# Iâm distraught! Donât know what else to doâ¦



## Lionrose (Jun 4, 2006)

Posted this add on Craigâs list today, am very sad and emotional about it. With the drought we have had this year I have had no luck finding hay for the winter. What I paid $20 a round bale for last year their asking $65-$100 for now if you can find it that is. Price gouging folks taking advantage of the drought we have had. Iâm just sick over it. I donât know what else to do.

For sale, three horses with saddles and tack. 

One MFT mare, she came from registered stock but I do not have her papers. She is Blue eyed paint, mostly white with medicine cap, breast plate.7 years old. She is a big girl 16 + hands tall. In your pocket type horse. No buck or kick, very gentle, very smart. Very broke. She loads, is good for Farrier. She is one of a kind, best horse Iâve ever had! She will be taking my heart with her. She has never been breed, but if you wanted to I know she would be a great mother.

One mustang from the LBM, alpha mare. Bay in color very pretty girl. Broke, loads stands for farrier. Good all around horse. I believe she has a great deal of Paso Fino in her for she has that fancy walk, the way she moves her feet swings them out very pretty when she moves. I believe her to be about 8 years old. I know she has had two colts. One before I got her and one just after. She was/is a good mother. 

One doubled papered (American Indian Horse Registry & Horse of the Americas Registry) domestic born & raised, Colonial Spanish dun back mare. 4 years old. Very flashy pony. She is 13-14 hands tall. Green broke. I was training her for the granddaughter. When finished I believe she would make a good kids horse, she is first to investigate things, not scared etcâ¦ I have worked with her a lot. She loads stands for farrier. She has been under saddle and had rider on her, but doesnât know much yet. No buck or kick as I have worked with her. She would make a good prospect for any event you would want to train her for. She can jump and is very fast in the pasture. 

All three horses have great feet and are very sound. I have their feet done regularly. Up to date on shotâs etcâ¦ Maybe a little over weight for I havenât been able to ride much this summer with the extreme heat an all. But there all in very good health and very sound. They need jobs lol. 

2,500 for all.

Just because you have the 2,500 isnât enough I have to know they are going to be cared for in the way they deserve and that you have the means to do so etcâ¦these are not sale barn nags, they are quality horses that have been loved and cared for very well. 

I will include all saddles and tack. I have full tack for all of them and then some. 17 inch saddle , 15 inch saddle 13 inch saddle, blankets, bridles grooming tools etcâ¦

If your interested contact me through this post and weâll set up a time for you to come out to meet them, and go from there. The photos are older, had PC crash and lost most photoâs havenât taken recent ones, but can an will if you so desire before you come meet them.





































D


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## brody (Feb 19, 2009)

awwww I hope a wonderful home comes up for all three of them together ... this will be very hard for you - hang in there


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## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

You could change your way of thinking a bit and offer one in trade for a winter's worth of hay for the other two. Something like "choice of 1 of 3 in exchange for a full winter's worth of hay".....


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## Lionrose (Jun 4, 2006)

Thanks Brody.

Hi Jill,
I have thought of that too, posted an add for trade/hay 3 times last month, but no replies. There are many adds to that effect here right now. Honestly there are many adds for very cheap and many free horses here right now. Folks are really hurting for hay. Daily there are adds of folks begging for hay for their stock. There just isnât any to be had, and when there is a few to be had, simple folk like myself can't possibly afford. I mean come on $100 for one 4x5 round bale of hay mixed grass at that! Grass is all burnt up. So many folks with out either. 

I rented pasture this spring that was cross fenced. (had planed on reseeding mine) So I was able to open up pasture as they ran out in one part, or Iâd be out of grass too, my place is burnt to a crisp still, even with the rain we have had lately. Iâll be out of grass at the rented place by middle of next month too. 

They have to have the hay right? Canât just feed them grain all winter can I?

D


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## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

No, they have to have hay. Grain is actually not a "natural" food for horses and they absolutely have to have the grass or hay.

We had one winter here where hay was hard to find. The first cutting mostly got drowned out with heavy, continual rain and then there was no more rain so 2nd cutting was very limited and most didn't get any 3rd cutting. Our local hay guy ran out of hay by December and we had to get hay in from out of state. One of the local feed dealers managed to get hay hauled in by the semi load from the PA/MD area ... great hay, but with the transport costs, we were paying $100 and more per bale for the big square bales (1200# bales).

In most cases we found here, it was price gouging ... the people that were bringing it in were having to pay what we were used to paying locally, or a bit more ... and then having to cover the expense of having it hauled as well.

I know a number of breeders in the TX, OK and AZ areas that have had to basically sell out ... in one or two cases it is not only the fact that hay is so expensive since it is being hauled in so far, but they are also out of water and there is no way they can get water in the amounts needed.

I feel so sorry for everyone facing these conditions.


