Sam Ski Area Management - Index

Sam Ski Area Management - stable_management - Index

FINDING OUT
42 / STABLEMANAGEMENT / stable-management.com
Question: Should Lunch Cost Extra?
I am interested to know barn policies on feeding lunch. We have three or four hard keepers and they are on 24-hour
turnout with 27 other horses. The majority of the horses are doing fine, maintaining a normal weight. The hard
keepers are TBs and seniors. All the horses get grass hay two times a day, plus pasture grass, which is not much,
and the owners must bring them in to feed extra grain on their own. Lately, the owners are banding together to feed
each other’s horses, which is great, but they are using barn hay and grain, as well as their own grain to supplement
the lunch feed. This is costly, particularly for horses who do not need extra feed.
Should lunch be an extra cost? Should owners have to buy extra hay for lunch and grain? What about the hard
keepers—should they pay extra or should they be given enough hay to maintain a “normal” weight?
—Anne, Blue Acre
ANSWER #1—IT’S AN EXTRA COST
In all of the stables I have ever been involved with, the
horses are allowed a maximum amount of feed per day,
whether it is in two or three feedings, anything over that
is an extra cost to the owner. Problems with boarders dipping
into the feed resulted in it being put where only barn
personnel had access and they had to ask for it. At this
point they were told they would be billed for the extra
feed per their boarding agreement. They could not come
back later and say they were not informed when they got
their bill.
—Cynthia, Skunk River Stables
ANSWER #2—NO BRAINER
It’s a no-brainer! As the price of grain skyrockets, I have
become even more watchful over grain consumption. If
I have a hard keeper, than I put the responsibility on the
owner to supply the food at their own cost. I will give it
out as many times as they want, which makes up for the
difference in them buying the grain or my supplying it.
—Rachael Keyes, via e-mail
ANSWER #3—LOOK AT THE WHOLE PICTURE
I was once told by an incredible horseman that the horses
should be picking up the last blade of hay as you were
coming with the next feeding. Horses’ digestive systems
are made to work 24/7. Most horse people will agree that
good quality hay is more important then anything when
keeping weight on a horse. Having said that, I have to now
mention that there are (of course) horses with higher nutritional
requirements such as thoroughbreds, horses in
heavy training and older horses. I therefore have a base
rate for board, which includes free choice good quality
hay and a reasonable amount of grain. Any supplements
such as rice bran, beet pulp, alfalfa cubes, etc., are an
added charge. I currently have only one horse that I am
feeding lunch to. She is not only a thoroughbred, but pregnant
and nursing a huge warmblood colt. She’s eating for
three. Even my race horses in training and my old retired
horses get by with two feedings as long as enough good
quality hay is available. In the heat of the summer if they
are spending too much energy stomping flies, and in the
dead of winter if they are shivering a little more, grain
may be necessary, but good fly control and proper blanketing
should alleviate those problems. Weight control is
a complicated management problem that is not just easily
solved by feeding lunch. The whole picture must be
looked at. It is very difficult to be sure that all of the horses
in a large herd are getting the proper amount of feed and
hay.
—Christina Pappalardo, Springtown Sweetview Farm
ANSWER #4—LUNCH IS DISRUPTIVE
My contract states up to six pounds of grain/feed and up to
eight flakes of hay two times a day. I have a TB hard keeper
with a parrot mouth and the first thing I did was feed her
out of a feed bag because she would throw her food. She
immediately began to gain weight, but it also taught her to
eat all of her grain. Once she seemed to stabilize the gained
weight, we also added Ultimate Finish to her grain. I have
other boarders that provide that or another weight builder
product at their expense. Once the boarder exceeds the
allotment, they should pay extra. In addition, I would not
permit a mid-day meal for only some horses; it disrupts the
others—at least this is my finding.
—Deb, Willow Creek
NEXT ISSUE’S QUESTION
I need to raise my board about $25 per month due to the
drastic price increases of feed, hay and fuel among other
things. My question is, I have five new boarders that have
come in this month alone and I anticipate that they will
be here for the long haul. With a minimum of two months
notice, when would it be appropriate to tell them that the
board is going up?
—TLS, SR Farm
“Finding Out” is a regular column and we invite you to
respond with your solutions...or send along a question
of your own. Please send responses and questions to
jenn@stable-management.com, fax them to (203) 266-
0452 or mail them to Stable Management, P.O. Box 644,
Woodbury, CT 06798. Finding Out can also be found on
our website at www.stable-management.com. [sm]