Feeding Horses A Flake or Biscuit Of Hay Can Unhealthy & Contribute To Colic

#thinklikeahorse #ItIsNeverTheHorsesFault I see it all the time people throw a flake or biscuit of hay to a horse and lets the horse break it up and try and eat it. Lots of things wrong with them and the most important is doing this can cause colic in horses.
www.thinklikeah...

[@ron-yv4jx]

The fast way = bad way Hard way = good way That can be applied to just about everything, very logical Thank You Rick, Buddy & Mr. T

[@CraftyCreativeGirl]

I work cleaning stalls. As you'd expect, Rick, when I break up the lunch flakes the other ladies say "oh you don't need to bother". I mean, I don't expect much from people who stall horses, but come on. It takes 30 seconds and is so good for the horse.

[@gypsycobsuk5246]

Another reason to shake your hay out, dead animals in the hay! I got lazy the other night and didn't bother to shake the hay out like I normally do. Came out the next morning and they all had the runs and as I went to put more hay down I noticed a carcas of a black bird. Had I of shook the hay out, I would of saw the bird, took the bale back and got them another. I am so lucky they didn't colic from this! Lesson learnt, don't get lazy and always shake your hay out because you never know just what you might find!

[@morganhedden7286]

Thanks for making this! I've been throwing my hay out in flakes without breaking it up, but now I know not to do that!

[@ruthboaz4784]

Thank - you ! I see all the barns toss a flake and never check and I"m always concerned !

[@laurensmidansky7619]

Your boys eat very politely. Shaking out the hay is a really good way to keep them healthy. You really know what you're talking about.

[@alyssaelle6510]

I've been looking into getting a horse soon but I won't even consider it until I binge watch as many of your videos and read all your articles. You've helped educate me on so much and I'm glad I found your channel/website or I'd end up like another idiot.

[@frootythepebble9686]

This is super educational, I never thought of how breaking it up can benefit the horse until now.

[@jbshomestead7694]

hi Rick, woosdsmanjoe here, this is my homestead yt chn. I remember a vid you done a long time ago on hay over grain, I feed my 3 horses every 4 - 5 hours hay, grain, and plus they are out on pasture. They have right at 10 acres, and are free to go as they please. I know that I might feed them more then I should, but it has taken me right at 2 1/2 - 3 years to get them to were they need to be weight wise, from when I got them. Good vid. as always

[@ThinkLikeAHorse]

horses are a Process not an event, too many want one answer and one right way for all things it does not work with horses, that why horses teach common sense you have think you can't just follow a book or person or video.

[@4Mr.Crowley2]

This is an extremely helpful and important video, Rick. When I was a kid (early/mid 80s) and first learning about my horse and how to handle and feed the horses properly, we were taught to (always) spread the hay as you do -- almost like a mantra: always, always spread the hay. In fact our trainer, who wouldn't put up with any crap and definitely no pink halters, would have smacked out butts (oh the old days) if we threw a packed biscuit of hay like the ones you are discussing in for the horses to eat. That was so engrained in my thinking that I only started noticing recently that younger types were throwing out hay for the horses without bothering to spread it at all and this freaked me out (and I am not blaming them! Most of this is the fault of lazy trainers and indifferent folks that work with boarded horses -- the horses aren't theirs so they aren't always as careful as they should be with feed and feeding procedures). Thanks again for the video, and thanks for explaining in detail why spreading the hay is so important.

[@4Mr.Crowley2]

Buddy wants a carrot! That look on his face kills me -- he is such a character. I know my wife would have to stop me from giving him too many treats (yeah, I know, manly man that I am)!

[@thatpacklife6935]

I learned this from you a while ago, never worried about breaking up the hay before but now I always make sure. Thanks for keeping us informed.

[@barbaradick4021]

Since your last video on Hay, I always break mine up now. Great advice. Nice to see the boys back, missed watching them

[@marciamrazek8075]

So glad this came on my playlist! I came to your channel the day Mr T passed. He was a truly handsome animal! And, as always, you emphasized something I never realized. Guess i always thought they did a little more processing on those "biscuits" so would have found any "extra ingredients."

[@KingsMom831]

This is easily my favorite horsey/horsemanship channel😊

[@ThinkLikeAHorse]

Yay! Thank you!

[@lilkittyanime]

"Aw hell I'll get there when I get there" hahah How I feel about my classes XD

[@edgryff]

I do like watching horses graze. Very relaxing. They should make a channel of it.

