New pony leaving chewed hay behind...any ideas?

[TooBusyTooRide]

1 week ago we adopted a pony from a therapeutic riding camp. She's 19, and her teeth were checked this past spring but they didn't need floating at the time. (Doc's coming out tomorrow to check them again). She was wormed regularly. She's had some weight loss though, so I'm keeping an eye on it as I really don't want her to be skinny-ish going into winter.
But when she eats hay she leaves behind little balls of chewed hay. Currently I'm feeding her 2 flakes am and pm, but she rarely eats it all. I want her to have free access to hay, but it gets muddy/dirty quick and then she won't eat it - and thats getting expensive! (but we'll do what we need to for her...don't get me wrong!) I'm hoping that after her teeth are done tomorrow she'll utilize the hay better?
Any ideas to keep the hay cleaner so she'll eat it for a longer period of time? My husband built a hay manger, but it doesn't stay up there for long before she knocks it on the floor. I'd rather have her eat free hay then try to up her grain...don't you think?
Thanks...we've just never had a pony or an older horse before!

[singing tree]

You might try feeding her in a tub or something so that the hay stays cleaner. And I am pretty sure the vet will find some teeth that need attention. Some vets are better at teeth than others. If he doesn't think the teeth need anything, you might consult an equine dentist to make sure.

[muttduck]

Sounds like teeth issues to me. Usually wadding chewed hay is a way for horses/ponies to protect the mouth from sharp tooth edges.

Can you use a 55 gallon plastic drum, cut in half lengthwise, as a hay trough?
(Us a couple of boards screwed into the bottom so it doesn't roll.)

[gypsygirl3]

we use either small water troughs or much buckets to keep the hay off the floor that might help !

hopefully she will be all good once her teeth get done

[NorthernHorseGirl]

If a horse leaves balls or ropes of chewed hay it's almost always their teeth needing attention. The fact that her teeth were checked in the spring could still mean that either they need work now or they weren't checked properly to start with.

There are lots of people out there who think they know how to float teeth and actually don't. They stick a hoof rasp in their mouths and try to take off the points they can feel. After having an older man out to hand float our horses' teeth a few years ago and having to tghen take them to the vet to have it done properly I'd always get an expert to do it.
You'll get the people who swear a power float ruins their teeth but a proper power float has a sanding disc about the size of a 50 cent piece which is surrounded by a protecter so they don't end up with a bloody mouth- which I've seen from the hand float people- and it's very carefully done. The disc isn't very rough and the motor goes slow. The vet wears a little headlight on his forehead so he can see properly.
Bottom line is I'd get her teeth looked at again if she were my pony.

[Horselady44]

I agree...it sounds like teeth problems...you may want to get a equine dentist out to check her teeth instead Just a idea...espiecally if your vet tells you that her teeth look fine this time. Also, a cheap hay feeder we use is a old tractor tire...you can go to any tire store(or atleast around here you can) and they will give them to you Just a idea

[tuffsmom]

If she is an older horse and leaving the hay balls behind, I would soak alfalfa cubes to help her out. She isn't getting anything out of the hay anymore.

[jules1962]

What she is doing is called "quidding", and this is due to teeth issues. You should have her teeth checked again by an Equine Veterinarian Dentist. Some older horses do this due to the lack of jaw teeth and the ability to chew the hay enough to swallow it.

[redboy]

Originally Posted by tuffsmom

If she is an older horse and leaving the hay balls behind, I would soak alfalfa cubes to help her out.
She isn't getting anything out of the hay anymore.

Good suggestion, this is what I do for my 28 year old gelding.
He gets soaked timothy alfalfa hay cubes 2-3x per day (particularly in the colder months) since he can't really get much from the hay anymore either.
Your girl will still need the opportunity to chew the hay for digestion purposes,
therefore, I'd definitely have hay available for her, so she can continue to have something to chew on (whether it meets any nutritional purpose or not. JMO,..,)
Horses need to 'chew' also.

