Advice on Feeding please!

ItsJem

ItsJem

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Hello!

Okay, picking up my new girls at the beginning of July (4yo and 11 month Welsh B girls). I will be aiming to show the elder of the two from the end of July onwards. At the moment she has dropped some weight after wintering out. The baby is gangly and babyish and needs some weight on her but she won't be doing very much to start.

So, was hoping you would give me some ideas as of feed plans. Both will be living out on grass. Obviously I want the 4yo to pick up condition wise to show so what would you reccomend for her?

As for the baby, I want something that isn't going to pile the weight on so quickly that it messes with her in other ways. Something that 'slow grows' her?

Anyone got anything to say about the Simple System diets?

Thanks!! :p
 
I've got my 10 month Section C on Pure Horse Feeds Stud mix. He had wintered out before I bought him and really needed to put on some condition. He's doing really well on the Pure Stud and I can highly recommend it.
 
Maybe D&H Suregrow for the baby and a conditioning mix for the 4 year old? But this time of year, if you've got good grazing, you'll probably find they don't need it or maybe just hay/haylage too until they are at a condition you are happy with? Hard to tell without seeing them or your grazing. Are they on poor grazing at the moment?
 
Currently the baby is stabled in a barn with the other youngsters... they are getting haylage and I believe that is it.

The elder girl is living out on grazing but not particularly great quality. Neither are getting hard feed at the moment. But both could do with putting on.

The yard they will be at will be shared with just two others and they will be sectioned off and rotated as needed. Grazing is of okay quality but I wouldnt trust it so provide ALL of their needs.
 
I would put the older one on the 24/7 grass and then topspec balancer until she gets to the condition you like - then you can swap her onto the lite version. That way she can get her vits and mins and the grass is growing at the moment so you may find when she changes onto your grazing that she puts the weight on via that.

For the baby I'd leave her out 24/7 too and see how she fares on the grass and maybe topspec lite balancer if you're worried about her vits/mins. This is what I've done for my 2yo welsh X and he's looking really nice - not in show condition but I wouldn't want him to be if he's living out, especially with everyone getting laminitis left right and center. If he drops too much (like a few weeks ago when we had that awful weather) he got sectioned off and given some adlib haylage for an hour or two, then went back out with the other natives.
 
I would put both on fast fibre and linseed. Fast fibree contains vits and mins and the linseed is great for condition without the fizz. Maybe leave the baby for minute though and see what the grass does for it.

I have tried the simple system stuff but found that it wasn't all it was cracked up to be. I have a barefoot horse so need a low sugar/high fibre diet so that's why I tried it. My girl just didn't really like the products I tried and I ended up throwing a lot of it away. She is quite fussy but since putting her on the fast fibre and linseed she is looking great. It's cheap and goes a very long way and you don't need to far with ordering it and waiting for delivery and then sending a cheque through the post which is what simple system do.
 
is the 4 yr old going to be in work? this should be a consideration if your gunna be giving her hard feed. i would ring round the feed companies and get there advice as they will ask you all about each horses management and suggest the best thing for what you want. we had a dengie rep come to out yard at weekend, didnt cost anything but she weighed and condition scored the horses asked all about tehre management and made suggestions, was very helpful x
 
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