We have an IR/cushing pony mare that I had to get serious with several months ago as well. I do ration her hay to 2% of body weight.. and I double slow bag it (Chick's nets), hung from the rafters in her pen to be free swinging.. this is enough to keep her consumption slow enough to last almost the entire day, she runs out within an hour or two of feeding time, while at the same time ensuring she does not get too much. She has to eat it one or two strands at a time. In fact now she is used to eating so slow now that on occasion I can go ahead and double the amount of hay and it will last her for two days. However if I do that too often she gets greedy again. I think it would be better to give the entire days ration at once and try to slow him down, than to let him run out repeatedly.. that may encourage gorging since he is repeatedly running out followed by the excitement of getting fed, over and over. I know mine eat a bunch when I first put it out.. then slow down and nibble the rest of the day. In fact I can take a net away that no one is paying any attention to, with hay still in it, pretend to fill it and bring it back and they will chow down like they haven't eaten all day. Ulcers are a real concern but so are the health risks of overeating. It took our little mare getting so fat she was hyperventilating and sweating continuously for me to break down and ration her, but it did the trick.. she has lost a ton of weight and is so much healthier and more comfortable. She too hates her net.. when I first doubled it she sulked for a couple of days and would tear at it and was obviously pissed at it and me.. but just keep telling yourself it's tough love.. it's for the best. After three months she has pretty much decided this is the way it's going to be and doesn't fight with it as much.

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