Any feed ideas for me??

Charlie_F_K

Charlie_F_K

Well-Known Member
Joined
19 July 2010
Messages
57
Location
Yorkshire
Visit site
Hi all,

Another post, kind of ties in to my last one!

I can't seem to find a feed regime that keeps my mare both a good weight and healthy, and calm..

Currently she is on a small amount of cool mix, a scoop of oil free chaff, and a scoop of pink powder. Twice a day, with ad lib good hay.

She is a very fine tb, and although she looks great now, she doesn't keep her weight v well. She has three rugs on!!

With the weather being like it is I have cut her feed down a little, but problem is she is not a greedy horse, and you can't pile hay into her, she just picks when hungry but would rather be noseying across the yard!

She still has far too much energy spilling out, and I have been told poss a high fibre nut may be better? And also read the post on people feeding solely forage, but pretty sure she would look a hat rack (just her, not averse to the idea for other people at all!).

Sorry to ramble, any suggestions would be appreciated.

Tar x
 
Cool Mix isn't really that cool - lower in starch than competition mixes, but still quite high in starch compared to fibre feeds! High fibre cubes are a good suggestion, but check the starch levels and ingredients between brands as the Spiller's ones are 10% starch and no whole cereals (so less likely to create fizz) whereas the Baileys High Fibre Cubes are 15% starch and contain wheat. If you need a higher calorie cube then try Spillers Slow Release Cubes which have 11 MJDE/kg but still only 12% starch.

What brand of chaff are you using?

Of course you don't have to feed a mix or cube at all - you could just use low sugar fibre feeds (based on grass, beet and/or alfalfa) alongside the pink powder.
 
Last edited:
My horse came to me at the end of October as a hatrack and I've managed to put weight on him despite the weather.

He's on Speedibeet, large amounts of carrots, Alfa A Oil, Veg Oil and a bucket of Readygrass for good measure.

He looks really well on it, would definitely recommend it as a diet, only downside of a forage diet is the amount of poo!
 
Thankyou! At risk of sounding a bit daft now but, do most feed merchants sell them? And what would you feed with? I know they need soaking a little but not much else!
 
I have a similar type horse to yours - skinny TB mare - at least she was......
I learned that if I gave her big feeds with chaff in, then she wouldn't eat her haylage as her stomach couldn't take any more food...she is also a fussy eater and doesn't really like the chaff. I have changed her onto Spillers high fibre cubes twice a day mixed with sloppy speedibeet - no chaff. She wolfs it down and looks absolutely fantastic - in fact could be verging on being considered a bit porky now! I would take the chaff out and just give her high fibre cubes and haylage. My mare only picks at the haylage, but again, I don't put loads of haylage in at once - I give her three separate armfuls a day. If I give it her like this, she eats what I give her and just leaves a few strands, and then when I put more in, she is ready for it, and again at night. It's also a good idea with skinnies to put the hay/haylage on the floor, so they're not fighting to get it out of nets and can get as much into their mouths as they want. Good luck!
 
My tb is on Dodson and horrell build up cubes, 1 round scoop per day i.e half scoop in each.
Dodson and Horrell fibre g, about 2 thirds a scoop in each meal and half a scoop of speedi beet in each meal. She does very well on this. She has a haybar which I keep topped up and as yet she hasn't emptied this winter so far !
 
I have an Anglo Arab aged 19 years who is a poor doer. He has 3 big handfuls ( both hands cupped together to form a sccop)of Graze on (chopped freeze dried grass), half a scoop of rolled barley, soya oil, naf general purpose vitamin powder and speedibeet, he also has as much hay as he needs. I usually throw 3 slabs down between him and my youngster which is adequate.
I checked with my vet the last time she came out and she said his diet was perfect for a poor doer. He has a bucket in the morning and afternoon.

This is his winter diet. In the summer he obviously gets different portions to account for the grass he is on. I don't give him hay in the summer either.

The soya oil gives calories without the energy, the graze on is his fibre, the barley is slow energy releasing so does not make him excitable, the speedibeet gives him bulk to make him full and the supplement allows his body to utilise his food a bit better.

He lives out 24/7 with one heavy weight rug and access to his stable. I leave the door open as it's in his field and he shares it with the youngster and they come and go as they please.

The last MOT he had the vet said he was looking fantastic for his age and breeding.
 
Last edited:
We are feeding our previously good doer retired mare, who struggled to maintain weight last year, on haylage, dried grass (Graze-on) and grassnuts. We have tried Alfalfa of various types and unmolassed sugar beet but her current regime is suiting her the best and she has even put a bit of weight on this Autumn. We feed the other (various, younger) horses on a similar diet, supplemented by straw to keep their weight down, in various quantities, according to their needs. Thye all get pinkpowder as a balancer and may have other supplements if necessary. They are all doing well.
We soak the grassnuts and feed them mixed with dried grass as a chaff.
 
I have an arab who is rising 4 and he tends to drop weight in the winter despite having 2 good feeds a day with ad lib hay and haylage (they are allowed to wander in and out of the stables into an adjoining paddock so have hay in field as well as grass and haylage in nets in stables so can please themselves I was advised to change my feed to Readymash last year by a lovely lady and I can thoroughly recommend it my boy used to eat his food but would take forever usually about 40 minutes but now he loves it and feed is relished he even calls me for it which is nice...he hasnt dropped any weight this year (so far) and looks very well nice and shiny so it may be worth a try for your mare...good luck and let me know how it goes.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top