Do we 'need' give hard feed?

[L&M]

I am constantly frustrated and confused by all the different types of hard feed and supplements that are being marketed to us, and it occurred to me today that maybe I don't need to feed any at all!

I am lucky to have plentiful and good grazing (except when it is covered in 4 inches of snow and ice!), and feed ad lib quality haylage when stabled.

Do I actually need to give hard feed, as surely whatever the grass is lacking at this time of year, they are making up with haylage? Neither require any supplements and only feed mine hi fi lite and fast fibre anyhow. Under 'normal' weather conditions they are in full work and hunting weekly, are good doers and have always had enough energy to do what I require of them, so other than their feed being a 'treat', do they actually need it?

Any thoughts?!

 

[FairyLights]

no ,unless its needed for calorific content,ie to put or maintain weight [condition] on the horse. Most do well on hay alone and in the winter add a balancer,fed in a little chaff to ensure correct vit and min and essential amino acid [protein] needs. if the horse is loosing condition then feed a calorific product,typicaly a grain ie oats or barley or a commercial mix,[which can come in pellet form eg pony nuts,condition cubes] and /or an oil product for extra calories eg linseed or soya. its as simple as that.

 

[AngieandBen]

Nope! I don't feed mine anything more than a handfull of Fast Fibre to mix in with their magnesium ( good barefoot mineral!) They are out 24/7 no hay, plenty of long grass to eat, fit healthy and only one is rugged

 

[suzyqet]

My Percheron mare doesnt get anything except for hay and grass.

This was her in August.....

And this was her last winter before I got her.....

Since I have had her in August, she has put on 80 kilos in weight (she is only 4 and still growing) and, all she was having to start with was 2 sections of hay per day and grass. The most she has ever had (when there was no grass) was 3 sections of hay in the morning and 3 sections of hay in the afternoon. and thats it.

So, in answer to your question, no, not all horses need hard feed, but some will. If you think yours will cope without, try it. If they start to drop weight, then you could always re-introduce it again.

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

Not as a rule. Mine both have a fibre diet - mainly hay and grass with some chaff and Fast Fibre for supplements - one has ulcers one is laminitic - at night when stabled.

 

[SplashofSoy]

Would have to say no. Liveried on a riding school so lots of ponies in hard work and very few get a hard feed and even if they do its only some quiet mix and sugarbeet.

Depends on the horse, mine cant hold weight without a hard feed and needs the extra calories. Horse of similar breed etc on same yard doesnt get any hard feed and never looks anything other than well covered and healthy.

 

[Slightly Foxed]

Good quality haylage should supply all the nutrients he needs; a mineral block will provide what the haylage doesn't supply. If he's healthy he shouldn't need grain; play it by ear (or, rather, eye!).

 

[lexiedhb]

Nope, not at all, unless your demands on the horses energy are more than can be supplied by forage alone.

 

[ThePony]

Nope, I don't think so. Long fibre with a balancer if needed, added oil (linseed is my choice) if needed to keep weight on a poor doer or hard working horse.

 

[L&M]

Thanks for your replies - I expected to be shot down in flames considering the mood some of us are in at the moment!!

As they are now saying that the thaw over the weekend is only to be short lived, I am going to gradually cut out their feed and see how they do. As they are only on a low calorie/high fibre diet, I shall replace this with a little extra haylage and see how they get on.

 

[pip6]

Personally think a lot of owners feed horses because they feel guilty otherwise. My arabs live out bar a few months of the year when they come in at night. Have plenty of haylage overnight, & in very worst weather 2 small feeds of grass nuts mixed with fibre nuts & a lite feed balancer. If not they would drop weight rapidly in wet weather. They don't, however, need grain feeds or conditioning mixes. If yours don't need it, don't give it. If you are worried about their vitamin/mineral intake use a low calorie balancer. You know if they look well or not, trust yourself.

 

[flyingfeet]

No, most horses are too fat, so don't actually "need" feed

I think people like to feed their horses as most are very keen on feed. So fulfils our need to see the horses happy.

Manufacturers play on this and most mixes are prepared to be attractive to the person mixing the feed, not to the horse. I.e. appeal to the one with the cash!

If you look at nutrient value the manufacturers recommend amounts generally mean a 20kg sack would last 4 days per horse... er no I am NOT feeding 5kg of your £11 feed to my nag.

I feed when bringing in, as I like to feel that they have something to look forward to when being penned up. However that's my need not theirs, also when in full work I do like to give a multi vit as I don't feed recommended amounts of feed.

However I probably don't "need" to and its one of my horsey mad habits.

 

[Ranyhyn]

I don't feed my ISH who is in medium work. He gets good quality haylage and is blooming on it, even in this weather.

 

[dieseldog]

I haven't bought a bag of hard feed in about 6 years. But I am lucky that my horses have all been natural born fatties with loads of energy. I would feed them if they looked thin.

