Jackson, you must have huge bales of hay! Or else your idea of a slice is bigger than mine. Anyway, whatever works for you. Any of my horses/ponies would eat a slice of hay in aprox 3/4 hr in nets, 1/2hr if it was loose on the floor.

As for the weight, my 15hh middleweight cob weighs 550kg now, will weigh aprox 580kg by the end of the summer and even then he won't be obese, just overweight, so I can see how a 15.2hh heavyweight could easily weigh over 600kg, esp if it's obese.

It's not colic I'm concerned about if there's no food left overnight, but the development of stomach ulcers. Horses are designed to digest food pretty much all the time and their stomachs produce acid all the time, which will eat away at whatever is in there, so if there's no food, that's the lining of the stomach. That's why I don't like to see them left without food for more than a few hours, which is what the vet would recommend too. x

HIYA,

Give 2 waffers of hay before turning her out then put her a muzzle on this stops them from wanting to pig out as soon as they get out as they are semi full it is an instinct that horse that come in over night have the need to pig out silly but true my vet told me this has worked for us hope it helps

Suzie Q

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You could try 'strip grazing' the feild, partitioning off a strip with electric fencing and only moving it when she's short of grass.

Theres some really good feeding advice from Badmintons top groom on a site called Horsehero. i'm sure it'll come up if you google it. There a videos too, hopefully that can help you as well!

We have show cobs and as with all heavy horses weight can be and is a problem. We use the rise and fall of the fructins in the grass to help reduce their intake of sugar. ..Before turning out we also give a measured feed so that are not hungry. It generally slows down the amount and speed that they eat at.. Worth a try...mal