by LorsaDoon on Sun Jun 08, 2008 7:36 pm
The cost of hay and grain and gas, has certainly taken a toll on everyone. Those of us with alot of horses are really feeling it. If someone had told me 5 years ago I would be paying $300 for a ton of hay and $4 for a gallon of gas, I would of said they were nuts. Last year at this time the local hay was about ready to be harvested. This year with all the rain, it is going to be very late. And with the cost of deisel even more than gas, the price of the local hay will be alot more than last year.
I am sorry you got bad hay, I always personally check the hay before I buy it. Even now when I am out of my local hay and having to buy it from a feed store.
I try to sock in as much local hay as possible and feed that during the summer. We built a hay shed last year just for storing hay. I supplement heavily with beet pulp and alfalfa/orchard grass hay cubes and grain and oats in the winter. All my horses looked great this year coming out of winter, even my one who is harder to keep weight on during the winter. I think I finally found the right combo to keep everyone fat and sassy. If you feed beet pulp and hay cubes, make sure to soak it until it expands before you feed it.
Now that more of my paycheck goes to horse feed, we just trim off unnecessary expenses. No cell phone for one. I got along for all these years without one, I am sure we will survive, much to my daughters dismay.
I KNOW THERE IS MONEY IN HORSES......I PUT IT THERE!