 

[rara007]

Even in hard work (3 day driving events, worked up to 3 hours a day at home, whole days or few days travelling) my ponies didn't need anything. They needed abit of lo-cal to be competitive over the national tracks but untill then were fine. Only ponies and atleast 1/2 welsh but

 

[Jojo_Pea4]

No I think the good doers can manage well without hard feed. My good doer has a balancer and a handful of Alfa A oil all year round so he can have his supplements. He is always full of energy.

 

[*Spider*]

Obie is only on feed because he needs condition.
In your case I'd say no

 

[Ali2]

I think a lot of horses would do perfectly well without hard feed. I'm all for keeping it forage based. My own horses diet is primarily hay/haylage/grass with a small, fibre based feed. He gets a small breakfast of fibre cubes to carry his supplements and so that he gets fed when everthing else does (livery yard). He gets a small dinner of the same, again to carry his supplements and soem are put in his snack ball to give him a bit of added interest.

 

[Firehorse]

mine only gets a handful of hi fi in summer as a treat and up to two scoops in winter. he lives out 24/7 and has haylage in winter. he's doing fine on it. i weigh taped him this morning as he's back in a 40g rug since the snow went and i was a bit worried in case he's got cold. but he hasnt lost anything at all. it'll be when we finish the strip grazing and they get haylage everyday when he needs more food, but still only hi-fi. he's hacked 2 or 3 times a week, very rarely schooled or jumped just for a change and he's always got more energy than he needs!

 

[barneyhunter]

Thank you for putting up this thread. For years I have had TB x event type horses that I needed to stuff full of oats and more when competing and conditioning mixes over the winter.

The other liveries I know don't approve of how little I feed my current horse - WBx. He came with strict instructions from his previous owner (who had owned him for 2 yrs) that he did not need any form of hard feed and she only gave him a handful of chaff when the rest of her yard was fed so he didn't feel left out. She competed him BS and won quite a lot of money on him. He isn't sharp but very spooky. He gets 2 scoops of Hi-Fi per day, Magic suppliment, garlic and apple cider vinegar, ad lib hay and 2 big armfuls of haylage(turned out for 4-6 hours per day on reasonable grass). Ridden 5 times per week and although lazy in the school he can hack for 2 - 3 hours and not get tired!
I made he mistake of feeding him just haylage when we ran out of old hay - OMG, she was right he wasn't nasty just turned into a head tossing, jig-jogging TB, totally incapable of taking 2 strides in the same direction and completely incapavable of walking - he had also moved onto a lush field!!! I won't make that mistake again.

I think he looks very well rounded - this way I can save a bit of money on feed which is just as well as he gets through a set of shoes in 4 weeks!!

Sorry - just realised my answer is rather long!!

 

[amandap]

Do we 'need' give hard feed?

No imo! We need to feed a high fibre balanced diet. Supplements should be given or not according to forage analysis but of course that's in that perfect world! Salt may be the only required supplement apart from this for most horses.

 

[bryngelenponies]

Basically no. My two, one's a section A and the other is a section Dxtb, never have hard feed and they do well without it. For years I naively fed them and suddenly realised that it made no sense to feed them when they already had their own fat to live on. This meant that they are now better weights and are still very healthy. I give them a handful of chaff to mix their supplements in but other than that they get no feed whatsoever. I of course give them hay in winter but nothing more. Maybe some people wouldn't agree with the way I keep my 2- i.e. no feed, live out 24/7, no rugs- but it suits them well and if it didn't then I'd change things. Certainly saves hell of a lot of money not buying hard feed!

 

[paulineh]

I think it depends on the horse/ pony. Like humans some people need more food some can live on a small amount.

My lot live out 24/7 at the moment, 3 will come in after Christmas when they are clipped and back in work.

I have 4 Arabs and a New Forester The Arabs all get a small handful of Alfa oil and Lo cal balancer, the pony gets alfa oil and Baileys Senior mix plus Speedi Beet, good quality hay ad lib and some horsage. Once the work is built up the Arabs will get a small amount of Baileys Endurance mix. During the winter months (Oct to April) they get some Propel

I do keep a good eye on their weight and if any of them start to look as if they are losing weight then I will add Baileys conditioning cubes

There are too many FAT animals out there as someone has said pampering to the feed companies.

 

[soloequestrian]

My three live out all year round. They get a small amount of sugar beet and alpha a as a carrier for their supplements, and also as a bribe to come into the stables once a day and let me look at them properly! The full TB gets a (small) scoop of oats in his feed at the moment too. They have not-quite-ad-lib haylage in winter and grass in summer. They all have plenty of energy for work on this system!

 

[MagicMelon]

Personally I don't think horses 'need' feed to exsist so to speak, however I do think they could benefit hugely from an all round high-spec supplement. Fields horses are kept on in the UK aren't natural to a horse - most fields are intensively grazed, sprayed with fertilisers/lime/weed killer etc. and all areas have different types of soils so at the end of the day nutrients will be lacking for the horse. Therefore I do think its beneficial to feed a vit & min supplement or in lick form.

I have always fed mine - my competition horse benefits from it as I can add electrolytes etc. as needed and he needs the energy from it to compete and to thrive. My other 2 retired veterans get feed because they need more than just hay and grass to keep condition and they get supplements in relation to their age.