# What would u do? Barn manager won't feed more than 3 flakes of hay per night



## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

It would greatly depend on the type of contract you signed with them. What does the contract specify (or does it) in regards to feeding schedule and amounts. If it _says_ no more than 3 flakes per night, then you got yourself into it. If they didn't put it in the contract anywhere, then you can either just deal with it and continue to supply your own hay and listen to them gripe about the "mess" or move your horse.

IMHO, you would be better off moving your horse anyway. Any BM that justifies letting a horse drop weight by saying "the extra hay makes their stall messy" has no business being around horses.


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

Unless your horse is low in the pecking order and cannot get to that round bale, I'm not sure what is wrong here. If the horse has free choice hay all day long and gets an additional 3 flakes once he's back in his stall, that should be more than enough forage for a healthy horse. If he's leaving hay in his stall, maybe he's getting enough from the round bale alone? Just playing devil's advocate here.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

My horses would be lardarses if they had access to a round bale all day & then 3 flakes in the stall at night.


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## Skipsfirstspike (Mar 22, 2010)

I agree with Puck, if he has free choice hay all day and three flakes at night, he should be fine. If he is fed in his stall at 'bedtime', and there is still hay in there in the morning, then he is either not hungry, or the hay quality is extremely poor.
And if there is hay left over, why do you think he would eat more? Wouldnt he just waste more? Unless he is just a real pig in his stall, messing on his hay before he eats it. In which case his hay should be fed from a feeder.


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## Cinnys Whinny (Apr 10, 2010)

I agree with some of the others. I don't know what is wrong. If Cinny had free choice round bale, plus three flakes at night, he'd be a lard butt!! My last stable had boarders that ranged from 3rd and 4th level dressage horses to upper level eventers. Even the huge warmbloods that did cross country and eventing competitions every weekend, didn't get more than 3 flakes a meal. Some of them got additional grains like Omolene, or another product to help up their performance and round them out, but they never got more hay.


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## Beauseant (Oct 22, 2010)

Perhaps he is losing weight because the others aren't letting him eat....OP did say "round bale" as in one and "lots of other horses" as in very many. One round bale with "many" horses? 

Just wondering.

That is what happened to Beau before we bought him....when he dropped from "racing fit" to an emaciated body score 2.


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## SueNH (Nov 7, 2011)

I'm with Beau. How many horses? How many round bales?

I have 3 mares and two large bales out. If I had only 1 the oldest and smallest mare wouldn't allow the other two in to eat except when she felt like sharing.


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## Cinnys Whinny (Apr 10, 2010)

I agree, how many other horses are in with the round bale? Have you watched him when he is there to see if they are chasing him away, or does he get to eat too?

I'm also wondering if there could be a medical reason for the weight loss under all of this? What is your worming schedule like, when was he last wormed and with what? When were last dentals done? Does he get anything besides hay such as Omolene or another grain ration to balance him out?

If you know your horse is eating off of the round bale too, I would probably get a vet out. Not getting enough food isn't the only reason a horse looses weight/condition sometimes. It sounds as if your horse should be getting adequate feed, unless you know for a fact the others don't let him eat at the round bale. 

I think I would probably call a vet in to assess the situation for 2 reasons, 1) you will find out more about WHY the horse is loosing weight/condition and know for sure whether there is some underlying illness or lack of food. and 2) you will be able to get vet instructions as to whether or not your horse needs more food. HAVE THE VET PUT IT IN WRITING if your horse isn't getting enough so that you can then have a basis for moving further with the BO on the problem. If the BO STILL won't budge after a vet says the horse needs more groceries, then I would move and consider it a breach of contract on the BO's part as you have contracted for them for proper care of your horse. If it really blows up and they try to take you to court for extra money for leaving early, you will have in writing that a vet said the horse needed more feed and you will hopefully have witnesses to the fact they refused to add feed, or allow you to add hay you have purchased yourself to your horse's ration. I really doubt the court will see in the BO's favor.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

Lost without horses said:


> Situation is 3flakes of hay, no matter what condition, training and/or age horses is, given only at night. Turned-out daily with round hay bale and lots of other horses. Poor pasture no green and all mud. I am now supplying my own hay in addition to their 3 flakes to ensure my horse has all he wants throughout the night. I also added another bucket of water! This is only day 2 and they have already complained that the left over hay is just a mess in the stall. As if poo and pee are not messy!! Left over hay amount is minimal. So what would you do? If intervention was not done my horse would continue to lose weight!


How was your horse being fed prior to coming to this barn?

Noticeable weight loss after only two days? I would look more towards water consumption for that type of weight loss in such a short period of time.

We have ours on round bales during the day and they receive ONE flake of hay at night. The horses not on round bales receive two flakes (those are hayed 2x per day while in turnout).


