Thanks - yes - I should have clarified - when I got straw as bedding, which is my preference, the vet was very concerned. I had to switch beddings several times to get one that reduced his coughing under saddle (now he gets a mix of large and fine flake…costing me a pretty penny dammit LOL!). So - he’s already got a bit of an issue there. It’s the mold, not necessarily the residue.
The Standlee compressed bales of certified weed free straw is very clean and not dusty at all, I buy it at Tractor Supply. I’ve tested a lot of bales over the years and it always comes back incredibly low in sugars/starch/calories. I keep small hole nets filled with it in stalls overnight
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That might work with the new hay net. The XL would fit two of those bales lol
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The bales are surprisingly heavy for their size
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Thank you for posting and reminding me I need to look more into this for myself. Once the weather gets out of winter, Ill have the option to turnout day and night (they come in for meals). He is in a dedicated drylot and I want to make sure there is something for him to pick at overnight without overdoing it on the hay.
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This is exactly why I keep straw in nets in the stalls overnight
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Yeah - I use the compressed alfalfa for the senior and delivery day always is a workout!
I’ll add a straw bale to the order next time and partial fill the new hay net with it to see how it works.
I don’t think there’s going to be a silver bullet here, I think it’s just tweaking all the things.
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I’m happy with the HayPlay Slow Feed Hay Bag; one of the claims made which might be helpful for your horse is “It also greatly reduces dust and allergies from loose hay that can cause respiratory problems and breathing issues.”
It appears very well-made and durable; I’ve had no trouble with the zipper or the Velcro. It’s not lightweight, and I only put a couple of flakes in it at a time (it can hold most of a small bale). I’ve found it works best for me to hang it, either in a stall or in the sacrifice paddock, from a double-ended snap attached to a bucket strap (which is in turn attached to the stall or fence).
I don’t suggest leaving this bag loose, where it can be moved around – tried that first and it got quite dirty, which necessitated my emptying it and washing it thoroughly inside and out. Awkward to dry, too, but putting the bag over/around a standing fan (which was wrapped in plastic for the winter) worked.
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I am a firm believer in free choice hay but some horses simply can’t have it. I have a “fat field” for those horses.
Honestly, unless you reduce his hay you are going to struggle.
Given your feeding time, I would suggest not putting any hay in his stall when you bring him in at 6. Fill the net at night check to get some buffer in his belly during the night. That sounds Iike an easy way to reduce his night hay by half.
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Yep. My Houdini took off an entire HW w attached neck cover. All surcingles, leg straps, neck cover Velcro and chest closures done up and nothing torn. Just shimmied out of it I guess lol. He also takes off fly masks and on one memorable occasion left his halter and muzzle hanging tidily on a tree branch for me 
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I’d pull insulin just to know your number and then plan to cut that weight with increased exercise. Can you go on long walks and how often?
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Just put a GG muzzle on him for 12 hours? He is obese according to your description. He does not need 24/7 access to something to eat.
He can most likely get “some” hay out of a net while wearing the GG but if nothing else he will be fully occupied by trying to get it out of the net and pass his muzzle wearing time that way…
You obviously need a different helper or educate the one you use now on what is appropriate / desirable for a horse condition wise.
Getting helpers here has been well nigh impossible. I’ve had a number of workers ghost, and I pay well.
I don’t want to go into the whole story, but this one at least shows up, which is half the battle. She lives on the property and has lived here for 30 years - removing her from the equation is not simple. I’ve remedied the initial problem, but additional steps that I add to the process are difficult. Not impossible, but difficult.
However, I’d rather have what I had, an obese horse, than an unfed starving horse. So I’m loathe to just throw the baby out with the bathwater. Better to correct the issue and move forward.
The issue is his stomach. It is not wise for a horse to have zero access to hay for 12 hours. At 4 hours you start to have ulcer-issues. The best way for horses to not have ulcers is to have a forage mat in their stomach. He’s a neurotic horse by nature (he self-mutilates when frustrated) so I do not wish him to get ulcers. I’ve ordered a muzzle but I don’t know that it will be the right final move given his self-mutilation habits which are brought on by frustration.
I will trial it, just like I’ll trial some of the other solutions. I just wanted to make sure there wasn’t something that I had not thought of.
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Yes, once the vet gets here we will. Hopefully with any luck we can do it daily - we walked today with a buddy and will start an exercise regimen. We’ve been riding a few days a week, but they have been short rides given the inconsistent weather and footing concerns in the weather.
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Oooo looks like I can get it shipped to the store. Hopefully if I order it in the store I can get avoid the shipping on it. I just put in a store order for my unbeetable yesterday so I’ll put in another order when I go to pick that up.
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Out auto feeder get us by really well, but I like having a backup for outside overnight or if it looks like the power might go out. I’m really curious to see if he will eat around it or won’t mind.
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I might not go as far as to say no hay at 6pm if the others are eating then, but perhaps one flake at 6 then his real night meal net at night check.
I also believe in free choice hay, but some can’t deal. With my IR horse he now gets one flake at lunch instead of 2. His night hay remains the same. I often try to do his exercise near lunchtime, and he can make the flake last most of the afternoon. He will take breaks, take a nap, and come back to his hay. I had to reduce it some. I didn’t want to make him develop food insecurity to where he’d start hoovering the food instead of eating normally. And by weight he was already getting 1.5% of his ideal weight for his total ration. Some will Hoover it up no matter what though, which is why we have slow feed nets and unfortunately may require also limiting access somewhat for those eating far too much.
At least with his breathing issues the slow feeder is working. I was taking care of one fatty for a while that I switched to a slow feeder net at night check and he promptly developed a breathing issue and sinus infection and the vets nixed the whole slow feeder thing.
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Good thought. Maybe a flake of an edible straw at 6 would be a good option. Something not delicious but enough to munch on.
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We had a bale of some kind of straw leftover after a new client horse got gelded. My guess is it’s oat straw but I just took a quick look online at photos. I gave him a test handful to try and he ate it; he went back to his hay after the first bite so I sprinkled the rest on the ground under his net. When he was eating the droppings, he ate the last little bit so that’s promising that he didn’t turn the nose up to it.
I’ll be thrilled to beef his hay bags up some more.
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I see a lot of seed heads in that straw. It would make me nervous if I had a metabolic horse
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