# One day without feed?



## RedTree (Jan 20, 2010)

he should be fine 
he just may be very hungry tomorrow 
is there any way for you to call up your stable and get someone else to feed him just this once??


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

Horses are grazers, they are meant to have forrage in their bellies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

It is ok if your horse has access to hay, or pasture - It is not ok that our horses are left for any amount of time with nothing in their bellies. 

They aren't like us, our digestive systems are not the same. While it is ok for us to eat anywhere between 1 - 3 meals a day, it isn't for horses.

You do not want to risk colic, stomache acid and other stomache and digestive issues.

Do you feed a digestive suppliment?


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## Snowkicker (Dec 23, 2009)

You need to set up an emergency back up plan so this never happens again. Horses do need to be fed everyday regardless of what horrible things befall us.


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

Snowkicker said:


> You need to set up an emergency back up plan so this never happens again. Horses do need to be fed everyday regardless of what horrible things befall us.


Whats done is done, but it's a good idea to have an emergency plan. I don't board but I have people I can call if an emergency arises and I can't feed my critters. Everyone who has animals depending on them should.


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## jules083 (Jan 19, 2010)

I am by no way an expert on horses, but I've done this with cattle my whole life and do it now with me horse. I grain and give a small (one good flake) amount of high quality hay once a day. The rest of the day she has unlimited access to hay, although it is not the best quality. It's just first cut grass hay. I can fit about a bale and a half or so into her feeder, and I make sure it's full every time I leave the house. I have had bad days at work where I was not able to make it out there before. I work construction, sometimes 16 hour days plus travel time. If it's too bad I have to get a hotel and come home the next day, depending on how far away I'm working. As long as there's enough hay to hold her over she's fine. I would never want her to run out though. One thing I've been told is that if you miss a day on grain don't try to 'make up for it' and give extra the next day.


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

Never give extra to make up for you - if you do that you are asking for digestive problems, and colic.


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## Snowkicker (Dec 23, 2009)

Jules083- I guess what I should have said is horses have to eat everyday. You can feed them enough to last days. Then you wouldn't have to feed them every day.


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

> You can feed them enough to last days. Then you wouldn't have to feed them every day.


I do not understand what you mean?


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## Snowkicker (Dec 23, 2009)

I mean hay not grain. You could feed them a round bale for instance that they could eat for days. Grain though is best in small consistent feedings.


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

I think they mean just give them a bunch of hay. Our are on a round bale so they have hay 24/7. 
If a horse has hay, I think it would be ok to miss a day of grain. For them to not have anything at all?... Shouldn't couldn't wouldn't


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

He should be fine. Make sure he has plenty of water, I would actually feed a little bit LESS grain today and up his hay. As MIEVENTER has said, horses are grazing animals so they are really meant to eat all the time. The forage pushes the food through the digestive tract. So when a horse colics it gets to have hay alot sooner then it gets to have grain. Horses are also animals that are routine oriented (I will add barn kept - people kept horses - for the NH folks). Changes in their routines, and in weather patterns and what not can effect their digestive tracts.

When I was boarding on other peopls property (self care) I ran into issues where I couldn't get out to feed him on occasion. I felt really bad about it but he was ok when I got to him the next day. He was field boarded though.

I think your guy will be fine.


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

Mine would just eat the barn and every tree they could reach :lol:


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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

^^^ Mine too. Might start chewing on each other for that matter! 

On topic - 

Your horse should be fine, but as the others said you should figure out an emergency backup plan. In reality we should all have several people that we can rely on if something happens and we can't be there.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

MIEventer said:


> It is not ok that our horses are left for any amount of time with nothing in their bellies.


Actually while it's not the best - as long as there is water - the horse will be fine. When horses come in for major surgery - they are NPO for a minimum of 12 hours - just as humans are.


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## mom2pride (May 5, 2009)

I would certainly figure out some form of back up plan "just in case" of an emergency like this...