Your horse's back teeth, the molars with the ability to 'grind', may have also 'erupted' or moved outward to the point where she is basically running out of tooth.
As horse's age, their teeth move upward, and the surface is worn away by chewing.
As they reach the end of what 'good' tooth they have left , they wear 'cups' on the tops of the tooth surface, so 'quidding' the hay is inevitable. Hay gets lodged in the 'cups' and produces the 'quids'.
This could be why she continues to 'quid' her hay even after you had her teeth done in the spring.
As well, there might be points that need to be filed again.
They recommend older horses have their teeth looked at 2x per year so as to keep them from losing 'condition'.
Good luck with her.

[TooBusyTooRide]

Thanks you guys, this helps alot! We'll see what the vet has to say this morning.
The soaked alfalfa cubes...is that ok for a pony? My step-mother-in-law told me not to feed her alfalfa...but if she's not taking nutrients from the hay would that would be better then feeding more grain?

[Texas Paints]

Hi, we have a super old horse that we got years ago.He has teeth issues to he doesn't have any hardly!!!!But what I started doin for him is find of funny really.You most likely will not have to do this for your pony but it works good for us.He can not chew the dry hay hardly at all so I get out my mulcher/chipper and chop his hay twice it comes out in about 2 1/2 inch pieces.I do his alfalfa and his coastal like that put it in a tub and he eat everything three times aday.Now some of you might say well they already make chopped hay well that stuff is crap to much dust.I just chop it enough so several days and he is doin great.But now this is what works for me but yours does sound like teeth problems.Lots of things come into play when it comes to teeth.Just my thoughts hope she turns out ok!!!!!!Keep us posted

[Horselady44]

Originally Posted by TooBusyTooRide

Thanks you guys, this helps alot! We'll see what the vet has to say this morning.

Keep us updated

[Sharon Danielson]

this is called "quidding" and I know it well having a succession of old horses.

[NorthernHorseGirl]

You should be able to get the cubes in either an alfalfa/hay mix or just alfalfa. And, yeah, I forgot to say that it's called quidding and the chunks they don't eat are called quids.

[TooBusyTooRide]

Thanks for all the help, it's so appreciated!
The vet came yesterday morning and took care of her teeth. He said they did need to be done. There are some teeth that are starting to go, but he said they're still useable so he'd rather leave them in right now.
She's still leaving quids behind, but not nearly as many. I think I saw 2 in the flake she ate yesterday, when before there would have been around 6-8? The vet recommended to change her grain to Purina Ultrim (sp?) and keep her on hay for right now. He did say that the hay is probably getting near the point where it's just a boredom buster.
We just got her a week and a half ago though, and she's already gained some weight and is looking a lot better (right now she's on Purina Senior and gets 3-4 flakes of grass hay a day. she's eating about 80% of the flakes?). Would it be all right just to keep on with what we're doing since she's improving?

[little_S]

Sounds like you have her on the right track.

I don't think I'd switch her grain yet. The Senior will do a good job as well as her being able to chew more. As long as she's gaining weight I would just moniter her for awhile before switching grains.

If you are afraid of the alfalfha cubes you might be able to get bagged chopped forage (timothy) (if she'd need it).

Beet Pulp is another good scoure of fiber and will help her put weight on. I've never used it but those who do at the barn generally soak if first and then feed it.

[TooBusyTooRide]

Originally Posted by little_S

Sounds like you have her on the right track.

I don't think I'd switch her grain yet. The Senior will do a good job as well as her being able to chew more. As long as she's gaining weight I would just moniter her for awhile before switching grains.

If you are afraid of the alfalfha cubes you might be able to get bagged chopped forage (timothy) (if she'd need it).

Beet Pulp is another good scoure of fiber and will help her put weight on. I've never used it but those who do at the barn generally soak if first and then feed it.

Thanks. I might look into the bagged/chopped stuff. She's doing better cleaning up her hay now, so we'll just have to keep a close eye on her for winter!