Feeding for field board HELP

[Texarkana]

Feed bags can work with powdered supplements. The Cashel Feed Rite style has a solid bottom and a nylon “lip” at the back half that keeps powder in:

https://www.amazon.com/Cashel-Feed-R…/dp/B00XTAFQ7U

If you’re still worried, adding a splash of water or oil to the feed can give the powder something extra to stick to.

I love feed bags. If the horses can’t be separated to eat, they are the next best thing! I’ve been able to convince several barn owners in my past to adopt them because they really are quite easy to use.

[Libby2563]

I also use the Cashel Feed Rite bag that Tex linked. For powdered supplements, I add a splash of water unless the feed itself is sticky (like Triple Crown Senior), so it will bind. No problem!

That said, I’m not sure a feed bag will solve all your problems. First of all, even though a more dominant horse can’t chase your horse away from his food, they can still chase him or try to grab the feed bag off his face! I have a dominant horse who just gets a ration balancer, and I sometimes have to intervene when he finishes his boring grain then menaces the hard-keeper who gets lots of yummy senior feed. I’m pretty sure if I didn’t keep him in line there would be an altercation. So if your horse is low on the totem pole you may still have issues, even with the feed bag. You also don’t want him choking because he’s bolting his feed when the others hassle him. The pen really would work better.

Second, like others have said, a feed bag will only help you if the staff will use it. Since the pen is already there and they’re not using that, I don’t know if they would use a feed bag either. The real problem is that they don’t think there is a problem, so they’re not interested in solving it… Approach the BM like Trubandloki suggested (not accusatory!) and be willing to pay for him to be fed in private, one way or another.

[buck22]

I have to agree with Libby… a feedbag may or may not work. A very clever or dominant horse can try to grab the bag and rip it off their heads. And there is the running issue, horses chomping mouthfuls of feed and then trotting around, definitely tempting a choking episode.

Also, someone has to be there to remove the bag when the horse is done, and not forget. A horse with an empty feedbag on his head often goes to scratch on a post, dunk his face in the tank, or scratch his legs with it, and often steps on it, tearing it.

The Cashel bags are very nice, but once there is a hole in it, no amount of duct tape or sewing will fix it.

I would find a way to pay someone to separate your horse so he can eat his meal in peace.

[samwoww7]

My barn switched to feed bags for all the outdoor boarded horses because it is so efficient! It is way easier to fill up bags and bring them out than to struggle with buckets or bringing the feed out to distribute. It also makes sure no horses get medicine they shouldn’t.

Seriously… feed bags are a miracle. So efficient. Talk with your barn manager and give them the pros and cons and try to update the system. Talk about how it will save time and money! (also the bags last forever when they are all wearing them)

[Palm_Beach]

@mad.equestrian

Thanks! I’m really not a pushy person which is probably a problem. I don’t want to be a pain-in-the-a** boarder but I like your approach. Make it simple and to the point. Hahah sorry everyone, I corrected “hay” bag to “feed” bag right after i posted it. I have seen a hay bag lol. Unfortunately, i don’t think think the feed bag will work since he is on a powdered supplement . I am going to speak with her this afternoon and hope we can come to an agreements with the pen feeding again.

Good idea. I agree that you need to isolate your horse in a stall or pen so he can eat. The only time I feed in the field is if the dominant horse is the slowest eater or gets the most food, so the lessers can finish up before the dominant horse comes over to check out what they are eating. Otherwise it turns into musical chairs.