That said, while what happened wasn't ideal, he 'should' be okay...definitely don't feed him extra grain because you missed his grain feeding, but try to give him a couple of extra feedings of hay. As others have already mentioned, horses are SO much better if they can have access to hay, atleast, all the time, so even once a day feedings are less than ideal. I feed 4 times a day. When I know I have to leave for a few days, I gradually drop them back to two feedings a day, so that who ever is taking care of them only has to do twice a day, as no one here is too keen on taking care of the animals...go figure! If I am going to be gone throughout the day, I give enough for them to browse on for the entire day, rather than 'single' type feedings.


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

I am so, so glad my horses are pastured 24/7. this would never be a problem for me :]


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

mls said:


> Actually while it's not the best - as long as there is water - the horse will be fine. *When horses come in for major surgery - they are NPO for a minimum of 12 hours - just as humans are*.


Good point


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## dressagebelle (May 13, 2009)

He should be fine, though I do agree that you should have a backup plan just in case something comes up again. It is definately not ideal to miss a day, but unless he's on antibiotics or something else that he HAS to get every day, than one day won't kill him. I do board my horse, so its not something I have to worry about, but I have had them in my backyard before, and have had to find people to take care of them if I'm gone or something, and generally those same people would be available in case of an emergency as well.


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## samc230 (Sep 6, 2009)

You guys, I board at a huuuggee facility with literally over a hundred horses there. The management would probably laugh if I called and asked for some help if I only paid for partial board. They have too many horses to look after to do favors for people.

I do have an emergency plan. My friend lives right down the road and I called her and asked her to help me out, to which she said no, sorry. This upset me also, but that's another story..

My friend was only twenty years old when he died. Obviously, he didn't die of natural causes and this has been a horrible week. There was just absolutely nothing I could have done and I just wanted to know if he would be okay for one night.

Thank you to everyone who replied!


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## CheyAut (Nov 26, 2008)

^ If the place you board doesn't care about the horse's welfare and would rather say nope, he has to starve, then I'd move ASAP!


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

I can understand your predicament, but our horses depend on us. Things in life happen, and that's part of horse ownership. I can understand if you are physically detained by being in an accident, but in my opinion, emotional distress is not a good reason. Perhaps that makes me cold, but we all sign on for that responsibility when we own animals who cannot fend for themselves. 

Your horse will likely be fine, but we feed them an unnatural enough diet as is without further messing with it. Horses cannot throw up and they have an extremely delicate balance of bacteria in their digestive systems.


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## cowgirlnadia (Jan 26, 2010)

Horses should NEVER go a day without hay! Their digestive system is set up for continous grazing...it's dangerous for many reasons to leave them without access to hay (colic, acid build up, fluid retention in the intestines, etc.). You should always have an emergency plan if you can't make it to the barn.


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## samc230 (Sep 6, 2009)

CheyAut, I don't have any other option than this place.

Macabre, I was gone all day. I wasn't at home crying and didn't feel like feeding my horse--if that were an option I would have gone and cried TO my horse.

Nadia, this was a week or so ago and he is fine, obviously.

I really don't appreciate the remarks about how I can't just "drop" my horse because that's not what I did at all. I love my horse to death and he gets nothing but the best from me. Life HAPPENED, and yes--I was not as prepared as I should have been. But ultimately, if you had a close friend pass away and other friends/family needed you, would you walk out during a time like that to go feed a horse an hour away?

I just couldn't do it. My horse was fine and this will never happen again, thanks for being understanding.


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## CheyAut (Nov 26, 2008)

samc230 said:


> But ultimately, if you had a close friend pass away and other friends/family needed you, would you walk out during a time like that to go feed a horse an hour away?


Yes, I would. Horses DEPEND on us for their well-being. When we have them, we take on that responsibility, and it's not a decision to be taken lightly.


