Still Not Interested in Hay

 


The photo describes the situation: fresh, full bales of green high quality grass/alfalfa and the herd behind those eating old grass buried in snow and sage. At this point, I'm convinced that I don't know much about horse care despite years of study and observation. We've been caring for horses for over thirty years. This has been my profession for almost seventeen years. I've cared for thousands at this point with good results, but this herd has decided to throw the book out of the window. We had most of this herd last year, but they're behavior is not the same as previous years. Last year, they showed up every day, excited about their hay and ate everything they could. This year, not so much.

All it really means for us is that we are watching their body conditions closely and haying whenever they look like they want it or during storms. If they pick around the feeders or the weather turns nasty, we throw a few bales out and watch to see what happens from the house. There are a few that never seem to eat from the bales, even if they are open. They seem to be doing just as well as everyone else. The Geriatrics aren't receiving any hay at all, and they look great.

Even the “hard keeping Thoroughbreds” are holding their own, maintaining their weight, and happily racing around barefoot. Considering there has been ample time to watch them from the window during the storms over the last month, it has been a good opportunity to think about their behavior. In short, pasture management seems to matter and the horses seem to prefer grass, even crusty, dry old winter prairie grass.

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