Am I doing the right thing as regards to feed?

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HaffiesRock

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I've just got a 10 year old 15.2 gypsy cob mare. (2 weeks ago) She has lived out the last 2 years and is fed a stubbs scoop of Alfa A and half a scoop of high fibre nuts as the yard she was kept had very minimal grazing and this was enough to sustain her.
The yard she is on now has much better grazing, but as she is being exercised more often, her weight is pretty stable. This weekend she has to start coming in at night and will be getting ad lib hay from about 6pm to 6am.
I have started to reduce the high fibre nuts this week so she is off them by the weekend when she is going to be getting hay. She is still having a scoop of Alfa A.
What are your suggestions? She is carrying a bit too much weight on her bum but looks good everywhere else. She isnt rugged and wont be. In my eyes a big chunky cob who looks well and has energy doesnt need any additional feed? She is excersised about 5 times at week at present, but only light schooling and hacking. I'd imagine this will decrease as the weather gets colder and the nights darker! I have a sharer who is adament that it is cruel to not give her anything and a fat horse is a happy horse! (After years of owning a lami pony I have told her why a fat pony is not a healthy one!) If anything I may give her a small scoop of chaff with a multi vit supplement if neccesary, but in my eyes she doesnt need any extra feed. (She gets the usual apple and carrot a day) But please tell me if I am wrong :o)

All opinions welcome.

Thanks
Emma
 
I tend to agree with you on your comments about her being happy and healthy so not needing anything extra, I have a Cob x - she's quite a bit finer than your average gypsy type cob, but a good doer, all year round she just gets a balancer, and haylage when in her stable, and we have very good grazing. She is semi-retired now, but was on the same feed when in full work...
 
i would think that if the grazing is better than she's used to + adlib hay a small token feed of an evening would be enough. i would usually do this if mine was stabled at night or living out.

Alfa A is useful for horses in poorer condition, needing to put weight on, you could feed her hifi lite or good doer or spillers happy hoof as 'treat feed'. i agree with you though i treat mine a a potential lami and this is how i manage them
 
I agree, if she has good grass and hay in winter she doesn't need anything else. I would def stop the nuts and just give her a little alfa/ chaff to take a supplement if she has one. Beware spring grass too, try and get her slimmer in feb/ march to make room for it..

My TB and TB crosses all live out in summer with no feed, and in winter have a handful of alfa and a little sugar beet... if you have grass you really don't need much/ any supplementary feeding.
 
Yes it sounds ok to me for the present. Just record her weight monthly with a weight tape and you will notice any changes as they happen. We feed in accordance to work (if any). Our Welshies (A's B's C's) that winter out do so naked in most cases and have haylage daily, no hard feed. The stallion, any oldies or youngsters (weanlings in their first winter) that are stabled at night get good quality hay and if they need anything extra, we feed grass nuts.
For our natives we try and keep to as natural a feed as we can. Obviously if any were in hard work they would need energy feed.
 
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