[@sydneygoldman1072]

Thanks for the advice! Unfortunately at my lesson barn they never break up the hay...I'll have to let them know. And lol, I only know the different types of hay from my guinea pigs...I've fed them Alfalfa and Timothy, but they like the Sweet Grass the best because it's the softest.

[@michelleldaviskingjesusret3713]

I love a day when I get to see Buddy and MR T!

[@carolv8450]

And Rick, too.

[@michelleldaviskingjesusret3713]

Yes, Absolutely!

[@aylenpaynter3118]

Thank you for this information. This is really helpful to people who have a horse, and those who don't have one yet. Sorry for my english, I'm from Spain :)

[@aylenpaynter3118]

thank you!!

[@bbrgemdiamond9703]

its good to see the boys enjoying some good hay

[@MartinPlanner2]

what i despised the most in the schoolyard is that they had a 2m^2 wooden roofed shed like thing with openings on all sides, kinda gazebo and they just rolled 2 bales of hay in it and let the 12 horses gather round it and nibble out from it...just because it's fast and easy to do it...and then of course it always got the muddiest around it and when you go getting the horses on that small fenced area this was in, you always had to drag them away from it in the tallest mud, that ate a couple of our shoes&boots of the unprepared... and those 2 blase lasted about a week or two...and they call themselves the teachers of horsemanship...stupid lazy idiots.

[@ThinkLikeAHorse]

agree round bales are not good for many reasons but it allows a horse to STAND and eat all day, NOT good.

[@williamkeil8414]

Hi, excellent video, its very rare that you see people breaking up hay. They think its fine.

[@MaggieObernier]

Rick, Sharing with Lester. Great educational video ! Thank you! It was awesome seeing Mr T💗 & Buddy together!

[@rossmunn9770]

Very good advice, thanks. Common sense things are the best. My Appaloosa gelding picks up his hay and then dunks it in his water, all the time. That's especially good if the hay is dusty, something I don't want. Thanks again, like your horses too.

[@tyrroo]

Haha, that's pretty funny. I wonder how he started doing that? Clever boy!

[@scm731]

Thank you Ric, this has helped me a lot. God bless you, son.🐴😉

[@downhomesunset]

I was at a two day training session and we left the horses overnight at a barn. I camped there as well. A woman ( I cannot remember if she was wearing pink!) thought she was being nice when she gave each stalled horse a coffee can of cubes. Luckily I got there before my mare really started on it. I gave her Shit and she's crying about how she was just trying to be nice...........

[@tyrroo]

What's a "coffee can of cubes"?

[@slingshot2004]

What the hell is a "coffee can of cubes"!?!?

[@tyrroo]

+M H >> Well, that's pretty damn stupid. Why the hell do those even exist? Are you supposed to soak them or chop them apart or something?

[@marinacam2755]

I've had my senior horses on timothy/alfalfa mix cubes for years. In the winter, I soak them in hot/warm water for at least 20 minutes before serving as the old men have no back teeth. I've recently started my 14 year old gelding as well, he is doing just fine, he has no dental issues and they all get hay cubes 3x a day in the winter. Soaking then mixing it is KEY, but I think hay cubes in and of themselves are not bad

[@tyrroo]

+Marina Wojciechowicz That sounds good, it's like giving them hot healthy porridge! Rick's followup video to this says the cubes are usually used for cows, I guess their digestion is very different so the cubes don't cause problems for cows the way they can for horses.

[@noldaker]

Great advice Rick --Reposted this on FB and Twitter... :)

[@StarOne311]

Thanks Rick!! Very informative to everyone!!

[@user-uw4yq6rj7g]

I'm going to start doing this now. Never thought it mattered before, I just threw out a bale of hay for all the horses.

[@tayler942]

Thanks Rick!! will be doing this when I get my first pony

[@teenwolflover7067]

amazing video, as usual

[@bloomingaccents]

thanks Rick, didn't know!

[@aislingtalbot5212]

Omg thanks I didn't know this I usually do break it up but sometimes I don't I'll be breaking up his hay from now on

[@agnespotier-murphy4536]

Hi there. I don't know if you have these in the States, but here in France what they call "hay nets" are very trendy. The idea is to put the hay into a big (strong!) net so that the horses can only nibble at it and never be able to take huge bites out of their food. I was wondering what you might think of that. Of course, since you have to put the hay inside the net yourself, it does not at all invalidate the recommendation to break it all up and look through it thoroughly, on the contrary! I think they call it "slow-feeding"...

