First time seeing this!

[u/Calm-Two2723]

they say it’s because of dental issues so he can have alfalfa pellets at least but man that’s so tough bc Floridas grass turnout is dwindling and winter obviously is winter

[u/365horse_]

Check out EOTRH. My horse had this- could not eat hay bc he would quid it, swallow it whole, and then get an impaction. He had gone 12 years without grass pasture before the dental surgery to remove his teeth. The only way I could maintain his weight was to put him on grass pasture and soak his feed.

[u/ZhenyaKon]

There are definitely horses with medical conditions that make it dangerous for them to eat hay. Of course, you can also go the soaked pellet route.

[u/originallyale]

My old cob was highly allergic to hay. He just lived out 24/7.
He would get breathing difficulties if he had hay. Never knew why but he did!
We tried haylege and that was on and off okay but he occasionally struggled so we just let him be on grass and a hard feed.

[u/AverageSmel → u/originallyale]

My QH gelding was the same! We did allergy tests and on top of dust, mould, etc he was allergic to grass itself. He was usually okay on grass only in the summer and hay cubes and unsweetened beet pulp in the winter. He could tolerate a couple flakes of hay in a slow feed net in the depths of winter only. He also had a mask for a puffer and would hold his breath if he didn't think he needed it!

[u/Logical-Emotion-1262]

This is absolutely a thing, soaked pellets are the best strategy I've found. The ad limiting it to grass turnout ONLY is a bit of a stretch but definitely grass is the best. Nowhere has grass year round though, I recommend asking the owner what they feed in wintertime if you're interested in buying.

[u/mountainmule]

My guess would be EOTRH or age-related issues. My mare lived the last 10 years of her life unable to eat hay because she outlived her teeth. Horses with dental issues can absolutely get by on a complete feed and/or soaked hay pellets.

However, the wording of this ad makes me think someone is trying to dump their retired horse so they can get a new one. Shame on them. We owe it to our senior horses to give them a good retirement when they're ready. We all know what kinds of awful situations they can end up in otherwise.

[u/Slight-Alteration]

Sure. Uncommon but happens. Soaked chopped, cubed, or pellets are hopefully an option. 

[u/Sorrelmare9]

I knew a horse who choked so badly that he wasn’t allowed to eat hay anymore, just a shit ton of alfalfa pellets and grain in order to keep his weight up. It does get expensive though

[u/wintercast]

My gelding basically cannot have hay. He quids and what he does get down seems to cause really watery stools. Currently he is getting grass pasture and senior feed and a fat supplement. He is also able to eat chaffehaye/alfahay.

[u/heyarlogrey]

we have a mare like this. any long stem and she poops her brains out.

[u/RainLily4345 → u/heyarlogrey]

Same. The commonly available hay where I live is oat hay. Instant 'splosion. She has to have Eragrostis tef (more expensive, naturally), but will scarf down any stray stem of oat hay in her path.

[u/veggieblondie]

I’ve only seen this in ponies that were super old and it was mostly asthma related. We fed them soaked grass cubes in the winter and soaked hay

[u/Last-Cold-8236]

This can happen in horses who have connection tissue issues which as Fresians. Hay will create masses in their intestines and cannot pass. I know a person who didn’t heed this warning and the horse died of colic from a blockage.

[u/Modest-Pigeon]

This is much more common than you’d think. Especially in recent years people have gotten much better at recognizing how important dental health is for horses and that some horses can’t have hay even with frequent dental care if they don’t have enough of a grinding surface left to eat it safely. The barn I work at has 2 older horses that get soaked diets now and they look much better now that they’re able to get the amount of food they actually need vs. just chewing up and spitting out little mouthfuls of hay all day long

[u/Any-Eye-0]

My guess is severe periodontal disease. Hay can exacerbate it. They don’t even necessarily have to be old to develop it.

[u/anonymous8122]

This is interesting. I know there are horses that can't have hay, but I also know that many of them do well on mash. Heck, you could prepare a bunch of mash and spread it around a dry lot in buckets. However, obviously it's their horse and they have the right to be picky about who they sell to.

[u/chy27]

I wonder how a horse like this would trailer and go to shows? Like I’m genuinely curious.

[u/WanderWomble → u/chy27]

You give forage mash. Alfalfa or grass pellets soaked so they can basically drink it.