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## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

You can buy "Haystretcher" which is pelleted Timothy in a 50# bag; I get mine at Tractor supply for about $11.00 I think. Senior feeds are also full of roughage and can be fed as a complete feed. You can get hay cubes, too, to get them through. Beet Pulp shreds must be soaked overnight, but they provide excellent roughage.


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## brody (Feb 19, 2009)

We ship our hay down to the States - organic big square bales that get rebaled once there ... we get paid $10 a HUGE bale and I believe by the time the baler and shipper adds his costs on it's selling for nearly $100 a bale 

it makes me ill ... nobody really is getting rich off this - I know the shipper would like to stop in many ways (he has had some SCARY winter drives which his wife hates) but he told me he didn't know how his purchasers would get hay without us ...


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## bluebird2o2 (Feb 14, 2007)

We had plenty of rain theres good hay for sale reasonable.i got my hay sold out from under me last year in the middle of winter.i went too tractorsupply and bought hay cubes shipped from Canada.they also had bales of hay from Canada.saved my butt in the middle of winter.


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## Elsbet (Apr 2, 2009)

I am so sorry.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

IMO if you require that the horses sell as a group you are severely limiting your potential customers. Speaking personally, if this were local and I was looking for a good saddle horse only one of the three would appeal to me, and I would not buy it if I had to buy the tack and the other two horses.


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## mountainwmn (Sep 11, 2009)

Lionrose said:


> They have to have the hay right? Canât just feed them grain all winter can I?
> 
> D


You can get the hay pellets, cubes, even complete feeds that you don't need to feed hay with, usually for senior horses or horses with heaves. I know you can feed beet pulp but I'm not sure it replaces hay. It's all expensive though. Right now I'm paying $4 a bale for small bales, rounds are $75-$125. I hope something works out for you and you don't have to sell.


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## wolffeathers (Dec 20, 2010)

I have often wondered how hard it would be to personally buy and have a semi-truck of square bales shipped in. It is what the local feedstores do in a hard hay season, order it by the semi-trucks, sell it right out of the trailers which they use for storage until it's all sold, then order another truck.

If one had the money, you could probably buy it by the truckload yourself.

Never did it myself, because we didn't have the money to entertain the thought of purchasing a trailer load at a time.

Sometimes you have to have money to save money.


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## Stonybrook (Sep 22, 2007)

You might see how much it would cost to rent a Penske truck (or something like that). It is possible that you could go bet hay someplace north of you. Like Jill, I use the timothy cubes from Tractor Supply. I use them summer and winter since my horse is IR. It worked fine last year.


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## houndlover (Feb 20, 2009)

Get a good complete feed, like Trophy, and hay cubes. I know plenty of stable horses that never see grass or hay. It isn't optimal but your horses will be fine for a season. Wait out the hay war. I'm betting prices come down this fall, and/or imported hay will make its way there.


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## Lionrose (Jun 4, 2006)

Thanks everyone.

Tinknal,
I agree, that was just the one I posted today. I have placed several adds, Craigâs list, local paper, star shopper. Each horse separately, together with/without tack. I have bought adds in local paper etcâ¦

I donât want to sell them. I really donât want to sell them. I just canât afford to have hay shipped in, an I canât afford the price gouging for what little is available here right now. And although Iâm no expert, I do feel they absolutely have to have it. I donât need nor want to sell the tack either just thought Iâd throw it in an add or two to see if that would help. 

I could try to give them away, but then they most likely wouldnât get taken care of properly so I donât want to do that. Iâve put a lot of love and care into these horses and I canât stand the thought of them not being cared for the way they need to be. 

Honestly I have little faith in being able to sell any of them let alone all of them. Iâll probably have to feed something like Jill suggested an/or try to buy small squares bales of hay from the feed store if I can. I am on a fix income (disability) so I only have so much to work with. 

Mountainwnn,
Yeah its all expensive, I was paying $6 a small square for mixed grass for a steer we just finished out. That price will likely go up to $8 or more a small square as soon as winter hits. The large rounds that were $100 the last few days Iâm seeing for $125 today so its all going up and up. The less there is the more they want for it. 

Wolffeathers, 
I looked into it. From neighboring states I have found large rounds for $65-$85, small squares for $8-$9 each, large squares 3x3x8 for $125 and up. To transport a semi load cheapest I found is $3.50 a mile on top of the price of the hay. I just canât afford that, there just no way I could.

Stonybrook,
I hadnât looked into renting a truck, Thanks for the idea. 
I have a 16ft utility trailer and would make a trip or two up north if I could find hay reasonable enough. Its finding it at a reasonable price that is proving to be impossible right now. 

Houndlover,
Thanks, I sure hope you right on that lol. Itâs what I will most likely end up doing. I just like to be prepared and have what I/they need in advance of actually needing it. I been trying to find and secure hay since first of June. I just donât want them to suffer health wise cause I canât give them what I now they need this winter. (hay). 