[@ThinkLikeAHorse]

A hay net can be helpful but many use it to be lazy, if you throw a flake of hay in the net the horse can get chucks and if you are not breaking down your flakes you don't know what in them and cannot smell or find bad hay or other things.

[@agnespotier-murphy4536]

Thank you so much for your reply Rick! Yes, I did have a suspicion this solution was invented to give lazy people peace of mind! The main argument of those who sell these nets is that it stops the horses over-eating which, in my opinion, should not really be a problem if the horses have access to quality food and don't develop a fear of lacking food brought about by spaced-out "meals"! Thank you again for weighing in and for setting the record straight on so many horse-related issues!

[@ThinkLikeAHorse]

if used right they can be helpful and can serve a purpose but they can also be used as a crutch and lazy way.

[@agnespotier-murphy4536]

Thank you! I'm looking into all the best options for when I finally get to have my babies at home, and your videos are proving invaluable!

[@agnespotier-murphy4536]

Oh, and of course, thank you so much for this great, super informative video! It goes without saying so much that I actually forgot to say it: all my apologies!

[@LesleyHarwood]

cant do that over here too windy would waste it, we use either hay nets or special hay holders they can only get a little out at a time

[@skullarix]

A year late to the party... sorry... So my horse is a "dunker" they throw the flake in and she then takes it over and puts it in her water, this causes great annoyance with the staff, not to mention more frequent water trough cleaning. I asked the stable to just wet down her hay... I mean problem solved right? Yep you guessed it, it never happened. When I'm there and they feed, I wet down her hay (maybe that's bad idk, she likes it) and then I break it up for her. As you said, it's not that hard...

[@queen_g9455]

Great video Rick.

[@pinkrose1990]

Thanks for the great info on feeding horses :} Hi Mr T. & Buddy

[@kellymiddlebrooks639]

the only only hay I feed is Bermuda jig just a personal favorite

[@rogamurphy1132]

A horse at my barn (half through Red) he is 16.3 and he is 34!! And a little pony is 49 at mh barn

[@AllieProuse]

never knew that. thanks!

[@BreeKayBe]

Alfalfa scares me, had a horse die from blister beetles being in the alfalfa.

[@ThinkLikeAHorse]

that is why you don't feed Texas Alfalfa, all horse alfalfa gets shipped in from AZ or other states.

[@BreeKayBe]

Think Like A Horse the alfalfa was actually locally grown in Arizona but it was a small farm. I've seen farmers burn their fields at the hint of those damn things.

[@nettlescats3796]

It was cattle feed.

[@BreeKayBe]

Nettles' Cats yes but it's still a good feed for horses.

[@oregontribal1]

I feed my horses alfalfa and I put it in an elevated feeder where they have to work at getting the hay in order to feed in small increments.

[@ThinkLikeAHorse]

elevated feeders have their issues, dust is falling and breathed into the horse nostrils and eating with the head UP can cause choking since gravity is helping food go down faster which takes away from the chewing time and slavia breakdown process to work. Horse are not giraffes they are ground grazers.

[@oregontribal1]

True. However, I live in the Pacific Northwest and if the hay isn't in the feeder...it's floating away from all the rain!

[@cyberspaceout]

I love your love for your horses and horses in general.

[@gerrycoleman7290]

Teresa-------Get a bin feeder for those days when the ground is too wet.

[@Katt30]

Man, this is the first time I've heard of timothy fed to horses. I thought it was just the hay fed to rabbits and guinea pigs and such

[@jaspertapen]

It is commonly grown for cattle feed and, in particular, as hay for horses. It is relatively high in fiber, especially when cut late.

[@Katt30]

jaspertapen Huh, interesting to know. Thank you for the info

[@jaspertapen]

Crystal Meyers most welcome, healthy horses are happy horses.

[@carolv8450]

My guinea pigs loved Tim hay!

[@thrux900ful]

It only takes a few seconds longer to do, and as your horse will be hanging around waiting for its feed, it's also time spent with horse

[@TheHandymanQld]

A biscuit of lucerne.

[@Crafty_Kritter]

Hey rick, in regards to people putting fish in their troughs, they do it not to be lazy about cleaning it, it is to keep the mosquito population down in the water so that the horses don't end up drinking in the larvae and get sick...

