O/T horse hay *@#%^$

[Anonymous-0]

I just took a look at a hay web site with classified ads. I never do seem to be amazed at all these horse people who just drool over hay. you would think they were going to eat it.
I see horses all over our area grazing on pasture with everything in the world in it.
Horse people, I'll never figure you out, you are cheating horses out of alot of real good hay, don't get me wrong now, nothing wrong with bermuda at all, its good but the animals can eat other hay as well.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Well, I'm a horse person but I let mine graze in the front yard too. They can eat just about everything there except my flowers. But I have to buy hay too because I do not have much grazing land. What kills me is the price of hay now. We were paying almost $12 a bale about 2 monthes ago.

 

[Jeff Oliver]

I know what your saying. Most everyone wants bermuda or something. My sister has had horses for 40 years and they eat what is out here that we bale. Lots of jap,orchard grass,clover,Like I said whatever is out here. They are all healthy and would be fat but she rides the heck out of them!

My dad said when he bought our first horse he bought about 100 bales of alfalfa.It sat and sat and I think he finally filled a ditch with it cause the horse wouldn't touch it. Loved orchard grass and clover though.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I dunno, we're pretty reasonable about it, weather dictates what most hay will be like around here, this should be a good year for 1st cut, and hopefully 2nd cut. We try to get as much and stock up on green 2nd and later cuts as possible, off good fields. I've seen a lot of tan, rained on but dry, faded, stalky, coarse kinds of hay, not a lot of nutrients, from people who don't have or take care of their fields, and they'll pick through it, you just feed a lot more of it, and it chokes up the bedding, making the stalls harder to clean. Anytime we can find or is available, green 2nd and later cut, they are always much better, I'll even feed some of the chaff left over from handling. The fields in this area can grow some really nice hay, just that the weather plays h#LL with getting it in. I've seen what the some of the show people pay in FLA., shipped in from Colorado etc., and what the feed store sells near the racetrack up here, some nice stuff but really expensive, like I said, we're pretty reasonable about it, had been buying 3000 bales a year for the 20-40 horses that had been hanging around our place, as long as it's not dusty or moldy, not usually a problem, too many weeds is n/g, but that's about it, the rest they'll eat or pick through. Good thing now, is most of em have recently left, won't be handling so much hay !

We used to run a pair of mower conditioners and balers, fill 2 barns with very large hay mows when I was a kid, for many years, we know what goes into making these small squares, and I think is why we don't make too much of a fuss, bad bales I use for mulch or other things, if I get some hard dense brick like molded or dust bales here and there, no big deal, we always check it before feeding. The time I got 26 wet bales in a load of 200, yeah I was really ticked, worried about fire, had to spread them all out.

 

[Larry NE IL]

I think hay is going to bring a good buck this year. Here in the midwest, the guys south of me had some pretty bad freeze damage from that Easter freeze. Then there is the spreading drought in the southeast.
A fella might not be in a real hurry to sell his hay right now.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Larry,

You're sure right about that. My first cut of hay was pathetic and unless we get some serious rain pretty soon, my second cut will be even worse.

I've turned down a number of people who want to buy hay because I'm afraid I won't get enough to feed my cattle this winter.

I sure hope for more rain.

Good luck,

Tom in TN

 

[Anonymous-0]

What the Sam hill is bermuda? Around here city people that have hosses need the high priced stuff. A Farmer hoss just eats what the cow heard eats. I get a kick out of city people

 

[Anonymous-0]

Not all horse people are like that. I have three horses right now and have had as many as eleven. Right now they get a Timothy, orchard grass, and clover mix. They have had strait timothy. and strait fescue in the past. I raise my own hay so I can feed what I want to. If I were buying hay they would get whatever was available. If it is in a bale it is better than snowballs. But I have delt with your "horse people" and I know exactly what you are talking about. Let them go without hay one year and see how picky they are.

 

[old]

Gary well being a horse person I take offence to what you say. Now not all of use are alike so please don't lump us all into one box we are all different. My self what I bale is what they get not matter what the hay is like. I figure they graze on it all summer so then its just as good when its baled up for winter
Hobby farm

 

[Anonymous-0]

One more thing- If it is good enough for them to eat in the summer-it is good enough for them to ear in the winter.

 

[Dan67]

I also have horse"s and they are not picky eaters they eat plain old grass and the horses perform well. again just plain old grass year around and it gets down well below 0 in the winter.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Tom just hayed my lower 8 acres just like he has for the last 20 years. Nice mix of fescule, timothy with a smatter of alfalfa. I just have Tom do the hay up and take it with him to keep the field managed.
New neighbors moved in across the road from in town and they have two of those hay burners. The husband was out in the field a couple nights ago looking at the bales. Wonder what he's thinking? Of course he'll need to make arrangements with Tom. I'm pretty sure hay won't be cheap this year. Probably won't be much of a second cutting, been too dry. And alot of people are planning on retiring on this year's corn crop. Wonder if any of those jokers will wrap a towel on their head?