D


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## southerngurl (May 11, 2003)

Lionrose, I am in North Central Arkansas, and I got some for $35 a bale but don't know if he still has any. He should be getting some more cuttings from all this rain though. He has decent hay, it's river bottom land. They are the smaller rounds, 4 x 4. Let me know if you want his contact info, he is in Flippin Arkansas.

It is good to build a list of contacts of people in your area that grow hay, helps down the road.


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## lamoncha lover (Mar 1, 2009)

I am sorry about the position you are in..It is a hard season for many folks. we just gpt though a 2 year period of unemployment. I managed to hang onto my girls and them none the worse.
Your horses are gorgeous. I love your MFT mare. 
Have you thought about maybe a free lease?
I am also a believer of hay. But there are ways to stretch it if its hard to come by. I hay year round. I also use round bales so they have 24/7 access. I feed a soaked beat pulp, timothy/alfalfa pellet, rice bran, all grain mix.My hay is lasting at least twice as long. I am pretty sure hay is cheaper in the long run but I hate EVERYTHING about hay. gettin it, finding it. handling it storing it,.so its worth it to me
good luck to you.This too will pass


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## Molly Mckee (Jul 8, 2006)

I feel so badly for all the folks affected by the terrible drought. I wish there was some way to help. Our DD called yesterday from north of Houston wanting to know if we knew anyone that had hay for sale. She wanted to know if we had any old friends that might have hay. She knows we do, but she would have almost 8.00 a bale in it, even if we gave her the hay. Hauling is 1.90 a loaded mile. She and two of her friends are planning to have a load brought down from southern IL if necessary, where one of her friends family's have a farm. If they can't make that work she will bring the horses here or to her brothers north of Boise.

I don't think there is much price gouging. The hay that is closer to the drought area will be hauled in first, then it will have to be hauled longer distances. A large trailer will hold about 750 bales. At 1.90 a mile that will add up quickly and be reflected in the price of the hay.


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## Stonybrook (Sep 22, 2007)

Google "hay suppliers by state." It should pop up a list of registered hay suppliers by state. I think you can go to your state ag website and do the same thing. By doing this you might be able to find something as close as possible that you could haul in on your trailer.


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## Lionrose (Jun 4, 2006)

Southerngurl,
I would love that contact info, please Iâll PM you. Thank you,
Yes a list of contacts is good thing to have. I do have a list, but they are all around here. And no one around here has any to sell or they are price gouging it. The guy I always get my hay from, (Bermuda 4x5 round for $20 a bale) I usually get 25 to get me through the winter and he delivers it to me for $75. Sold all his out of state to OK an TX at an inflated price, he has a large operation selling several hundred bales of hay yearly. He got one cutting this year and told me he would not be getting another. By the time I called him to confirm my usual 25 in June he had already sold all his hay. Iâve been diligently, franticly been looking to secure my winter hay since then. I canât blame my hay guy, he is suffering a loss too, Iâm sure. With only one cutting this year compared to the usual three, he is most likely in the red, even selling it for the inflated price out of state. 

Flippin is due east of me about 140 mile, 3 hour drive. Iâd make that drive with the utility trailer. How many do ya think I could get on a 16â utility trailer?

Lamoncha lover,
Thank you, the MFT is Baby Girl, she owns my heart an soul. Absolutely, hands down, the best horse I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. She is so intelligent, its down right scary at times lol, I love her. And if you look into her bright blue eyes, sheâs got ya, oh how sheâs got ya lol. 
Glad you made it out of your tough two years. We can relate, a year and a half ago, we went through partners cut hours, layoff, and eventually plant closing. It was tough nearly lost everything, by the grace of God we prevailed. But our animals didnât suffer we always care for them first. We will go without before we let them go without. 
LoL yeah I wish hay was easier too, thatâs why I like the big round bales, that and I can keep it in front of them 24/7, knowing they are getting what they need, with minimal effort on my part. I say easier lol we donât have a tractor, but I have came up with a way to use the 4 wheeler to drag one out, then sit the hay feeder over it once its where I want it. Easier for me than feeding squares 3 times a day. 

Molly Mckee,
Thanks hon, yeah TX has been hit hard by this drought too, as well as OK. Glad you DD has alternatives, sounds like she has a plan, I hope things work out for her, her friends and their horses. 
No I donât think the price gouging is being done by those bringing it in from afar, that cost what it cost, and no one works/drives for free. It is mostly the locals that are doing the price gouging, those that do have extra are charging 6-7 times what they usually do, just because they can get someone desperate to pay it. Or selling it out of state at 6-7 times what they can usually get around her for it. A lot of it has went to OK and TX.

