My horse is very similar. He gets all his hay in a slow feeder net because otherwise he does a really good impression of a vaccum cleaner He's outside 10-12 hours each day and still eats a completely stuffed hay net (probably about 25 lbs of hay) each night. I recently moved him to a new barn, and the new BO thought he didn't need all that hay and tried giving him less at first and he dropped a bunch of weight. Fortunately, 'unlimited hay' is in the boarding contract, so we talked about the weight loss and got it resolved.

I don't know how much I'd have to feed in order to keep hay in front of him all night if it weren't in the hay net (before the hay net he'd gobble everything up super fast so it never lasted all night no matter how much I gave him)

Definitely give the hay net a try. It's the only way of I know to keep hay in front of my horse. And don't worry that the other horses seem to be doing fine with less hay, some horses just need a little more

 

Yup, what Verona said.

I do like the idea of multiple nets hanging around to keep him moving, it's more natural and close enough to grazing that way.

I learned a long time ago that slow feed nets were the way to go to keep hay available for a majority of the time.

 

Ok so i'm not crazy then! I'll post an update after I put up the slow feed hay net tomorrow!

Thanks everyone

 

my horse is the same way, he gets grain twice a day with my other two and he will galp his oats down and hes known to choke so i feed him with my other gelding who will keep him in check while eating. and they get a round bale and he will eat it all day thats where i find him 90% of the time. so i have slow feeders on the bales and am making small ones for feeding small bales. it seems to help and i know hes not getting too much when he eats on the bales all the time. my dad recommends them to EVERYONE he talks to because it wastes less.

 

Sounds like everything's being done right. The slow feeder to keep him from being hungry is good. Some horses just eat faster.

The thing I AM concerned about is this is not usual for him and has started suddenly.

I would personally talk to a vet.

Do do the slow feeder and maybe give him a snack midday if needed. Assuming his weight is good.

I would also recommend stones (o something) in his feed bucket so he doesn't gulp and choke.

Is he turned out with anyone? My guess is he feels nervous, and is also afraid of running out of food so eats faster (one of those things that makes sense to a horse and not us lol). So I would make sure he has more food, or at least more constant access to food and doesn't feel "threatened" or rushed. Give him a little time to adjust and if it doesn't slow down do talk to the vet.

 

Not sure what cutting you have but I use first cutting grass hay so it isn't as fine and they have to chew it longer.

 

I suppose you have no idea how much he was eating with the free choice hay - there's a school of thought that says if you feed them free choice they only eat the same amount as if you give it too them in timed intervals.
I don't know about that - I've got two that are easy keepers and seem to be able to consume huge amounts of hay in a really short time so nibble nets and small hole hay racks seem safer for them the other 3 are often still nibbling on their hay ration when the next one's due
I think greediness is the main factor

 

I read a study where horses were stressed by timed feelings and then they ate everything in sight once food was in front of them. It's as if they were getting ready for a famine and ate all the food. That's why I'm thinking of putting out various slow feeders.

 

I certainly think that spreading the ration around as much as possible is the way to go - keeps them moving too.

 

I don't think I'm going to ration, just put hay is slow feeders so he doesn't eat it all at once, and spread them out in the pasture.

 

If you are paying for your own hay, I'd be suspect about him being given an entire bale. If he were given the whole bale, even if a small 30 pounder, I can almost guarantee there'd be hay in the morning as horses do snooze off and on during the night.

 

I do not pay for my own hay, and he was given half of a 30 lb bale.

 

I've read some of your other threads. I would suspect your horse may have ulcers with his behavior issues and now kicking

 

He's not kicking... but I will keep an eye on him with slow feed nets to make sure it's not ulcers. If i notice anything out of the ordinary I'll call the vet out

He is 16.2 and a half (lol) and weighs around 1250 lbs.

 

Sorry - didn't mean withhold food when I said ration - I have two horses on a managed feed program as they just get way overweight if I don't so they have a set amount of hay per day and I use nibblenets and small hole hay racks to slow them down.
They could easily eat half a bale of hay a night if they were allowed too
Ulcers are more likely to make a horse not want to eat due to stomach pains

 

Wow.. based on this post everyone is all over the map on feeding horses. Most horses (1200 pounds) eat hay that is average quality (9% protein and not too high in NDF) at the rate of between 18 and 24 pounds a day. If the hay is high in NDF they may eat more but they get less out of it and get a hay belly. If it is low NDF they will eat a lot more and drink a lot more and become obese.

WEIGH YOUR FEED folks!! do not guess as to bale weight of flake size.

Flake size is determined by the ground speed of the baler, the PTO speed, the tightness of baler bale chamber (which is tightened by the person baling the hay) and the plunger speed coupled with the size of the windrow and the type of hay being baled!!!! "Flakes" of hay are all over the place on number of pounds!!!

A half a bale of second cutting grass hay.. if the bales are only 30 pounds.. can easily be consumed very rapidly!!! Know what you are feeding. Test your hay and weigh how much you feed!

 

She was longeing him on gravel with a 12 ft lead. He bucked out with both hind feet, and she was too close.