Horse feeding routine.....night time okay?

Question

I am getting horses soon and want to pasture them during the day and keep them in at night (cold). I also have invested in automatic feeders to feed the horse several times for when I'm at work or sleeping but the question is whether I can feed the horses grains at night since they will not be in their stalls during the day to get to their concentrate food. 24 hours a day they'll have access to field or hay but I just don't know how to give them their daily ration of grains without restricting their access to open pasture during the day when I'm at work. I work 8 hours a day, not including a 30 minute commute, so I am there only in the morning and evening....but 100% on the weekends.

The automatic feeders at filled daily and several times a day will release a preset amount of food to spread out the amount of grain over a period of time....my vet was recommending these since it helps reduce the chance for colic and will help me out since I have them at home and I have a full time job.

Answer 1

Your horses will be fine on this routine. Some people are able to feed three meals per day at exact times, but face it: that's just not how real life works. Look at it this way, if you quit your job they wouldn't eat at all.
Colic is common among horses and it doesn't take much for that to happen. Your concern in a situation where feeding times are variable is a twist, which is when the intestine actually folds over on itself, blocking the rest of the digestive system. This would be more likely to happen to horses eating only large meals infrequently than it would a horse grazing all day-this doesn't neccesarily mean they will colic, but its not as healthy for them and not natural. They should have small meals many times daily to keep their intestines full, which makes it much less likely they could fold or twist. These are worst case scenarios of course. Many horses do fine being fed twice a day.
By providing your horses free access to pasture will help avoid potential problems. Its instinct for them to graze all day to avoid colic. As long as they are eating grass, their intestine will stay full and keep the feed moving through. The best thing to do would be to rotate pastures if you have that option, so that one doesn't get so overgrazed that there's nothing in it.
I respect your concerns for your horses and the care you're giving them. Also you're trying to educate yourself, and a good horseman knows we are always learning. Not all horse owners care as much as you do. Hope this helped. Good luck and happy trails....

Answer 2

I'm not sure where some of these people are getting their info, but after 35 years of managing horses, I can tell you what colic is and is not. Horses are grazers and thus need to keep their stomach somewhat full during the 24 hr day. Most people feed grain twice a day. It is best to feed it as close to twelve hours apart as you can, however, many people feed before work and after work. You can leave hay that will last for a couple of hours and since it is winter, they will have very little to eat, grass-wise. Feeding on this schedule DOES NOT cause COLIC! Colic is caused by a build-up of sand in the intestines, worms in the intestines, spoiled feed(always smell your feed before feeding...do not feed sour smelling feed), molded hay, either from feeding round bales that stay in the pasture(which is ok for cows, but not horses) or just hay that is too old or was baled when wet, again smell the hay before you buy it. It should be green in the middle. There are other things, but those are the most common. Older horses tend to colic more frequently due to changes in intestinal motility. In all cases, horses not consuming enough water seems to contribute heavily to bouts of colic. If the weather changes, make sure the horses are drinking. A lot of people give electolytes in the feed to help, some use table salt to assist in this.

A horse may twist an intestine when there is an impaction and they start rolling and thrashing....thus, if you have a horse that colics, you need to learn how to give injections and to keep a pain med on hand such as Banimine. Given early on, a horse can usually bounce back from colic. A horse DOES NOT colic from eating large meals of grain UNLESS they get into a feed bag and eat free choice. I think this person is confused in this regard. Normally, you only feed a few pounds of grain at the most per feeding, this does not cause colic.

I don't have much faith in automatic feeders, how do you know which horse ate or that one is not eating all the feed? The dominant horse will push others away if they see it first. I think feeding in the AM before work and then at night is fine. Feeding additional hay late at night is a good idea when it's cold. Digestion aids in keeping the body warm.....this is the truth from someone who has spent most of her life with horses. I've attended to many colics over that time...hope that helps.

