Horse owners, how much do you pay for...?

Question

how much do you pay for feed?

my thoughts were(please tell me if i'm correct or not, and what i should change/figure into my conculations, thanks!)

we have 47 acres, and 20 is cleared into field space, right now 3 or so is used for the barns (we have 2 main barns, and alot of out building). how much should we fence in for the field, our old field was alittle over an acer of land, should we make it 2-3 this time? (we're at most getting 2 horses in the next year or so) i'm going to call someone about types of grass to grow. so with the right grass for our area/horses, and enough, we should be able to get away with not buy hay for the summer. . . now how many months is that? 3-5 months? about how much hay a month in winter. my guess was 2 bales a day, does that seem high or too low?

our horses are going to be trail horses, so how much grain would you feed? i was thinking once a day and about 1 coffee can per horse, and Not sweet feed.

can someone tell me if i'm on the right track

Answer 1

I'd suggest using as big of a place as you want. But I don't agree with Barrel Racer when she said not to turn them out in the Spring and Fall. It's healthier for a horse to be turned out 24/7....I've seen sooo many horses that are stalled get colic or have health problems.  

I board, but my BO pays $3.50 per square bale....my horse gets a bale a day so probably $100ish if not more (don't have a calculator with me) on food a month

My horse gets 1 bale in the summer and is grained every day....in the winter he'll still get 1 bale, but he'll get more stuff in his grain (more beet pulp, and rice bran).

It depends on what breed, and how often you plan on trail riding...personally if you are just a weekend rider I wouldn't give too much grain if any...unless they are TBs or a breed that can have problems keeping weight on

Sounds like your on the right track! Also play it by ear...if you notice in the winter that the horses are kinda skinny, up the hay...adding another bale in won't hurt them...infact it's healthier for them, when there is snow on the ground and no grass, to have an unlimited ammount of hay. Horses in the wild would graze 80% of the day

@Barrel Racer: There's nothing wrong with feeding a horse a coffee cup of grain a day...my horse gets more than that and hasn't founded :)

If the horse you get isn't used to grain, then yes, don't throw in alot at one time, slowly intruduce them to it

Answer 2

I have 5 horses all eat 10%sweet feed. I use a quarter horse scoop per horse at night. I also use some beet pulp soaked in water and drained. My horses get 2 flakes of Timothy alfalfa hay everday and all the grazing they can eat. We use our horses for trail and pleasure but we ride 4 to 5 times a week usually about 5 to 8 miles each time. I like to have an acre for each at the least so they don't over graze the land. Now everyone is different in feedings and I like my 10% complete sweet feed. In our state we don't have enough selenium in the grass. My horses are nicely muscled without being overweight.

Now you will have to figure out exactly how much to feed your horses start out small and see if they gain or lose and adjust it either way. Not every horse is the same. I agree with Draco...leave the horses out. A turned out horse is a Happy and healthy horse. Stalling to much leads to behavioral problems. The only time mine are stalled is for a daily check over and when the winter is really bad.

As you can see everyone is a  lil different but its a start to help you out and you'll figure it out quickly...Good Luck and have fun with your new babies.

Answer 3

I can't really help you out with the field part, but I can give some advice on the grain. My horse gets 2 flakes of hay in the morning, and 2 at night. With his hay he gets grain daily. 1 pound of senior equine, with glucosamine and hoof supplements added in, twice a day. So total he gets 2 pounds a day. I am part of a drill team and we ride our horses steadily at a fairly quick lope for an hour. In the winter he got more hay, so we didn't change his grain. Of course the supplements are optional but since your horses are going to be used on the trails you might want to get some sort of joint supplement, especially if you have older horses. The supplement I use is Equinyl Glucosamine (pain formula). This will help with your horses joints in the long term and will hopefully keep them from developing arthritis in years to come. Depending on the shape that your horses' hooves are in and what your farrier thinks you can also add a hoof supplement. I use Master's Hoof Blend to harden my horse's feet and keep them growing at a steady pace. If your horses need to put on weight you can also add some corn oil to the grain but never more than a cup  per day. Good luck :) If you have anymore questions about grain or feeding feel free to e-mail me.

