What and when should I feed my horse? Do I need to let her out of stall sometimes? Can I let her out?

Question

Miss. Foxtrotter,18 mo. old,In a dirt stall
She is not at my place because weather caused a very large tree to fall on my fence line and I am in the process of fixing it and sectioning about 2 acres for her in my pasture. So, I am keeping her in a stall on one of my riding club members place. She is kept in a stall because is stud is out. So I am worried that I shouldn't let her out with him and if I should be switching them out every now and them to give her grazing time. If that is not best then I don't know what to feed her in the stall. I heard that she could get colic from being in the stall too long or overfeeding her or something like that. My club members are helping me but I don't want to appear totally clueless.

Answer 1

Yes, your filly needs turn out time- and at her age, she needs a LOT of this. Since there is only one place she can go, you need to ask the stallion's owners if she can switch with him for part of the day. Your filly also needs to have her feed cut down to the bare minimum necessary to keep her in condition, so that she doesn't colic or founder from being kept in all the time. Your filly is a little young to be being ridden yet- at 18 months of age, she is considered to be a "long " yearling, and is several more years away from being considered physically mature. She's still growing, however, and she needs enough nutrition to support that and yet not make her so hyper to handle that she's dangerous to you or herself. My suggestion would be to keep her on a small amount of high-quality grain ( like Omelene 200) and let her have plenty of a good quality timothy/grass hay, to give her something to do while she's confined. At the very least, she should be getting out for a walk or some ground training for at least an hour each day, and this should be followed by some turnout time in the field ( with the stallion in HIS stall, of course) and a thorough grooming every day.

You also need to make sure that the filly's stall is cleaned daily ( a thorough cleaning once a day, and a picking out as needed) and that she has plenty of clean water all the time. As far as turnout goes, DO NOT put her out with the stallion unless you want an unplanned foal next spring!!!! At her age, she is old enough to breed, and the stallion will do what comes naturally to him as soon as she comes into heat ( which she likely will, because he will tease her until she does) and mount and breed her. Your filly IS NOT old enough for a pregnancy at her age- she's like a teenage girl right now.

Apart from this, in answer to your other questions, yes, horses can colic from overfeeding, and they can also founder. ( Founder, or laminitis as it's called medically, is the disease that killed the famous racehorses Secretariat and Barbaro. It makes horses very lame, and frequently, the only humane thing to do in a severe case is to euthanize the animal. The disease has many causes, and not all of them are understood as yet. One of those is overfeeding of grain or other carbohydrate rich foods- which is why you need to be VERY careful how much you are feeding your filly.) Lack of exercise also contributes to some colics, and it can make others worse.

As a final note, I would ask your vet for recommendations concerning how much to feed your filly and how often. Your filly needs other kinds of care as well, such as regular visits from the farrier for her feet, and like all horses, she needs to be wormed and vaccinated on a regular basis. Prior to her being ridden for the first time, she should have a dental checkup, particularly to check for the presence of wolf teeth which may be hidden in her lower jaw below the gumline. Such a tooth can cause extreme pain if a bit were to hit it while the filly is being ridden or worked. This can lead to head tossing and behavior problems, so such teeth are usually pulled prior to the start of training if they are discovered. Make sure that your filly's stall is kept deeply bedded, for both comfort and to prevent sores when she lies down to rest.. Good luck, and I hope this helps.

Answer 2

My horse is outside 24/7 and always has been. She eats grass in the pasture in the summer and is fed hay outside in the winter when there is snow.

I really don't believe in keeping your horses in stalls as it causes bad behaviour, bad habits, and isn't fair to a horse. Horses are big, they need a large area to run around. Since there is a stallion, then no, you don't want your mare with him unless you want a baby!

I would suggest turning her out during the day though, because horses do need time outside too. If you can't do this then feed her a few flakes of hay in the morning and in the evening. It depends on how the horse's metabolism is though. Some horses can eat and eat and not gain anything, and others can eat a little and blow up like a balloon.

Answer 3

Colic can be caused in horses by many things including: overfeeding, feeding too much grain, feeding on dirt/sand, and allowing them to drink immediately after hard exercise. Horses do best grazing, so yes I do think it is a good idea to switch her and the stud out. Feeding recommendations are hard to come up with without a weight and age on your horse. Here is a link that may help get you started.
http://www.anslab.iastate.edu/Class/AnS415/Selectingfeedstuffs.pdf
Just remember, the more of her daily values she get from grazing, the less likely she will be to have digestive problems.

Answer 4

Stalling horses 24/7 can lead to habits and vices from boredom such as weaving, cribbing, etc. Horses are meant to be moving around a lot; some horses don't mind being stalled as much but some absolutely hate it, especially those who are used to spending most of their time in the pasture.

It's best to give her at least a couple hours of turnout time a day. At the very least, you should be exercising her or taking her for a long walk everyday.

What does she normally eat? Does she normally get fed any grain? If you give her grain, don't overdo it since she won't be getting as much exercise. Give her plenty of hay to much on during the day; avoid too much of the richer types of hay like alfalfa though.

Answer 5

Of course you should leave her out! How would you like to be confined to one room all the time? Let her out so she can get some air and sunshine,and stretch those young legs and roll in the grass! What to feed her depends on her age and weight,but letting her out to graze is a good start,in additon to her hay and grain.Don't be afraid to ask the other members of your club;they will be flattered that you are asking them for advice.It shows that you care about your horse,and you can't learn without asking questions!

Answer 6

1. ok bring a big bucket of feed (doesnt have 2 be full) and/or some treats and the lead rope/halter. 2. go up to her and let her come to you at the same time. (patience is the key with this part) 3. show her the feed and let her eat it for a while so she can calm down. 4. while shes eating start petting her and slowly and gently slip the rope over her neck. (patience is the key with this part 2) 5. give her the treats once she realizes u have her 6. put the halter on and VOILA!

Answer 7

Since it is someone else's property, and their stud, I would ask them if it is okay to switch them out for part of the day. The stud owner may not want anyone else handling the stud because of liability issues. If the stud injured you or your mare, the owner could be held liable, and if you injured his stud, you might be held liable.

I say get your fencing fixed asap, and get the filly home where you can control where she is.