Stonybrook,
Thanks hon, I thought to do that just yesterday, didnât come up with anything reasonably priced or close enough yet. Still have a few to call tomorrow though, Iâm praying, thy will be done.

Thanks everyone, not sure what I expected when I posted if anything, was just getting more distraught everyday, not knowing what Iâm going to be able to do if I canât find any hay I can afford. Iâm truly stressing over it now, to the point its keeping me up nights. I knew you all would understand my frustration and emotional attachment to my girls. Thanks for the moral support and all the suggestions. You all are kindred spirits. 
Thank you

D


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## TxHorseMom (Feb 21, 2011)

Yep, we have it bad here too. I wish I could get a round bale for only $65! I've seen it recently up to $150!!! We've been out of grass for a while now (9 horses + 1 donkey) on 35 acres. We usually grow and cut our own hay but wasn't able to even do that this year. What we have been doing is adding alfalfa pellets and/or hay stretcher to their grain. (they are sometimes running out of that too) and they all look pretty good. Our "plan" is to borrow a friends trailer and drive north and get some hay. That is if we can find it and have the $$ to afford a trailer of hay. It won't be worth it to buy a little, we will have to buy a whole winters worth to make it feasable at all. I can't even say the locals are price gouging exactly either. The guy down the road from me who grows hay got ONE cutting (by now he is usually on his third cutting) and out of those fields he got 23 round bales of hay where he normally gets around 100 (I've counted them, both in the past from envy and recently from seeing the lack of hay) It's very scary right now. We continue to get 100+ degree heat and NO rain. Our pond is drying up and I am afraid our wells will dry up too. We are truly at our wits end.


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## Lionrose (Jun 4, 2006)

Hi TxHorseMom,
You might find something here,

http://www.haybarn.com/reports/showads.asp?category=Hay

You can search by state. Donât know where in TX you are or your budget, but maybe you can find something through that site. 

Wow Iâd be a basket case by now seriously hospitalized, if I had ten mouths to find hay for. As it is I only have the three, just need 25 large round, not sure how many square that would equal, never feed square bale to the horses. And I canât sleep and I have to get up and make a 2 hour trip to the feed mill in the morning to get a Â½ ton feed for the other animals (meat) we have. 

Sitting here doing searches and keeping an eye on Craigâs list, someone just posted 8 4x4 rounds of horse quality hay for $40 each in my area. It was already 6-7 post down when I found it so itâs a crap shot if Iâll get a reply and someone didnât beat me to it. Time will tell I guess. 

I sure hope your water holds up. Iâll be prayen for yaâs. Were lucky in that respect, we have a very good well, no fear of it going dry. 

Yeah I know, price gouging might not be the best words, Iâm just so frustrated at the situation, I know they are in the red too. One cutting here too, compared to the usual three, it has to be devastating for them as well. This drought has created hardships all the way around. 

D


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## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

We went through a drought here in TN a few years back. What hay you could find was crap and high priced crap at that. That's when I started feeding beet pulp shreds. I fed up to 50% of their roughage this way with great results. Not only did the horses survive, they thrived and were fat and sleek all winter. I've since located pellets, which are a better value for the money. 
Soaked bp pellets, coupled with hay or any sort of hay stretcher/hay/hay cubes and perhaps a senior feed should meet the nutritional needs of three young, fit horses. 

Also, your roundbale can 'go' farther if you're not feeding it free choice. Pulling hay off with a pitchfork and tossing in piles works fine. We buy rounds for feeding in both the field and the barn and fork it off for barn use. 

Hope some of this helps.


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## malinda (May 12, 2002)

RamblinRoseRanc said:


> Also, your roundbale can 'go' farther if you're not feeding it free choice. Pulling hay off with a pitchfork and tossing in piles works fine. We buy rounds for feeding in both the field and the barn and fork it off for barn use.


This is what I do with my round bales. The bales are stored inside, and I fork off each feeding's worth. Less waste, and less spoilage. I used to get about 20 bales for 5 horses and fed hay October through May.

Sorry you're in such a bind. Here in WI we've had nothing but rain all summer, and it's been hard to get hay cut, dried, and baled without rain! I just had 10 acres baled (no rain!) and got 40 5x4 round bales and will probably sell 20 bales. The going price around here is $25-30 plus delivery.


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## farmergirl (Aug 2, 2005)

Just paid $130 a round bale this morning.


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## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

I have added to my work load but reduced my hay cost by hanging hay nets morning and evening. They are still getting "free choice" for the most part, but they are not walking in it, peeing on it, or pooing near it, lol. I hang the nets stuffed full on the posts that support their run-in. Any wisps that do end up fluttering down below the hay nets is the goats' opportunity to get some, lol.


