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horse feed

3K views 21 replies 10 participants last post by  BearPony 
#1 ·
I want to thank everyone for there advice...buying a bike might be the best thing..lol.....has anyone ever used alfalfa cubes? I use to board 3 horses so i know the high cost of owning a horse...i have my own property now and was just looking for alternatives for a feeding program..
 
#2 ·
I already responded in your other thread.
Problem is, horses need roughage. For their stomachs. They're made to eat constantly, so the stomach produces acid constantly. Empty stomach....the acids start eating the stomach lining, which will cause ulcers. Therefore, hay is essential for a healthy horse. You can stretch your hay with some alfalfa cubes or pellets, together with feed quality straw. But that alone is not ideal, the cubes are more expensive than baled hay.
Don't know where you're at and what the drought situation is. But waiting it out until spring and looking around for hay growers in the meantime would be your best bet.
 
#3 ·
There is alternatives to hay but they are not as good and cost much more. Hay is the cheapest & best food for your horse next to grass which isn't growing right now.
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#9 ·
Ummmmm you fail to recognize that dry grass = hay.....plenty of that standing on the ranges........
 
#7 ·
You can use round or square or cubes. round bales you will probly get more for your buck, but then you need a way to move the bales. Decide how you will feed it to your horse. there was a thread on not that long ago where people posted what they were feeding. check it out, it might help.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Maybe it would be in your best interest to interact with a stable. Read many books, ask questions, learn more from possible caring for other horses before jumping into ownership just yet. I am by no means trying to shoot your hopes down but I'll tell ya', I have ridden horses for almost forty years and have owned them for twenty, I am still learning and will continue learning because what I HAVE learned, you will never know it all.

Wild horses differ from domesticated. Wild horses are adapted to their environment like the domestic. But, their environments are vastly different. And I do not think my horses are people, I definitely know they are in fact horses.:lol:
 
#10 ·
Squares are easier to handle & move around, rounds are cheaper but unless you have a machine to move them, they can be a chore. Some put the rounds directly in pen or pasture with the horses so they have hay at all times however if they are anything like my hogs, they will chow down on it like someone might steal it from them, plus there is waste as well. You can have the rounds delivered to a covered area & pitchfork feedings off into the pens but I found this to be a chore as well but you do save hay & money. The best thing I have found it to buy it right off the field when it's baled, buy as much as you can store, my hay barn can hold two years worth and I save some cash. Running out every month to buy small amounts is where you get soaked on cost.
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#14 ·
Speaking of this I just did a budget of owning 1 horse for a year. %12 grain, and alfalfa mixed hay. With lots of random essentials added in, it was close to $60,000 a year. For one horse. I probably missed alot of things aswell.

Something to think about.
I refuse to add my expenses up lol, I do not want to know. It just leaves a little at a time.

I really hope this is some kid playing make believe.
 
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