 

[Anonymous-0]

IT's all about supply and demand.Here in New Jersey 95% of the people that have horses have to buy hay all year.That info is from Rutgers,not a guess.
I have 15 acres of timothy. Last year the first cutting I got just over 1200 bales. This year I got only 950. With fuel at $3.00 a gal and twine at $38.00 a bale. And try and find help to put it in the barn that will work for nothing. The price will be whatever the market will bare. If they don't want to pay,let there horses eat snowballs.
I don't care if the barn is full of hay next April.I'm not going to give my hay away.

 

[Allan in NE]

He!! Yes,

Horses will eat anything and everything put in front of 'em. They especially like weeds. :>)

I'm married to one of those "horsey types" and I'm forming a petition now to outlaw "Horse and Rider" magazine.

If they said to paint the hooves purple, you can bet I'd sure as anything, be out there with a paint brush immediately following next month's issue. :>(

Allan

 

[Tim...OK]

I don't understand it either..we have 3 horses that get worked as hard as any,whether it's gathering cows off the prairie or a little roping,they get a round bale out of the same row as the cows.. I guess the boarded city folks horses that stand in a stall all day can't survive on it though..LOL I've got an uncle that bales nothing but small squares just for the "horsey" crowd.. he does make alot of money every year through their ignorance..

Tim

 

[Allan in NE]

I like the part about if the first two ribs aren't showing, they are fat and could possibly die.

Cut me some slack. Wonder who kept 'em on their diets for the 50 million years ahead of us humans? :>)

Allan

 

[Bret4207]

If I paid $11,000.00 for a $600.00 horse I'd take good care of it too! The only thing the "horsey" crowd fawns over more than hay is the truck and trailer to haul the hay burner around in. My grade drafters do fine on straight hay year round. They actually get fat on it!

 

[Allan in NE]

Oh Yeah,

I'm sure that horse trailer has to have the carpet and satellite fed TV. Anything less would really be roughing it, wouldn't ya say? :>)

Allan

 

[dhermesc]

"I'm pretty sure hay won't be cheap this year. Probably won't be much of a second cutting, been too dry"


Where you located? The problem in Kansas is its been to wet to get the first cutting up without beign rained on.

 

[Joe(TX)]

People have been brainwashed by the so called experts. My horses get what they get, be it Coastal bermuda, prairie grass, or whatever. The horse people are deathly afraid of johnson grass. That was all we fed our work horses when I was a kid.
I figure if a horse can't handle the ordinary grass, we are better off without them. You need to get a real horse anyway.

 

[dhermesc]

You nailed it.

I remember growing up with two Shetlands and two full sized horses of undetermined breed. They ate the same hay as what the cows got. I remember the second Shetland being unloaded (with 10 cows on a F600) and my dad wondering if he over paid when he gave $10.00 for the pony (this was in 1975).

But then we also never let a dog or cat in the house either, if they couldn't find the barn they were to stupid to live anyway.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Tom in TN,
I'll trade ya some dry weathe for some of our rain. Its killing me that I can't get ot the field to do much of anything. We are having floods in our area of north central tx.
www.heralddemocrat.com will show ya some of it as well as www.kxii.com. Its wet as all get out and after the last two years of dry weather I never thought I would be wishing for dry weather so much!

 

[souNdguy]

Myh pasture and yard is mostly bahia ( pensacola and argentine mix ).. My horses prefer that green, vs coastal bermuda. They aren't big on tifton .. and won't eat bailed bahia unless there is no other forage... then it's fine!

The cow will eat -anything-...

Soundguy

 

[Anonymous-0]

old,
sorry, I din't mean to offend those who know that horses can eat other stuff. Personally, I have absolutly no use for the animals myself but if its what anyone wants, thats there deal.
I know several who have em. What gets me is the over educated crowd that read too many books and have college training.
You know it might just be that, thats why the country is in such as shape as its in, too many college trained idiots and not enough just plain ole boys and girls with common sense.

 

[Tim...OK]

Absolutely Allan,anything less would be cruelty Bet they'd frown on my father in law loading his horse on the flatbed of his old ford truck like he used to do,no sideboards..he said after throwing him off the truck once he always stood with his legs kinda far apart :^)

Tim

 

[old]

Yep when some one goes to college they train the coomon sence right out of them. I to deal with a lot of the educate idiots and its sad to see how many of them know a lot of stuff but when it comes to common sence they have little or none
Hobby farm

 

[Anonymous-0]

You forgot air conditioning. It is a available for horse transporters for the horses.

 

[TyTX]

My donkeys seem to do all right on whatever grows in their pasture. Come winter (or summer draught) they gladly eat rounds of whatever I can lay my hands on. They especially like Johnson grass. When they get posted up front, it's the first thing they eat.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Northern central Pennsylvania

 

[Anonymous-0]

Growing up on farm learned to work a couple draft horses on a mower and dump rake- horses helped get their winter supper ready. Horses and cows also gleaned corn fields, pigs finished the fields and helped clean up before hard frost and snow. Amish in Green County, Wisconsin area let horses and cows glean fields yet, they maintain the fences at least. Sister lets her horse graze ditch around their place in dry times, cut and baled shallow ditches couple times. Horse is not a finicky thoroughbred. RN.