Every horse care book you can buy will tell you, "Don't feed your horses their hay on the ground." This is to avoid getting sand colic and picking up parasites from eating on manure-covered ground. Well, after seven years at this and having tried every type of feeder imaginable, we have yet to find a feeder that horses can't -- and won't -- fling their hay out of so they can happily eat it on the ground. We've been through rack feeders, bunk feeders, hanging feeders, you name it. It's clear the horses have not read the horse care books.
Our most successful feeders to date -- with success defined only as "keeping hay in" -- are the same Rubbermaid tanks we use for watering the horses. They're big, have deep sides, and have plenty of room for horses to sift through the hay and push it around while they eat. Horses are always sifting through their hay in search of something else ... a finer selection, a fluffier stem of grass, who knows? And they especially like to toss their hay in the air, hoping something yummy will fall out.
But success is still relative. For instance, here are blind Kiowa on the right and blind Cactus Jack on the left. Notice the deep, 100-gallon water tank serving as feed trough. Notice the pile of hay flung onto the ground next to it. I took this photo yesterday afternoon while we were feeding.
Now, some horses are more insistent about flinging their hay onto the ground than others. We have one big old blind gelding, Shasta, whose main goal in life is seeing how fast he can toss the hay out of the trough.
Why it's more appealing to eat hay on the ground I don't know. But there are just some things you have to learn to accept (I guess). So every day, morning and evening, we dutifully fill the troughs with hay. As we walk away, we hear the first flakes of hay hitting the ground. Oh, well.
(Click on photo for larger image.)
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Update on Brynn: This morning her temperature was back to normal, at 100.8. And we didn't do anything different. Go figure.
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Wild horses don't eat from feeders so doesn't it seem reasonable that stamped in a horse's DNA is the same thing that their wild ancestors did and that was eat their food when it was on the ground like grass or whatever??
Posted by: Miranda | May 03, 2007 at 02:01 PM
Our old blind Sadie would walk up to her food bowl, skillfully tip it over with her paw, then cheerfully eat the food off the floor. She knew exactly where to put her paw on the rim of the bowl to flip it over.
Posted by: Bruce Small | May 03, 2007 at 11:46 AM
Cactus Jack and Kiowa are quite content eating, just keep on bringing the food!!! Love your creativity...using rubbermaid containers for feeders!
This is a funny photo..especially to a person who has zero horse experience!!! Glad to hear Bryn's temperature is normal!
Posted by: Nina | May 02, 2007 at 09:14 PM
I'm sure you are frustrated with little Brynn's problem...anyone would be. Just keep the faith and know you are all in our prayers!
As for the hay, we used to have cows that would poke their heads through barbed wire fences to eat whatever they could reach on the other side...instead of the good things that were on their side of the fence...whatcha gonna do? Keep smiling!
Posted by: CrazyOldLady | May 02, 2007 at 03:11 PM
As a child, I was told that horses throw their hay around, on the ground and 'sift' through it so if their was a 'needle' in the haystack, it would fall to the ground and not get eaten. Could be just a horse tale, I don't know? Kiowa & Cactus Jack look great! Once again I am struck by the beauty of the view; I'm sure the animals that are blind can feel they are in a majestic place.
Posted by: Kathy Goog | May 02, 2007 at 11:38 AM
What a beautiful day you had yesterday!
I had no idea horses ate this way; I always learn something from RDR!
I'm glad Brynn had a normal temp. yesterday and am hoping she only had a slight case of "Spring Fever" that's moving on.
Posted by: Leilani | May 02, 2007 at 10:01 AM
What a great sight....beautiful mountains and happy horses.
Posted by: Mary - Texas | May 02, 2007 at 08:29 AM
i guess the horses and the hay are similar to my golden and his kibble: it just tastes better if it's strewn all over the kitchen floor first... :)
best of luck to you and brynn - i hope hope hope that she is ok and that it doesn't develop into anything more serious.
Posted by: m | May 01, 2007 at 11:28 PM