Encouraging horse eat haylage and bucket feed
 

My horse is on box rest after surgery last Wednesday. The vet tells me he didn't really eat much hay at all there and didn't touch the bucket feed (he is a little on the podgy side so they weren't that worried) but since getting him home I am really struggling to get him to eat any haylage unless I hand feed it to him. I have tried lots of smaller haynets around the stable and over the door, as well as loose in the haybar but he is not showing any interest. I am loathe to feed him a hay replacer in his bucket but he is not interested in that either! I tried him with a treat ball and high fibre nuggets which has had the most success so far but he can't live on fibre nuggets for 4 weeks (can he?!) I am going to buy some more ulcer medication (not insured now, shudder!) as the vet thinks if his stomach is sore he might not want to eat but if I can't get him to eat the ulcers will come back (if they haven't already) or get worse. Is there anything else I can try? I can't get a different haylage supplier and he wont eat the hay either. I was thinking of getting some of that horsehage haylage as it looks nice and might tempt him. He doesn't seem particularly stressed out, if he's not playing with the ball then he just stands there resting.Many thanks!

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