Wet mash mess, how to minimize the mess and what to do when winter comes?

[Sunshine_s_Mom]

Hi! New to this forum but hopeful all you fine folks will have some solid advice for me and my old girl.

My mare is a 37 year old Quarter Horse who had some choking episodes this past spring. She has always LOVED eating and sometimes gets a little too excited to eat which led to the choking. Both times I had to have the vet out to unclog her. I’ve also had the dentist out; 2 molars were pulled but otherwise normal wear for a 37 year old. The vet recommended I switch her to a complete pelleted feed so I can soak it with water and create a mash to prevent her from choking again. He recommended I soak her feed for the rest of her life. Beyond that advice, I don’t have much to go on, he is a man of few words.

I put her on Alam by McCauley Bros as that is what the feed store recommended for her profile. She is basically a lawn ornament - too old and arthritic to ride so not many feed requirements beyond her senior needs. So far my girl has been doing pretty well. Her weight is maintaining and she is still interested in eating the watered down mash (it’s very soupy).

Here is my question: She makes a mess when she eats. I have water pooling on the floor under her bucket, mash stuck to every surface surrounding her bucket. What do people do to minimize the mess and what do people do when the cold weather hits? I’m worried about all this mash and water freezing and becoming a hazard to her. I’d like to prep the barn as much as possible before the cold weather gets here.

Any advice would be appreciated!! Many thanks in advance!

[Angela_Freda]

how/where do you presently feed it? Feed tub on the floor? In a feed tub on wall?
What is she doing to make the mess?

In winter, you might try a heated or insulated bucket to prevent it getting too cold?

[GraceLikeRain]

Some horses seem prone to grabbing a mouthful and then looking around while sending mash bits flying onto every available surface.

Do you have a washrack inside the barn? I know someone with a 35 year old who feeds him in an oversized flat tub. The thin layer and large surface keeps him from slinging and then she can hose down the area afterwards.

If you have a fridge you can soak in there during the winter and then top it off with an appropriate amount of boiling water from a plug in kettle and then let things settle to a safe temperature.

If you are there for the duration of meal time I wonder if a plastic kids pool under supervision could create a large enough surface area to contain the mess and then you can pull it back out afterwards?

[Sunshine_s_Mom]

Currently her bucket is mounted to the wall with some L brackets so it doesn’t move. I have to keep it elevated to further prevent her from choking. I thought of a shallow pan on the floor to minimize the mess but can’t go that route due to the need for it to be elevated.

She dunks her head in it and water/mash drips everywhere from that. The vet recommended it be more soupy than mash so it just pours out of her mouth when she lifts her head.

And I will definitely use and insulated/heated bucket come winter. She eats it fairly quickly so I’m not worried about her food freezing just all the watery mash mess that covers the floor and wall around where she eats.

Thank you!

[Sunshine_s_Mom]

Thank you @GraceLikeRain! Unfortunately, I don’t have a wash stall but you made me realize that I could tack a tarp behind her bucket so the mash doesn’t really have a surface to stick to like it currently does with the wood. Now just to figure out the floor… Thanks again!

[IPEsq]

My horse likes soupy food, and he dribbles a fair bit. I periodically remove the bucket and scrub with warm water. And as for the film dribbled on the walls gets power washed off in the spring. I think if you put a tarp on the floor that you can clean more frequently, that will help.

[Dramapony_misty]

Our old timer gets fed 3x per day in one of those giant feed pans on the floor and we cut open a plastic feed bag to lay flat underneath it. When it gets gross, we just throw it out and put down a new one. It can usually last a week or two (longer in the winter…in the summer, the overflow mush starts the mold).

[Sunshine_s_Mom]

Thank you all, these are great ideas!

[Angela_Freda]

@Sunshine's Mom

Thank you @GraceLikeRain! Unfortunately, I don’t have a wash stall but you made me realize that I could tack a tarp behind her bucket so the mash doesn’t really have a surface to stick to like it currently does with the wood. Now just to figure out the floor… Thanks again!

Large rubber mat? Or can you put extra bedding under the feed tub, that would keep it from freezing in winter, then clean under it like you would pick a stall when she’s done eating… so it’s all removed and she’s not tempted to clean that up?

[Sunshine_s_Mom]

@Angela Freda I was thinking of maybe extra sawdust just in that area too. Typically I use straw for bedding but maybe I could put some wood shavings just in that area so it absorbs any water and I can easily clean it/remove it after. Thank you!

[candyappy]

@Sunshine's Mom

Currently her bucket is mounted to the wall with some L brackets so it doesn’t move. I have to keep it elevated to further prevent her from choking. I thought of a shallow pan on the floor to minimize the mess but can’t go that route due to the need for it to be elevated.

She dunks her head in it and water/mash drips everywhere from that. The vet recommended it be more soupy than mash so it just pours out of her mouth when she lifts her head.

And I will definitely use and insulated/heated bucket come winter. She eats it fairly quickly so I’m not worried about her food freezing just all the watery mash mess that covers the floor and wall around where she eats.

Thank you!

Just be mindful that those insulated buckets sometimes continue to stay on when nothing is in them. I have had several do that.

[sublimequine]

Could you do a small amount of wood pellets under the straw? They do a great job soaking up moisture, and for the most part they seem to be easy to clean up even in sub-freezing temps.

[Angela_Freda]

@candyappy

Just be mindful that those insulated buckets sometimes continue to stay on when nothing is in them. I have had several do that.

Yes if you feed mash in them, they get unplugged if not removed entirely, post meal.

[MCF1991]

We use to feed bran mash. We would put the mix in a rubber ground tub and the messy ones would eat it in the middle of the stall or away from the walls to help prevent a mess. When there was a mess on the walls, we would just scrub them down with a scrub brush.