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## Lost without horses (Dec 29, 2011)

More Info: The barn was good when I came 6 horses on 12 acres but then in 60 days they added 9 more horses now totaling 15. The barn manager then fenced off a portion of pasture thus decreasing while increasing horses. Yes my horse is wormed, dental up to date, and is given grain "Triple Crown Complete" 1 3/4 scoop twice daily. I never see my big guy at the round bale anymore. Too many horses!


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## Ray MacDonald (Dec 27, 2009)

I think you should either move or put up a hay bag. You can supply your own hay and with the hay bag there will be less wastage.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

Lost without horses said:


> More Info: The barn was good when I came 6 horses on 12 acres but then in 60 days they added 9 more horses now totaling 15. The barn manager then fenced off a portion of pasture thus decreasing while increasing horses. Yes my horse is wormed, dental up to date, and is given grain "Triple Crown Complete" 1 3/4 scoop twice daily. I never see my big guy at the round bale anymore. Too many horses!


Your original post said two days - now it's 60 days?


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

First of all it isnt relevant if anyone things a round bale is enough or not. It is your horse, what does your contract say ? Does it say you CANT give more hay ?If I wanted to feed my horse an extra bale of hay a day I would., Its my horse I'll give it what I want. 
SOunds like you are in a crappy place anyway. I see TN in your profile. Weather has been good. No excuse for a pasture of mud. Should still be grass out there. There are simply too many horses there.


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

Yeah, that's too many horses for that space. Way too much competition for that bale. Move...and make your food concerns very clear to the places you consider next. Get it all in writing.


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## GhostwindAppaloosa (Jun 3, 2011)

I can see where the barn owner is coming from You want your horse to have more hay and it is strewing it all over its stall and pooing and peeing all over it and than she has to go in and pick all that wasted hay out. If you as a boarder want anything above and beyond what they are providing expect to pay for it and or provide it. I'd suggest a hay net so there is no mess in the stall for whatever your horse doesnt want. nutrition wise. If your horse is at a round bale all day and has three flakes at night that is more than adequate. Especially if they are getting grain in addition. If you are not happy there and you cannot come to a compromise.... move


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## Lost without horses (Dec 29, 2011)

Thanks everyone for your input. I'm going to continue to supply my own additional hay and move. My farm will be complete and ready in 45 days. Can't wait to have my horses at home with me!


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## Gremmy (Feb 17, 2009)

Devil's advocate here too, I've been on the opposing end of the discussion. Leftover hay when you're mucking several stalls a day is a real pain in the butt - it's more difficult to remove than urine or manure and even worse if the horse moves around a lot in the stalls and makes a big mess. It may not seem like a big deal to you but barn staff want to be as efficient as possible; this includes taking the time to clean the stall properly and save as much unsoiled bedding as possible instead of stripping it, as well as minimizing leftover hay - you don't want the horse going without hay, but you don't want to overfeed and have tons of leftovers, that's a lot of wasted hay, as well as wasted time. Usually barn staff are paid per stall, and every minute counts for them. If they're paid hourly, then every minute counts for the barn manager and they're still feeling the heat. It's a hard, thankless job, and you get WAY more with sugar with them. Shrugging their challenges off, as small as they may seem to you, will only be met with resistance. While Joe4d might be right about the contract, that's a real good way to tick off otherwise good staff - don't expect any favours from them if that's the stance you want to take.

There are ways to work with them, like monitoring how much hay he is leaving behind and adjusting the amount you give accordingly (hay net helps too if it's easy for them to install), offering to pick out the stall to make up for the leftover hay (some barns will go for this, others won't, many barns are very protective of their equipment, and often boarders would come in, muck their stall, and dump a massive load of bedding in for us to chisel out the next morning). I'm hoping that filling the extra water bucket you put in whenever you're there is a given. Keep the staff happy and they'll be more inclined to keep you happy and put in the extra effort.

In your case there very well could be a management issue, the dropping weight is a concern but he's also not finishing what you're giving him. I have to giggle at the thought of 15 horses on 12 acres being too many though, try 70 :lol: Of course, that's a city barn that warrants individual paddocks, feeding, and a LOT of exercise, no round bales. It can be done with good management though. Full boarding just isn't for everyone, glad to see you'll have yours at home soon enough


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

MyBoyPuck said:


> Unless your horse is low in the pecking order and cannot get to that round bale, I'm not sure what is wrong here. If the horse has free choice hay all day long and gets an additional 3 flakes once he's back in his stall, that should be more than enough forage for a healthy horse. If he's leaving hay in his stall, maybe he's getting enough from the round bale alone? Just playing devil's advocate here.


 Agreed. They are gioving your horse plenty. If weight is an issue maybe grain is needed


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