Any tips are helpful . I have many questions ranging anywhere from what type of gravel/sand is used to prevent a muddy area around run-in and how many bales of hay should I plan on buying in a week....so basically any horse knowledge you have helps. Thanks!

Sorry for the long post!

If you can find a USPC D Manual at a bookstore or amazon it would be a great addition to your library! Good luck, horses are just as addicting as chickens in my opinion!

 

[res]

You can also easlily cause ulcers and vices by letting them run out of hay and letting their stomach empty. My horses have never had a single vice or digestive problem (other than Wings colicking 1 time, and that was because the silly thing wouldn't drink and got dehydrated) in the 17 years that I have owned horses, and that is because they are never alone (again, a human counts as a companion, but only if they are there always) and because they never have nothing to do. There is always grass or hay to eat. Now, if I'm pulling them in for the farrier and they will be in for an hour, I don't refresh hay in stalls, what is in there is what they get, but if they will be in for longer than that, I toss them a few flakes, if they will be in overnight, they get half a bale each.

Highlighted in red and bolded is not entirely correct.

I can tell you that every vet I have worked for, and every vet I have used, and the vet school I attended, have ALL agreed you DO NOT have to keep hay/forage in front of a horse 24/7. Horses can absolutely go 8-10 hours on an empty stomach, day after day, with zero detrimental affects. There are lots of tests and diagnostics performed on horses that require the horse to fast for 24 HOURS.... It is okay. Even though the stomach may be empty, the horse will still have forage passing thru the hind gut during that 24 hour fast.

The vets I have worked for, all over this country for the last 20 years, have all shared the frustration with the current mindset that horses HAVE to eat 24/7. Most attribute it to the internet, and the ability for people to pass on innaccurate info.

Some horses do develop ulcers, but there are generally other issues to the ulcers beyond having an empty stomach. Ulcer-prone horses are typically higher strung, and more reactive to stress. Those horses can benefit from having pasture to graze or a roundbale, and most do not do well in a stall environment, no matter how much hay you put in front of them. A truly ulcerative horse is not going to be "cured" simply by having hay 24/7. A truly ulcerative horse will require $$$$ meds, given on a schedule, and a feed program developed to combat the ulcers, that typically includes soaked complete feeds and soaked alfalfa cubes in addition to hay. Most ulcerative horses also benefit from "living out" and not within the confines of a barn.

You definitely have some unique views as to horses being "alone". I am glad it works for you, but to make a blanket statement that all horses must be kept that way is very innacurate.