Do you only feed after riding?

[Scribbles]

Throught the winter laddie gets fed a decent mix and A-oil, but last year he got so chubby through spring/summer this year I am only feeding after ridden work (same as he was getting in winter, apart from one scoop of chaff instead of two). He gets a supplement, and is in a hu-uge field with lots of grazing.

Is this alright? He's holding weight well, though I'd prefer to change mix to something more suitable (currently Spillers slow release). A few Baileys products catch my eye, such as the meadow sweet, or the topline conditioning.

Ideas greatly appreciated

 

[Cliqmo]

Mine is currently on box rest o

) but he gets fed daily whether he is being exercised or not because although the grass is plentiful I'm not sure about its quality; therefore I feed a handful of chaff, a chopped apple and his vit/min supplement.

 

[celia]

In your situation I'd probably be cutting down on the amount of feed given or changing to something less fattening (hifi instead of the alpha oil for example) and continuing to feed daily rather than only feeding after exercise. It's all personal choice though and if you're happy with this routine then why not?

 

[K27]

Mine are fed twice daily, however if they were turned out 24/7 on good grazing and looked well, I'd either do without the hard feeds completely or feed something in small amounts twice daily if they need it, like a low calorie chaff and balancer or hi fibre cubes as horses are designed to eat little and often. If a horse is eating a high energy feed, the unused energy will be turned to fat.

Maybe see what Baileys, Spillers or one of the feed companies suggest for a horse in your situation.

 

[scotsmare]

*sighs*

Mine are still fed twice a day and I have the £30 a week feed bill to prove it............

 

[RachelB]

Can I ask why you are feeding Alfa-Oil and are considering conditioning cubes, if your horse is on good grazing and got "chubby" last summer?

I would be feeding nothing if the grazing is good, or if you need the energy then a small amount of concentrated mix/nuts. If you really want to feed a GP supplement, you could put it in a handful of HiFi or feed a pelleted balancer. This is assuming your horse is in good condition at the moment though!
And to answer the original question, my horse gets fed breakfast only (out 24/7).

 

[pottamus]

My lad is fed all year round but only has a couple of handfuls of hi fi lite to put an all round supplement into. He has this as he is usually on limited grazing and year old hay to keep his weight down.

 

[SO1]

If you are worried about your horses weight then do not even think about feeding the conditioning top line stuff this is designed to put weight on horses so not suitable.

My pony was on the meadow sweet and loved it but I have switched to a lower cal food. He is a good doer and I give him dengie good doer chaff which has vitamins in and a bit of ride and relax as a treat.

I don't give him a full feed unless I ride him though. Tonight I did not ride him and he just had a couple of handfuls of chaff.

 

[piebaldsparkle]

[ QUOTE ]
Can I ask why you are feeding Alfa-Oil and are considering conditioning cubes, if your horse is on good grazing and got "chubby" last summer?

I would be feeding nothing if the grazing is good, or if you need the energy then a small amount of concentrated mix/nuts. If you really want to feed a GP supplement, you could put it in a handful of HiFi or feed a pelleted balancer. This is assuming your horse is in good condition at the moment though!


[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly.