Best food for 2 ponies

[Sarah04]

I have two overweight ponies (both like this when i got them )currently on restricted grazing and soaked hay . I'm currently feeding them spillers balancer lite which they don't really need but they are so use to their routine they only get a small handful morning and night but I got some brewers yeast to try to stop all the flies pestering them both but as this is a powder and there food is pellets it just stuck to my shetlands face and they didn't really like it. Would I be better with a chaff to mix it in with ? These are my first ponies so it's all new to me! Also when does the spring grass start to ease off? Thanks

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Brewer's yeast won't repel flies, what made you think that it would?. You could offer a pain oat straw chaff, such as the one by Honeychop or Halley's. If you want to add a powder to pellets, you could soak them.
The best way to repel flies is to apply fly repellent, such as Cooper's.


ETA, unfortunately the grass growth depends very much on the weather.

 

[Sarah04]

I've done alot of research and brewers yeast looks to be a very good supplement. Feeding this or marmite sandwiches seems to deter biting midges which reduces itching. It improves skin condition too I thought it's worth a try! My shetland is so itchy. Vet gave him a mite injection and we are to clip and shampoo him incase its fungal. Will try a fly repellant and or fly rug.

 

[STRIKER]

we wud all be using it then. A spray is quicker acting so more beneficial to the ponies comfort.

 

[marmalade76]

My ponies used to rub their tails every summer, since having brewer's yeast they've stopped, so carry on, OP. Mine can get fat in the summer so I feed them a mug of Fast Fibre and a handful of Good Doer chaff to mix their supplements into. As the FF has to be soaked, it's ideal for mixing powders into.

 

[Shay]

Brewers yeast, marmite and garlic are all thought to make the animals less palatable to flies / midges etc. Whether it works or not will depend on your animals and the type of flies you have. Plus it takes time to build up a loading dose so they excrete the right compounds through the skin. Fly spray does tend to work regardless and is immediate.

You could soak the pellets to damp the yeast. Get the itchy one clipped and cleaned - that might help.