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## Stonybrook (Sep 22, 2007)

I don't know where you are in Arkansas, but there is hay in Missouri, apparently. 

http://www.agebb.missouri.edu/haylst/queries/vsalesum.idc


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## Molly Mckee (Jul 8, 2006)

Another idea for saving on the amount of feed you use is to add feedings. If you feed three times a day you can keep your horses in the same condition as feeding twice with less feed. If you feed four times, equally divided, you can keep the horses in the same condition with even less feed. Because they are grazers, horses do better with frequent, small feedings.


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## hiddensprings (Aug 6, 2009)

Check with your county extension office (if you have them there) When we went through a drought a few years ago and hay was almost impossible to find, our extension officer got farmers and horse people together and we bought tractor trailer loads of hay down from the North. Don't get me wrong, it more expensive then we were use to paying locally, but not as bad if we were individually having to pay not only for the hay but also the transport. We also got a few grants from the state to help with the transportation cost. I am sure you are not the only one in your situation. Maybe as a group you can get what you need.
Best wish....


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## DaniR1968 (May 24, 2008)

Not to be unkind, but horse prices are horrible right now. Well broke horses are going for under $1000. Mustangs and young unbroke or greenbroke horses don't go for more than a couple hundred. If you need the money, price them all to sell with a price for each and sell just one.

Stretch what hay you get by feeding an alternative. You can get alf cubes, alf/tim cubes and/or beet pulp. Hay and alf cubes are all my horses get and they look great. I'm about to reduce the hay and increase the alf cubes to make the hay last longer. I soak them for about half an hour while I'm doing chores and they are ready to go.


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## HilltopDaisy (Feb 26, 2003)

I'm in NY and already feeding 2 bales a day, at $5. 

I am not letting my horses go; I will work 3 jobs... but I'm terrified. How will I afford to feed them this year? Not enough rain, and this never happens in NY.


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## countryfied2011 (Jul 5, 2011)

> We went through a drought here in TN a few years back. What hay you could find was crap and high priced crap at that. That's when I started feeding beet pulp shreds. I fed up to 50% of their roughage this way with great results. Not only did the horses survive, they thrived and were fat and sleek all winter. I've since located pellets, which are a better value for the money.
> Soaked bp pellets, coupled with hay or any sort of hay stretcher/hay/hay cubes and perhaps a senior feed should meet the nutritional needs of three young, fit horses.
> 
> Also, your roundbale can 'go' farther if you're not feeding it free choice. Pulling hay off with a pitchfork and tossing in piles works fine. We buy rounds for feeding in both the field and the barn and fork it off for barn use.


Went thru the same drought also(in Middle TN) I didnt use the beet pulp, but used hay stretcher and Standlee hay pellets. Also forked out the hay instead of giving the whole round bale. It got pretty close sometimes with hay but made it thru the winter and horses still looked like they were pregnant. I have 6. I also was able to find oat/alfalfa pellets that they liked alot. Equine Senior feed complete feed works good too.

Good luck and hope you get it worked out where you dont have to sell.


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## Lionrose (Jun 4, 2006)

RamblinRoseRanc,
Thank you for the help. Iâll most likely do something along those lines. 
For I really do not want to sell my girls.

Malinda,
Thank you.
That is usually the average going price here.

Farmergirl,
Sorry hon, thatâs a tough price to pay for sure. 
I just canât do that.

Jill,
Yeah, I have used the hanging hay nets for the square bales with little to no waste. I have put a whole bale in one, tied it up, hung it, then cut the strings off the bale. Worked well and I didnât have to fill it as often, (did this for a new mother). I got a large hay bale feeder last year. Cut the hay usage by 1/3 or more.I would guess my waste from each bale to be less then 10% now, compared to at least 30%+ when I was just sitting them out. Its funny when I was just sitting them out, they would poo and pee right there, and a lot of the time on the hay. But with the round bale feeder, they will walk 40-50 foot away from it and do there business, usually in the same vicinity. Never right by the hay ring, find this to be strange. lol

Stonybrook,
Thanks for the link.

Molly Mckee,
Thanks, yeah, less more often is better for them. I really prefer free choice but if I canât do that, then feeding several times a day smaller amounts is the way Iâll go. 

Hiddensprings,
Thanks hon, Iâll defiantly be looking into that.

DaniR,
Not unkind in the least. 
Iâm not trying to sell them for the money. I really donât want to sell. Thatâs very true, horse prices are horrible right now. But the majority of them are young, not worked with or handled, unbroken horseâs, horseâs with issues of one kind or another, weather they disclose the issues to you or not. Here a well trained, good mannered, very sound horse still brings a very good price. I truly believe you get what you pay for. There are of course, as with most things, exceptions to the rule. The care they will receive is most important to me. If one canât afford a good price for a good quality horse then, I donât see how they will be able to afford to care for them properly. Just my peon opinion. It is my own fear of not being able to care for them (purchase winter hay) this year that has me in despair and thinking about selling them now. 

