Feeding and Tarping Information

> To determine when you should feed or who is feeding on a particular day, go to the Calendar & Rotation page.

Tarping Instructions

Feeding Instructions

What to do if you can’t feed on a day you were assigned

If you are unable to feed on a day you were assigned, you are responsible for switching with another member and either changing it on the feeding calendar if you have access, or informing the feeding manager, of your switch. This is necessary in order to ensure there is coverage each day and that everyone completes at least their assigned feeding. The easiest way to do this is to email a request for a swap to business@orindahorsmen.org…folks are generally very happy to help out. If you are a truck feeder, ensure that a truck isn’t required that day before swapping with someone who doesn’t have one. Also, if you are an experienced feeder you need to make sure your swap doesn’t leave two inexperienced people feeding together. New members must feed at least 4 times with an experienced member before they are considered “experienced” and able to swap with anyone.

When to feed

The time you feed can vary based in the feeders’ schedule as long as it’s in the afternoon. Folks who ride usually appreciate it if you can feed later in the day, but feeding and checking the horses should be complete by sunset. If you are feeding with others, it is best to set the time well in advance of your feeding date (if nothing else, to ensure you both know you are feeding!).

Where to feed

Look for emails from Erica or in the Monthly Announcements prior to feeding that give you information on what plants (e.g. mustard) we are targeting. When we feed near these plants, the horses can stomp them down and do a lot of our weeding for us.

Truck Feeding

All feeding should be done by truck while the horses are in the Middle Meadow & Plateau pastures. It can also be helpful to feed from a truck in the Pond to distribute the hay more widely, so there are some trucks assigned during the Upper (Pond) rotation. However, trucks are NOT required in the Pond and it is OK for truck feeders to switch with folks without trucks during that rotation. Diesel trucks do not have a catalytic converter so can drive safely over skeleton plants. Gas trucks should not to this in dry fire season. Make sure to carry water in all cases in case you need to douse a fire.

The people with 4WD trucks include:

– Kim Zvik
– Stanley Ward
– Jim & Eddie Reiter
– Linda & Tony Furtado
– Anna Johnson
– Sara Shumer

The people with 2WD trucks include:

Sonny Wesley
Page Shorer
Sally Weare
Allison Bloodworth & Mig Miner (do not want to use their truck for truck feeding)

It is not recommended to use a 2WD truck to feed after it has rained…Mig & Allison once had to be pulled out by AAA after trying it! It is very difficult to get a 2WD truck up the hill…you *definitely* need a running start and should ask your passenger to meet you at the top of the hill even when it hasn’t rained. I personally won’t attempt it if it’s wet, but think it’s safe if you get a running start in a 2WD, and the more weight you have in the back the easier it is…we generally place our bales as close to the tailgate as possible. You can also enter from the forest meadow gate.

Truck feeding on mustard skeletons is a major part of our pasture management – in some places it is the only way we can knock back the mustard. We need to take care to feed safely so that the horses don’t get eye injuries; best technique is to leave flake in an open spot surrounded by skeletons so that the horses walk through the weeds to the hay, but can eat safely. When you are feeding put the initial flakes on the margins of the target area, carry some all the way to the back of the target area, then use small portions through the middle in order to encourage traffic and reduce competition.

Please note that any damage to vehicles while feeding is the responsibility of the owner even if they have loaned their truck to another member.

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OHA Feeding Guidelines

These rules are for your safety as well as for the safety of the horses.
The well-being of the entire herd depends on the quality of your feeding job.

Place the flakes AT LEAST 30 FEET APART. Horses sometimes drag the flakes to an unsafe distance while they eat, so be sure to allow for this. Prevent injuries from kicking – we want three or more horse-lengths between each pile.
Feed in the afternoon, before it gets dark. No feeding is to be done in the mornings.
Count and check all the horses for injuries and lameness.
If any horse is sick or injured, call the owner. If you cannot reach the owner call a vet for advice as to whether to bring the horse down from the pasture or wait where you are for help. Use common sense and do what is best for the horse: for example, if the horse seems to have colic, bring it down. If a horse is extremely lame wait for help. A phone list should be at feeding site (Emergency Buckets) as well as in White Shed. Photos and descriptions of horses are at each feeding site.
Always bring a cell phone with you while feeding.
Truck feeders should take their hay from the Red Barn until notified touse hay from the Pond Barn or one of the Pastures (approximately middle of October). An email notice will be sent anda sign will be posted.
Don’t feed in the bare dirt of the road – we want to minimize horses eating dirt and sand.
Feed 1 flake per horse plus 2-3 extra.
This will usually be about 2.5 bales for the whole herd, less when the herd is split and varying according to the number of horses in the fed group. For 12 horses use 1 bale and USE COMMON SENSE always. Horses should receive approximately 2 percent of their body weight per day as roughage. Using a 1000 lb. horse as an average weight of a horse at our pasture, that would be 20 lbs. of forage. As a rule of thumb, OHA decided to supplement 50% of a horse’s diet (or feeding 1% of body weight) in hay. This is about 10 lbs. per day.
Don’t feed near barbed wire fences (or other fences or the hay corral enclosure) in any pasture.
In pastures with hay enclosures FASTEN GATE AND FASTEN CHAIN AROUND GATE.
Check the website for updates for specific instructions for individual pastures. Conditions vary year to year.
For wheelbarrow feeding, use the two big wheelbarrows. The faster the hay gets out, the safer it is for the horses, so do use both wheelbarrows and both gates in the pond pasture. Use the available whips if they will help ensure safety while feeding.
Remember to sign out on the list immediately before or after you feed, including the time and amount that you fed, and the number of horses that you counted. Location of the list will vary according to what pasture the herd is in. Please legibly and clearly print the names of the people who fed. We only need the names of the two people who actually did the feeding. Don’t sign up a person who did not actually feed.
If you feed and want someone else is to get credit, indicate this in the Work Hours Book.
There is to be no solo feeding.
Feeding by inexperienced family members, sponsors or riding partners is discouraged. Only two people can get work hour credit for feeding. If an extra person helps out, that member may get actual time spent as work hours credit, at the discretion of the treasurer. This usually applies in severe stormy conditions.
If you feed more times than your mandatory allotment you may take .75 hour work credit for each extra feeding.
Don’t take credit for feeding that you signed up for, but did not do. If you fail to feed your allotted number of times, you will need to make up the missed hours doing other work.
Truck Feeding Target Areas –https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z8MNq6SWvAEQ.k5rfEF6rKBzs&usp=sharing
Last few days of feeding in Plateau, please make sure these last feedings count for weed knockdown before the rains.Then we’ll have a couple weeks when we can truck feed in Pond Pasture – focus is BELOW Baby Bottle Rd for our first feedings here. There is little cover on the slopes above Baby Bottle Rd, so please do not truck feed there – we want to encourage the horses to explore and expand below Baby Bottle Road.
In general, our goal when supplementing is to move the herd around, well spread out, and…. always … feed on weeds.

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