[@Crafty_Kritter]

Did I say it was a good thing to do??? No I didn't, I just said that is why they do it and during heavy mosquito season you would have to empty troughs every day whether the water was dirty or not since the mosquitoes lay the larvae every day and waste the unused water, and if the right fish are used there are less toxins produced by the fish waste, goldfish are definitely a major no no to use..

[@tyrroo]

"you would have to empty troughs every day whether the water was dirty or not " You *SHOULD* be emptying a horse's trough every damn day! Do *you* drink old, stale water that's been sitting outside for 24+ hours? No? Then why should your horse have to?

[@carolv8450]

But then they r drinking fish poop!?!

[@ThinkLikeAHorse]

Still Lazy and an Excuse, if you are not keeping your water clean, changed or enough water so the horse drinks it then you are being lazy, you want to have lots of water so you don't have to check it, you want to not waste water so you you have have to fill it with the right amount as often, FISH ARE DIRTY NASTY AND LAZY WAY TO CONTROL BUGS IN YOUR HORSES WATER.

[@SpiritBear12]

Fish give off ammonia through their bodies. Just like if you have too many fish in an aquarium and you're not changing the water fast enough, the fish will die due to the ammonia that they exude. Would you want your horse to drink ammonia and fish feces? Do you want to drink from an aquarium that doesn't get filtered? I know I wouldn't. So putting fish in a watering trough which no one is going to hook up to a fast acting filtering device is not a smart idea if you want healthy horses. What you could do is hook up a water pump to make a simple fountain on one side of the trough. You want something that is going to keep the surface of the water moving quickly. Mosquitoes can't lay their eggs in agitating water. They like to lay their eggs in still water, even better if it's some what dirty to really dirty.

[@kirstencarlson7603]

I've found a dead birth in the local grass hay here. Luckily I found it before my horse came in and ate it

[@rachelames5894]

rip

[@Iloveshorsez]

I always break it down and then put it in a haynet :)

[@karenspivey9420]

The boys are happy to do Quality Control!

[@alyssakuha4081]

awsome video! really great advice

[@dibade1961]

I know almost nothing about feed and hay.

[@carolv8450]

Wow, they have good eyesight to see that from so far away.

[@ThinkLikeAHorse]

horses eyes pick up the slightest movements at long distances so they can spot predators sneaking in on them, they do not miss much that goes on around them.

[@carolv8450]

Yes, amazing animals !

[@gerrycoleman7290]

.............and hearing.

[@racheldianeames3729]

another good lesson about hay :)

[@crystalizedink4508]

Would you recommend hay stacks instead of bales?

[@racheldianeames3729]

surprise appearance by tanner and buddy :)

[@danvickiriggs3207]

If they bale the hay with a pink tractor is that better?

[@4Mr.Crowley2]

Lol! A pink tractor...

[@tyrroo]

They could probably sell it for twice the price, and the dumb barn witches would fall for it!

[@Katt30]

Only if they also use pink wire or rope to tie it with

[@tbjorn7374]

That is how our 4-H horse leader taught the kids to feed, just throw a flake into the paddock. Know wonder why the horses were always sickly! You just use common sense!

[@annekathrinerudgoeskjr5523]

this is so usefull!!!!

[@DragonbornCanid]

does the same count for other grass/hay-eating herbivores too? I kinda assume it does, but I'm curious.

[@carolv8450]

My Guinea pig loved alfalfa and Timothy hay!

[@1happycountrymom677]

smaller bites, better digestion.

[@KatieKat3388]

Awww, Riiiiick! why wasn't the bucket pink???? 😢 Lol, jk

[@gerrycoleman7290]

'cause he is a guy. Guys-----blue. Girls----pink. (sarcasm)

[@bittachowdhury4242]

i shit u not in the thumbnail i thought that blue bucket was a tide pod

[@TheBarefootedGardener]

Hm. I didn’t know that about hay bales; I can tell you love your animals. If you want a foraging plant, bamboo [which is a course evergreen grass] is a good option. If you want, I can divide some. Your videos have value yet they’re free, so I don’t like to just take. If you have a garden & need stakes, you have them right there, just cut down a stem. It’s handy to have around.

[@carolv8450]

Horses eat bamboo?

[@lianaelizondo5778]

What are your thoughts on feeding round bales? And rounding it out.