As I stated, this is just the last add I posted. I have many out there. I have had lotâs of interest in Baby Girl (MFT) and Pixie (small horse). No hits on Cass (mustang). Seems everyone wants the one I really, really, really donât want to let go, Baby Girl. I have priced her at $900 and I feel thatâs low. Just my peon opinion. I have made arrangements for a couple folks to come meet her. But I donât know till Iâm faced with it, if Iâll be able to go through with it, and let her go. I have priced Pixie at $500 and feel thatâs very reasonable. Have a girl coming out to meet her too. I would give her to the right person if I was confident she would be cared for properly, that is just so hard to try to judge though. I havenât committed to anything yet. Just trying to figure this out before it gets dire.

Iâm entertaining the idea of just letting Pixie go and keep the other two and follow some of the suggestions I have gotten here (thank you all) in getting them through the winter healthy with the lack of sufficient hay. For surely next year we wonât be in the predicament that we are in this year with the drought and lack of hay. 

HilltopDaisy,
I empathize with you. I hope you can figure it all out as well, I pray all of us in this situation (know there are many) can. I actually feel the same way. But I wonât let my girls suffer, I will do what is best for them, witch might not be what is best for me. Good luck to ya, and God Bless you and your horses hon.

Countryfied,
Glad you got through it. I am hopeful that Iâll find a way to get through/around it as well. Just while Iâm in the midst of it, its stressful and frustrating, and overwhelming at times. 

Thanks again everyone. Iâll let you all now how I finally get it worked out. If I keep the two Iâll probably have more questions as time goes on. 

D


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## DaniR1968 (May 24, 2008)

Good luck with whatever happens. I think this was a timely thread as lots of people are having to face the possibility of a hay shortage.

Right now I'm buying squares from the feed store. Can you say expensive? I need to get an area set up to keep a few round bales that the horses can't get to and I plan to lay in a good supply of hay cubes. I prefer they have free access to hay but they will have to manange. It's the only way we will make it until we start getting some rain.


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## ufo_chris (Apr 30, 2010)

I'm just wondering how much it would cost to feed the average horse store bought feeds like senior and/or haystretcher and /or cubes and /or beetpulp?
Wold that not be almost as much as paying $100 for a round bale?
Can someone do the math please because I have no idea what the other stuff costs and how much you would feed say instead of 30 lbs of hay a day.
Thanks,Chris


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## DaniR1968 (May 24, 2008)

The problem isn't cost so much as supply. My feed store right now has a limit of how much hay you can buy at a time.

My two go through an average round bale in about a month when they have free access to it. If I feed it by forking it too them and use the cubes, I can maybe double the time it will last. Of course, finding 3 or 4 decent round bales is not going to be easy.

At a guess, I will be coming out close to the same price each month.


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## Stonybrook (Sep 22, 2007)

A 40 lb bag of Timothy grass pellets from Standlee (Tractor Supply) runs, I think, $11.99 bag. I feed it twice a day and regular feed once a day (Safechoice for my IR mare, which is about $14.99 a bag ). My hay has been gone for awhile and no rain for close to a month (maybe more). They look good and what I am giving them is holding them just fine except my horses think they are starving (it is a figment of their imagination). When I had hay, I didn't feed the pellets at all. I would give a flake or two per horse in the morning and evening. So a small bale lasted a day or a day and a half at $4.00 a bale (put up in the barn for me). Of course, that partly depends on how much there is to nibble on in their dry lot.


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## barnyardgal (Sep 21, 2009)

Not sure if you have a way to haul hay but there is hay in Missouri for sale reasonably....i have a neighbor who is selling big round bales for i think $25.00 a bale....

I hope you can find hay and not have to get rid of your horses!!!


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## ufo_chris (Apr 30, 2010)

Thanks Dani and Stony.
Without reading all the posts again ,I thought some people said they can find round bales for $100+ but were looking for alternatives.
I hope the OP won't have to sell her Horses. 
Good luck ,
Chris


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## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

I fed one flake of hay and two heaping soaked scoops of bp per feeding, 2x daily. Regular ol' feed scoops..... 3 qt maybe?


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## eclipchic (Oct 24, 2010)

Is it worth it to take a horse trailer out of state, pack up some hay and haul it back. Indiana hay prices are around $3 square bale and there is plenty of it. Its a 10 hour drive each way by the looks of it though.


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## jonig99 (Jul 16, 2011)

I live in the middle part of TN and see large round hay bales for sale everywhere here for $30-35.00....if you are thinking of driving somewhere else to buy hay, this seems to be the area...hope it helps.


