Do you adjust feed amounts in winter and summer?

GrassChop

GrassChop

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I just had a thought as I've always changed how much hard feed I give in winter and summer. Does anyone else do this? I.e. more hard feed in winter and cut it down in summer. They get hay as well that they wouldn't necessarily have in the summer when there is good grass. Or do you keep the hard feed the same amount all year round?
 
Absolutely.

Summer they might get a token handful of something like Hifi Mollasses free. Only if I can be bothered. Not daily.

In winter they get a decent bucket feed with chaff and sugar beet. Maybe even some nuts. Sometimes twice a day if the weather is particularly bad.
 
In the winter, I feed based on the analysis and how the horse looks. In the summer, assuming they're grazing, I feed more based on how they look and general knowledge on how the grass is here (eg the selenium is almost always very low). So yes, it changes, but I don't really have any standard numbers. My horses don't tend to need added energy, it's mostly protein and minerals that needs to be added.
 
yes definitely - I also do it depending on how much grass there is in the winter as mine are good doers. They’ve been on a bit more grass this week and have been back to one feed and a small one at that - just enough to have supplements.

In the summer they get a token feed too. It’s actually my mare who is on the most feed currently - was originally obese and on the verge of laminitis but regular work and fitness has made her drop a few girth sizes and she is now on adlib hay (not even soaked any more and currently two feeds per day!) Just goes to show what good exercise and fitness can do for a horse.
 
I tend to vary whenever I feel I need to.
They are on speedibeet / grass nuts and supplements so it’s very easy to give a bit more / bit less as I see fit.
I did initially increase their feed this winter but as they are still looking well, I’ve cut it back again.
 
No as mine are only on chaff and balancer. Obviously hay in winter which they don’t get daily in summer as live out then.

I’ve occasionally added some mash to my boys in winter if they drop weight but they’re all fairly good doers and the boys aren’t in work yet so haven’t needed more.
 
Not massively. I adjust the grazing and if it's a cold winter I do switch to Pure Condition from the Easy, but that hasn't been necessary, this year.
 
Yes, particularly the oldie (25 yo tb). Increase to 2 feeds a day, basically doubling the amount. I also increase his pony nuts by about 20% when trios drop below freezing.
 
I do with the oldie, he does well on summer grass but needs a lot of feed to hold weight in winter so I start to slowly increase in autumn building up to a full scoop dry weight each of FibreBeet & Grass Nuts and 1 1/2 scoops of Cushcare daily. In summer he gets a much smaller token feed with balancer. He gets ad-lib hay also but he’s not a greedy horse so doesn’t eat enough to hold his weight.

My younger ridden one gets the same cup of balancer and handful of fibre nuggets twice a day all year round as he’s a good doer and doesn’t need anything else.
 
Yes, she’s on a balancer and a handful of soaked beet pulp but in the past if she’s dropped too much condition in winter I have upped the beetpulp ration along with more hay or if the weather is truly abysmal and she’s been out all day she gets a bit extra. I’m more sporadic in summer, she might not get anything out on grass and she doesn’t look for her bucket feed like she does in winter. Kind of weans herself off it when the grass comes in and shes out more.
 
Yes but they also change routines, spring-autumn live out, no hay just grass and a small hard feed, wintertime they come in overnight so have hay and are on smaller winter grazing so usually end up increasing chaff in hard feed. Change feed more according to weight than weather though.
 
I adjust feed more according to how much work they are in to be honest as I aim for them to have adlib forage all year round, be it good grazing in the summer and a round bale in the winter when the grass is sparse. Coblet is retired now so he only has a small feed of spiller senior mash to pop his danilon and supplements into.
Standie has topspec balancer/clca kind and his Vitamin E and selenium supplement as his workload is increasing week on week.
 
Oldies get 2 feeds all year round but winter they get a lot more grass nuts and extra linseed . Ad lib hay all year round for most , some limited grazing with soaked hay but all mine always get plenty of forage .
 
rhino said:
No, mine get balancer, chaff and a small amount of meadow cobs year round. Obviously forage changes massively but not ‘hard’ feed
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I aim for the same. They are all having shed loads of hay. My TB I am aware at some point I may have to ungrade feed wise but its our first winter so I'm not really sure yet, so far she looks fine on her usual feed and I'd hope to keep it that way.
 
Actually I lie! I have added an extra feed in for the elderly little mare as she cant really eat hay and is in over night now so i go out last thing before bed and feed her another big bucket of mash to pick her way through!
 
Old not good doer gets more in winter.

3 not in work get the same all year round.

Working cobs probably get more in summer, as they are restricted grazing, but working harder so I supplement their feeds.
 
Mine get the same all year round, only fed when ridden. Big double handful of chaff and topspec lite and a handful of oily herbs.
I do vary amount of haylage according to the weather, mine need loads more when its cold, i find it strange when people don't.
 
Mine get the same supplements all year round. Their actual feed remains the same but the quantities are greatly reduced in the spring/summer. In winter they have 2 feeds a day in the summer only one.
 
GrassChop said:
I just had a thought as I've always changed how much hard feed I give in winter and summer. Does anyone else do this? I.e. more hard feed in winter and cut it down in summer. They get hay as well that they wouldn't necessarily have in the summer when there is good grass. Or do you keep the hard feed the same amount all year round?
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For bad doers like my TB then yes I give more conditioning feed, for good doers not really I just monitor. All have access to ad lib hay throughout the day regardless.
 
I feed the same type of feed all year round but do adjust the quantities - if I fed the same all year round, my boys would look permanently pregnant 🤣

I feed chaff, nuts and some high fibre mash as I have a gigantic still growing rising 3 year old, and a 20 year old who both can't have mix of any sort, nor anything high in sugar/starch cause they go nuts.....

It's always hilarious when I drop the amounts for the warmer months - they look at their buckets and then back at me as if to say "That's it?!" 🤣

They get ad lib hay all year round and we have fab grazing too x
 
yes and no! my gelding pretty much gets the same as its a token for his supplements but my mare needs more, so in the winter she gets more linseed added and i give her half as much during the summer months. but the rest of the feed stays about the same!
 
No, my fat git gets nothing all year round! Well, a tiny handful of fast fibre to give him his joint supplement. It takes him 10 seconds to eat the whole lot he gets so little.
 
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