Answer 3

It sounds like you have it covered. I split my horses feed rations in half and feed one half in the morning around 7am before I have to go to school, then again when I get off work around 6pm. My horses have pasture 24/7 except my mare, because she is pregnant I lock her up a night because of the cold. When it is no longer cold, leave your horses out at night. Turn the automatic feeder off during the weekends, if you are sure your gonna be home, and feed your horses by hand, so they can learn they can trust and depend on you. Not just the machine. My horses have never coliced on this diet. They get plain grass hay everyday when I lock them up as a suppliement cause their pasture is solid ice right now, and the winter kills everything. Just don't give alfalfa everyday, and your horses will be fine. You sound like your going to be a fine horse owner. Good for you too, cause you want to give your horses as much pasture time as possible, and that is smart. A horse locked up a lot, will form joint problems, and become "older" faster. And the hay dust, and stall dust can get in a horses lungs and cause respiratory problems. Locking them up a night is enough when it is cold. Be sure the horses have a run in shed in the field, so when it rains they can go in there while you are at work, or if it is a warm summer night. Horses were made to be outside, and don't start to lose body heat until the temp outside reaches about 27 degrees.

Answer 4

Vets preffer that if you are able to feed small rations throughout the day. But if you are going to do so you need to keep them regular. Small rations help maintain a horses weight and prevent foundering and colic.

I own a ranch in Texas, we don't have automatic feeders but my horses get small portions of complete feed(we use safe choice, strategy, and ultium) along with three flakes of hay and one flake of alfalfa each day.

Before you bring your horses home gather all their previous feed information from the previous owner. Then talk this information over when your vet checks the horses over. Your vet may suggest that you switch feeds, add supplements, or tell you that your new companions need a certain amount of exercise a day.
It's always important to consult your vet on your new buddies before you even buy- and if you do need to switch feeds start with small portions so not to make your horse founder.

Also keep salt and mineral blocks in the pasture for your horse next to a fresh supply of water- it's also a good idea to keep loose salt in a bin in a pasture(salt blocks were designed for a cows rough tongue- horses will quit licking these even if they didn't get enough salt because their tongues hurt).

Automatic feeding is a great invention that has helped many horses. Good luck with your companions and happy trails

Answer 5

It is perfectly fine to feed horses round bales in the pasture, as long as it is fresh, quality horse hay that doesn't stay there too long. My five horses cleanup a small round bale in a week. Feeding a round bale may not be feasible for one or two horses, but more than that, it's fine.
Feeding grain at night is fine, too. However, I'd split their daily ration into two feedings. Is there a way to enable them to go into stalls at will, therefore eating whenever the feeders vend it out?

Answer 6

Night is fine. Grain is really just an extra- hay and pasture are the best for a horse. I know quite a few people that only feed hay/pasture. Their horses get hay bellies in the winter (think potbelly), but they go away in the summer.
My horse only gets grain at night. I give 2 lbs of sweet feed w/ biotin for her feet and b/c I ride 5 times a week. She has always been in perfect health. She does have access to 8 acres of grass and some hay in the summer and quality hay in the winter.

Answer 7

Nightime grain has been working for me! I also have our horse out to pasture 24-7 on round bales except for the daily handful or so of grain in the evening. I have worked at a couple of farms and all the horses got brought in once a day (some AM and some PM) for their grain. I am hopeful that feeding twice or multiple times a day isn't necessary or I, and alot of other, people have been doing it wrong! I guess I would say bring them in at night, give grain and some hay for overnight, and let them out in the AM. I would think if they have access to hay 24-7 it wouldn't matter when they got grain.....just my opinion.

Answer 8

our horses get grain at night, they get a bale of hay in the morning, one in the afternoon and then one in the evening along with their grain and then we usually water them at the same time also. this is only during the winter months, during the summer they are out on pasture all of the time and only receive a very small am mount to grain, mainly to get them in the trailer.

Answer 9

horses need to be fed grain once in the morning, and then once again 9 hours later plus a continuous supply of hay or grass. if you wait more than 9 hours to feed them grain, then you will risk the possiblility of them colicing.

Answer 10

Teri is absolutely correct. I have my own horses and I feed them grain at night. Contact your vet if you feel uncomfortable with anything that has to do with your horses. Mine is always happy to talk to me.