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## spinandslide (Jun 6, 2008)

RamblinRoseRanc said:


> We went through a drought here in TN a few years back. What hay you could find was crap and high priced crap at that. That's when I started feeding beet pulp shreds. I fed up to 50% of their roughage this way with great results. Not only did the horses survive, they thrived and were fat and sleek all winter. I've since located pellets, which are a better value for the money.
> Soaked bp pellets, coupled with hay or any sort of hay stretcher/hay/hay cubes and perhaps a senior feed should meet the nutritional needs of three young, fit horses.
> 
> Also, your roundbale can 'go' farther if you're not feeding it free choice. Pulling hay off with a pitchfork and tossing in piles works fine. We buy rounds for feeding in both the field and the barn and fork it off for barn use.
> ...



Yep on both counts..next time my ponies run out of their round, I will be feeding it forked off to help stretch the hay more..and I am also prepared to go the beet pulp/pellets route too.

I have 6, soon to be 7 horses, 7 soon to be 6 cows, and 7 sheep to feed thru this God forsaken drought. Ive made numerous trips to east texas and oklahoma...starting in May to pickup loads of roundbales.


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## Joshie (Dec 8, 2008)

Have you looked out of your area? I know we had hay coming out of our ears last year and our neighbor took some out west because he was heading that way anyway. 

We had a very wet spring and a very dry summer but there seems to be a lot of hay this year. I don't know how KY did this year but my friend bought some for less than $1.50/square bale last year.

Round bales in our area go for around $30 each. Small square bales usually go for about $3-3.50 each.

Do you know anybody with a horse trailer who could take you to some place like KY or IL? You could bring back what you need plus extra. That might help pay for some of your hay. When we transported a horse from KY to IL it cost us about $300. Could you transport hay that way?


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## chewie (Jun 9, 2008)

another reason not to let your horses have a free feed round bale is that is a top problem towards heaves. ask some vets, dust from round bales causes heaves. we've had to put down 2 so far because of it, and probably another one in the future. all were/are really great horses, and altho not young, they were only 20 and otherwise in perfect condition. round bales are fine to fork over, and I take time to hose it down too if possible. 

my vet told me the invention of round bales is exactly when the rate of heaves went up substantially.


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## rabbitpatch (Jan 14, 2008)

If you can get it from out of state....or maybe find someone who is willing to meet you half way and split the cost? (No idea what that would cost....I'm just thinking out loud...)

Look east of you for hay. I know East TN is a good distance from you but we've had a good hay crop this year. I'm sure there are other parts of the South East that are closer to you and probably had decent hay crops as well. If you could just get half the hay you normally buy at a decent price and then feed the way RamblinRoseRanch suggested, you might cut your cost somewhat.


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## brody (Feb 19, 2009)

heaves has affected many horses not fed from round bales 

interesting that your vet has noted a relationship though ... things to make me go hmmm


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## lamoncha lover (Mar 1, 2009)

i hate using round bales because of the heaves factor. It makes sense.......but I use them because it is what works best for me.


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## Stonybrook (Sep 22, 2007)

Call them, and maybe they can do a hay lift for your area.

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Iowa-Farmers-Organizing-Haylift-for-Texas-128339313.html


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## Bluesgal (Jun 17, 2011)

I'm thinking along the lines of hiddensprings... do you have a group of people who all need hay? Together you may be able to pool your resources and get a semi load of hay.


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## spinandslide (Jun 6, 2008)

chewie said:


> another reason not to let your horses have a free feed round bale is that is a top problem towards heaves. ask some vets, dust from round bales causes heaves. we've had to put down 2 so far because of it, and probably another one in the future. all were/are really great horses, and altho not young, they were only 20 and otherwise in perfect condition. round bales are fine to fork over, and I take time to hose it down too if possible.
> 
> my vet told me the invention of round bales is exactly when the rate of heaves went up substantially.


I've been feeding roundbales for years and have never heard this from any vet. I would imagine, just like with squares, it has to do with the quality of hay..IMO.


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## Molly Mckee (Jul 8, 2006)

We feed large round bales for years when we lived in TX, to a horse with known lung problems without having heave problems. It was very good quality coastal hay. Our vets were actively treating the lung problems and certainly knew what we were feeding --the hay came from a mutual friend--and never suggested we change the way we fed. I have never heard that lg bales cause lung problems, just poor hay or dirty hay.


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

Molly Mckee said:


> We feed large round bales for years when we lived in TX, to a horse with known lung problems without having heave problems. It was very good quality coastal hay. Our vets were actively treating the lung problems and certainly knew what we were feeding --the hay came from a mutual friend--and never suggested we change the way we fed. I have never heard that lg bales cause lung problems, just poor hay or dirty hay.


 Neither have I.
My friends fed and are still feeding round bales and this not only for horses, but for miniatures, miniature donkeys, mules, and also riding donkeys as well as Purebred show Arabians. And one one of them have any problems with heaves. Dusty, dirty hay, cause it. Not just feeding round bales.
Note: And the lady that owned all of these was also a vet tech, and worked for a very reputable vet in her area. Forgot to mention that.


