Turning an IR Mini out with larger horses

[bananna]

I have three horses who all get along, two larger (16+ h mares) and one mini gelding. The mini has had laminitis before coming to my farm and I have worked hard to keep his levels manageable and he has a pretty strict diet. He is turned out on a dry lot and the mares are turned out on grass.

I live in New England, and this winter I would love to turn all three out together once it snows - however I am stuck trying to figure out how to manage pasture hay. I don’t want the mini having a free for all on all the hay I would like to give the mares.

I was thinking of creating a boxed in slow feeder that had sides taller than the mini could reach and putting a hay net covered bale in there - but I am not convinced that is the solution. I don’t want to hang hay high - I am not a fan on the stress the angle puts on my mares necks/backs being in that position for long periods of time.

Anyone done anything similar or have any ideas? I know the little guy would like to spend turnout time with the other horses, but I obviously don’t want to overfeed him.

[candyappy]

As long as he can’t jump into it I think it is worth a try. I am sure he would like to be out in the larger pasture with the others.

[JB]

Is your hay tested? If so, what are the WSC, ESC and starch numbers? What are fe/cu/zn/mn numbers?

A lot of IR horses can eat a lot more hay if ESC + starch is low enough, and if cu/zn/mn are balanced to fe

[Weezer]

My IR mini has foundered on hay in the winter in the past so I use a tall hay ring and ration feed so she can’t reach over the ring to the hay on the ground. Then I rope off an area close by that only she can get into to eat hay in a slow net. That allows her to be close to the herd and eating her own hay that the others can’t chase her away from. I think the hard frozen ground can cause a mechanical founder on her sensitive feet so I also give her Prevacox daily (vet recommendation) as a preventative during the winter.

[clanter]

We put a water trough in a cart, put the hay in trough… mini could not reach the hay

the cart made it easy to move the hay feeder about or under cover if raining, the handle to pull the cart is held in place by a chives pin so is easily removable

[Weezer]

This is a great solution!!

[joiedevie99]

Can you add the mini to the group for a few hours in the late afternoon, when the mares have mostly eaten all their hay up? Or put a muzzle on him for the few hours you put him out with the girls?

[S1969]

I’d just be aware that the mini may still be able to dig through the snow to get the grass, which still may be too high in sugar for it. My mini and pony cannot be on snowy pasture until the ground is frozen solid and even then sometimes they can get too much grass.

I still do it in the dead of winter but definitely not yet. Even if we got some snow today I have too much grass underneath.

[bananna]

These are great ideas! Thanks for sharing (I love the idea of a hay wagon…!)- I am also glad to hear putting a large hay feeder that the mini couldn’t reach worked successfully too.

Thanks @S1969 for the heads up - I was also planning on waiting until things are frozen, but will keep an eye out. The pasture is a pretty eaten down sacrifice pasture for winter, but definitely something to look out for.