Answer 4

If you are getting 2 horses, I would make the field 3-5 acres. That way they have plenty of room and are less likely to tear up the pasture.

I would defenitly consider making a 1-2 acre 'paddock' and connect it to a 10 or so acre pasture. That way if the grass is wet and you don't want it torn up, or if you don't want them on grass for health reasons, you can keep them in the paddock and give them hay. For a while the paddock will still have grass. At my barn, the horses stay in the paddock in the morning, get their grain (those who get grain), and are turned out to the pasture (just open the gate). They are left out for however long and then brought back into the paddock and given hay. Then it repeats the next morning.

Just an idea. :)

As for hay. It obviously depends on the kind of hay and size of the bale. For an average square bale, each horse gets about 2-3 flakes a day in the summer, and in the winter they are given round bales. One round bale lasts 5 horses about a month.

I'd always plan to give them more hay then they "need" because then you won't run out. Feed them how much you think they'll need, and if they don't eat it all, then you know to give them less. If they eat it all, I'd give them more.

Don't give your horse's grain if they don't need it. My horses have PLENTY of energy and all they get right now is hay. I attended a desensitizing clinic this weekend and the clinician told many stories about "crazy" horses becoming 10 times better after it was taken off grain. But I know very well there are horses that need supplements, so they get grain. Which I agree with completely. And some horses are hard keepers, etc. Just make sure your not giving your horses anything they don't need. It can cause some health problems as well as the energy, etc. problems.

I wouldn't get into any details about this until you actually get your horses. And make sure to talk to their previous owners about their diets.

Make a 'rough' copy of this all with an exagerated price. For example - hay here is $4 a bale on average. 50lbs of grain is about $25.

I would say 1 bag of grain per month, and 40 bales of hay.

But I would say $6 a bale and $30 a bag of grain - in case of a sudden price change.

Then you figure all the money that you don't spend on feed would go into the "emergency vet" fund. :)

EDIT;

It may just be a coincidence, but all the QH/TBs I know (including my own horse) have been hard keepers. So they needed a lot of food in order to stay at a consistent weight.

Your new horses may not be hard keepers and may not need that much grain.

For a while, I wouldn't give them any grain. Because it's possibly (even if the owners says they are) that they aren't on grain - and if you give them too much (even a little every day, i've seen a case like that) grain they could founder or colic.

Just be really cautios about the whole thing. :)

And if your horse is slowly introduced to grain 2 coffee cans of grain isn't too much. We have a 27 year old Arab mare at my barn and she gets 2 coffee cans of grain plus a joint supplement.

Answer 5

for 2 horses you should at least have 2 acres but I would go with 3 just in case. Your horses should NOT be turned out all day during the spring months and early summer months or they might founder. Yes your horses will still need hay I'd give them about 1 flake in the morning and 2 flakes in teh evening.

in the winter give them 2 flakes in the morning and about 2 and 1/2 in the evening..... DO NOT give them 2 bales a day or you might kill your horse.

NO NO NO NO!!!!!(dont mean to sound mean or rude)..... DO NOT feed your horses a coffee can a day of grain or you just might make them foundered. Your horses might not even need grain....(depends on how much your going to ride them and how hard you work them) but if you ride them almost every day then they will need grain. Go to a fast food place and buy a medium size drink (if you get the plastic kind they will last longer) and give them a 1/2 to 3/4's a scoop in the morning and then 1/2 to 3/4's a scoop in the evening.....using your cup as a measuring tool.

In the winter give them a scoop in the morning and a scoop in the evening if the same sized cup.

EDIT--- o lol... I thought you meant one of those BIG coffee cans.....( I have neighbors who feed their mini donkeys one of those for each one every day)....

If it's just one pound then it sounds good.... but if they start to look like their getting over weight I would go down to jsut 1 pound a day instead of 2.