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## rissaxbmth (Feb 2, 2010)

Horses do depend on us and can't go get their food. 
I do understand where you are coming from but that'd be like us not eating for a whole day. I don't know about you but I hate that feeling. Could someone have fed your horse for you? Obviously it's already done and there's nothing to change it. One day without feed won't make your horse a rack of bones but it's nice to plan ahead and for future references be more prepared. 
I'm sorry for your loss and have deep sympathy for you.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Very sorry about your friend. Glad to hear your horse is fine.

Was what you did the best? No. Is it likely to cause a permanent issue for your horse? No way.

I think the best thing that comes out of this is you learned that your back up person is not there for you so time to find one that is. Maybe a couple. Why not get the phone numbers of a couple of people that also do self care at the barn where you board? You can be back-up help for each other this way.


One thing I do with mine is make sure I keep the board updated with what they are currently getting for feed. This way I know that if something happened to me and I had to have someone else step in the horses would get fed properly. I even have my feed containers labeled so someone who did not know anything about feeding would know which container contained what. 


Did your boy eat his stall down? I think that is what mine would have done for sure.


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## Padrona (Apr 13, 2009)

The vet clinic told me that if I bring my mare in for spaying surgery, she will need to have NO FOOD OR WATER FOR 24 FULL HOURS prior!!!! Wowzers. That's asking a lot of a horse. But obviously the risk of colic isn't great enough as to be an impending danger, or they wouldn't be asking owners to do this.

It's a great idea to have multiple backup plans in case Plan A or even Plan B can't be implemented. 

Also, I agree with whomever said that if the boarding barn can't be "bothered" to feed your horse one day and bill you for it in time of a family emergency, I would move AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. If they don't give two flying rat tails about your horse eating, will they care when the horse is severely injured or sick, or what if you die in a car accident tomorrow (heaven forbid!) What will they do with your horse? Put him on a slaughter truck? Ship him to the nearest auction? If they don't care enough to say "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry to hear about your friend! Just do what you have to do, I'll run out and throw him an armload of hay and will add a nominal fee to next month's board," then RUN AWAY from this place.

I cannot imagine that they are SO BUSY that they can't take 3 minutes to throw an armload of hay to a horse when the horse's owner has been caught up in a family emergency. Skipping the stall cleaning, blanketing, fly spraying, and even graining/supplementing - sure. I understand that. But at least throw a few flakes of hay to the beast, geeze. It's not that difficult. That's part of being a boarding barn owner or manager. You are custodian over animals which have very demanding needs. If you can't handle the idea of ocassionally having to step up to the plate and fill in for a self-care owner that has a family emergency, then you should sell the farm and go sell twinkies at the gas station because CLEARLY this job isn't for you.

No, they shouldn't do it when a mom has a PTO meeting she forgot about, or you call and say "Oh gee, I forgot I have a dentist appt. this afternoon, can you please take care of my horse?" Those situations don't count. But a family emergency involving a death - good grief, that's a no-brainer!


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## themacpack (Jul 16, 2009)

CheyAut said:


> Yes, I would. Horses DEPEND on us for their well-being. When we have them, we take on that responsibility, and it's not a decision to be taken lightly.


Exactly - I would not neglect to feed my animals, even in that sort of circumstance.


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

samc230 said:


> CheyAut, I don't have any other option than this place.
> 
> Macabre, I was gone all day. I wasn't at home crying and didn't feel like feeding my horse--if that were an option I would have gone and cried TO my horse.
> 
> ...


Don't worry what others say. You did the best you could and obviously didn't do it on purpose and it was a rare occurance. Years ago when I worked at a stable and did evening chores I could always tell when the owners didn't do morning feedings. Did I like it? NO but you can't control everything and I made sure the horses got great care when I could. There are alot of people starving and neglecting there animals for way longer than 1 day.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

churumbeque said:


> Don't worry what others say. You did the best you could and obviously didn't do it on purpose and it was a rare occurance. Years ago when I worked at a stable and did evening chores I could always tell when the owners didn't do morning feedings. Did I like it? NO but you can't control everything and I made sure the horses got great care when I could. There are alot of people starving and neglecting there animals for way longer than 1 day.


What she said... I was in your shoes once.


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