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## Lionrose (Jun 4, 2006)

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I have an update and will post it after I address the following post. 




chewie said:


> another reason not to let your horses have a free feed round bale is that is a top problem towards heaves. ask some vets, dust from round bales causes heaves. we've had to put down 2 so far because of it, and probably another one in the future. all were/are really great horses, and altho not young, they were only 20 and otherwise in perfect condition. round bales are fine to fork over, and I take time to hose it down too if possible.
> 
> my vet told me the invention of round bales is exactly when the rate of heaves went up substantially.


I appreciate you sharing your experience, and your vets opinion.
But I donât totally agree. The following is just my experience and opinion, it donât mean much.

I have always bought fresh hay, I have not had a problem with the large round bales being dusty. Now if its old hay, yes, the older it is, the dustier it seems to be in all size bales. I have on the other hand always found small square bales to be way more dusty in comparison. They seem to sit longer in the hot barns and become very dusty. 

I define fresh hay as just cut an baled, being cut, cured and dried properly before baling of course, is key to hay not being dusty. I believe even if its current years hay an was first cutting being stored in a extremely hot barn or left out in the hot sun, that it starts to break down and becomes very dusty. It could be last cutting an not cured/dried properly and also become very dusty over heating after baled. Any time hay is excessively heated after being baled, it will usually be heavy, stuck together and very dusty. Hay baled before being properly cured and dried will always be very dusty. I have never had a horse suffer from heaves nor have I ever know anyone who has, from the hay feed from large round bales. I believe one has to be quite diligent in what quality of hay they feed. 

I am very sorry for your losses its devastating to have put a horse down. Sounds as if your confident youâll have to do it again in the future. I wouldnât settle for that, I would be very diligent in knowing the quality of hay I buy and feed before Iâd settle into losing horses to the heaves from inferior hay. Just my humble opinion, it donât mean much.

I have more to add to this subject but will start a new thread to invite others opinions, without drifting this one to much.

D


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## Lionrose (Jun 4, 2006)

Update:

Well, I found 100 square bales of what sounds like very good mixed grass hay for 3.50 a small square bale yesterday. From the photoâs of it, they had busted a bale and took good picâs of it. It didnât look to have any fescue or Johnson grass in it at all. Itâs coastal Bermuda, brome, an orchard grass. Looked to be a good mix. Nice and green in color. Its 70-80 miles from me up in MO. Iâll have to go get it. But at least I found some I could afford that was close enough for me to go get. She told me they were cutting three more fields next week and would reserve me 100 bales. (I pray she is true to her word) And would let me know when it was ready for me to come and pick up. 

Also meet Tripletmom and her family, wonderful folks. They are having their 10 acres baled on halfâs this time, and have agreed to sell me their half. Not sure when the guy will cut it next or how much it might yield. Iâm guessing from what she said the previous yield was, their half might be 8 -10 large round bales. Itâs mixed grass with at least 50% Johnson grass. Not ideal, but Iâll take it and am very grateful to them for it. Thank you Tripletmom.

I also gave away Pixie yesterday (the small dun back mare) to what I believe is a really nice family. Young couple with 4 growing boys, oldest is 9. They were looking for a small horse that their boys could love and grow with. They have a family farm with 100 acres. They came yesterday to meet her. Pixie was the good girl she always is. We lead the boys around on her bareback and they got to know her a little bit. By the time we were done I was confident that they had the resources and would take good care of her and love her as she deserves to be. She didnât want to get into the homemade trailer they had but she did, because I asked her to, it had wire panel sides over a steel frame (it was safe) that she could see through, just not what she was used to. She emailed me as I had asked her to, to let me know they got home ok and got her unloaded with out any trouble. 

Iâm sad to have let her go, but with the grandkids having moved away she really needed a family. I believe she will be happy with all the love and attention she will get from them. In my heart I know it was the right thing to do. And their close so Iâll know she is being cared for. 

Iâm keeping the other two!! Hopefully the lady in MO indeed will reserve me the hay she said she would and with what triplet mom will sell me when its cut and baled Iâll be ok. 

Thank you all for all the help, it means a lot to me. You are all kindred spirits and I greatly appreciate you. :bow::bow::bow:
I will continue to pray for all that are in the same boat, that you too will find a way to secure the hay you need as well. 

Again thank you all for your time, suggestions and opinions. I am very honored to be a part of this community.

D


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## brody (Feb 19, 2009)

i'm so so glad you are able to keep 2 and it sounds like Pixie has gone to a great spot too  

yeah and thanks for the update


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## DaniR1968 (May 24, 2008)

Wonderful news all around. Now take down any horse sales adds you have!


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## lamoncha lover (Mar 1, 2009)

http://www.hayexchange.com/index.php
in case anyone else needs to find some


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