[@lianaelizondo5778]

Or feeding straw

[@ThinkLikeAHorse]

round bale has same issue, you don't know whats in it and horses stand in ONE SPOT and eat round bales that means they are not grazing and moving, rounds bales increase the chances of Colic because horse just stand and eat.

[@eddabelrose_]

Horses need to graze!!!

[@Emma_tracy]

What is your opinion on keeping a horse that has a severe fly allergy out in a pasture? (sorry, unrelated topic). Her owners decided to move her from pasture to a full-time stalled facility (which in my opinion is equally as bad for the horse even though her skin condition improved.) Do you know of any pasture solutions for fly-sensitive horses? Thanks.

[@koekeldoedeltje2499]

Personally I think if a horse is stalled and stands in his own feces, that will attract more flies + you have to be carefull that there are no sharp things in that stable so he won't be able to cut himself. I've known a horse with the allergy too, and we tried alot. First off al we used fly repellents (Rick has some selfmade ones on his site), Make sure the horse eats not too much sugar (in food) that would attract flies more. And eventually we've put a blanket on him so the flies can't touch him. (I hope Rick is ok with that sort of blanket) We put it on pretty early and he is way better now. :)

[@koekeldoedeltje2499]

Oh and you can hang fly repellents in your pasture too, putting the horse in a stable won't solve the problem, and is less good for your horse in general. :)

[@Emma_tracy]

Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately, I don't own the horse so I can't move her :( I absolutely hate stalls too.

[@michellelo4168]

Smart pak carries fly predator. You spread on manure pile, and reduces a wide variety type of insects.

[@dibade1961]

How do you free roam your horses? Just curious how they stay by you.

[@alayamcgill7166]

Your horses are probably some of the healthiest horses on the planet cause you don't feed them a bunch of crap.

[@poppymason-smith1051]

and of course they feed the horses up the equine centre at my college dangerously, its not enough that one dies because of ashma

[@JustAgirly0]

These horses yours? They are wonderful

[@JustAgirly0]

Oh Ok

[@4Mr.Crowley2]

Yes, they are named Buddy (the palomino) and Mr. T (the dark sable brown mustang). Rick has a great video called The Story of Buddy and Mr. T (close to the title anyway) in which he discusses how he acquired them and their backgrounds. Mr. T was a wild mustang brought in by the BLM for population control purposes when he was very young. Buddy has always been around people. Rick has done incredible work with them; honestly the three of them have just about the best horse-person relationship I've ever seen. It is amazing to watch Rick work with Mr. T, who has developed an amazing trust in Rick over many years of love, patience, and training.

[@JustAgirly0]

I got it

[@rcarrollmassage]

Dude.. You should know where you buy hay...if someone has beer cans

[@abbychappuis9417]

Why would someone put fish in there? They, especially goldfish, produce a lot of waste and foul the water especially if you don't change it. I would put plants to do that, because they clean the water, especially duckweed. And I know all of this and more because I'm have aquariums, I have a 65 gallon, 300 gallon, ten gallon, 16 gallon and severally smaller tanks, and they all have plants in them to help keep the water clean for the fish. There's even one 5 gallon betta tank that has water wisteria, Anubis, duckweed, water lettuce and salvinia in there and I don't even have a filter in that one because the plants help keep the tank clean.

[@dibade1961]

Apparently they eat algae and their owners are too lazy to do it themselves.

[@abbychappuis9417]

Oh, well, you could get plants like pothos or peace lilies, I do, because my goldfish tank always gets algae, and those plants take up that nutrients, killing the algae in the process

[@dibade1961]

but would they be okay for horses? I think I'll just get my hands dirty. But thanks for the info!

[@abbychappuis9417]

hahaha, I'm not for sure what types of plants that are like that are okay for horses, but I know even people, dogs etc can eat duckweed. It's great for growing then giving to your chickens or live stock. I give duckweed away for just that, its packed with protein and great food. I give big 200 mL things of duckweed to my neighbors and those chickens eat it right up, and now their asking if they could have some duckweed to grow for them!

[@tobyjack9608]

I was wonderin' when I'd have to disagree with you. Alfalfa is a legume. You need to make it clear that alfalfa shouldn't be the only thing in the horses' gut. AND the alfalfa should not be from the first cut of the field. That's cow hay.

[@tobyjack9608]

Just want to try and keep the PeptoBismal clad crowd from being over zealous on alfalfa. It's compact high protein. In my unsolicited opinion it should be fed as a supplement. Mister Gore, what do you think about corn oil?