does anyone feed their horse all year round?

O

oliviacharley

Well-Known Member
Joined
18 September 2006
Messages
1,250
Location
the moon!!
Visit site
Just wondering if anyone feeds their horse all year round? My pony is 30 and im a little worried she is losing all her goodness when im not feeding her... she looks good, is wormed regularly and has a good belly on her. My horse also doesnt seem to need anything - he is 6 and again im a little worried about him losing out on his vits and mins when im not feeding him.

I was thinking about feeding them maybe some low cal feed or some herbal meadow mix which has some natural vits and mins.

They have likits every now and then, I have been feeding them topspec balancer over the past few months with linseed oil and garlic powder but that ran out last month and I havent replaced it as I dont really feel the need to.
What do other people do...?
 
for the first year i owned my horse he got fed all year round because he was in a state
he lived out this year, with a little food and is now actually heading towards over weight :S (hes a "skinny" TB)
if they look fine, then don't worry and if they start to drop condition then you can gradually introduce food again.
they'll get a lot of vits and mins from their grass at this time of year so they should be okay
 
IMO it's important to feed all year round- my two are VERY good do-ers so because they are always on diets they must be fed correctly to ensure they're not missing out on vits and mins.
During winter they have a mixture of chaff and ready grass with a feed balancer and in summer they have a tiny bit of chaff with their balancer.
They're on Baileys No.14 which is a Lo-Cal balancer; I would definately reccomend it as it sounds like you're looking for something simular!!
 
Ours get fed all year round as we like to give them a vit and mineral supplement. Rubin and Badger literally get a handful of Alpha a oil, but Bodey is still getting a decent feed with comp mix as he just needs the energy, he is getting worked pretty hard now and without it would grind to a halt I think.
 
Me.
S
grin.gif
 
it depends what work they are doing mine do but they event and show jump in the summer and hunt during the winter sot hey do quite alot but if you have an old horse then they may needed a bit more tlc
 
Me, I've a hard keeper who will lose weight at the drop of a hat, old worm damage suspected. He gets huge haylage nets, and fed 2 x daily.

One I just rescued a few weeks back with some leg problems (cureable but long term daily attention) who has stressed off a lot of weight, she gets the same as above but haylage on the floor (he has a net because he won't eat it if it's on floor).

My other 2 have token feeds.
 
I have found the best thing is to keep up the hard feed but restrict grass. Otherwise she is a total slug! Grass belly and no energy. She is in medium work though. The grazing I have her on is lawn really but there is enough to keep her happy.
 
my girl is fed year round, i may lessen the amount if she is looking really good, but with age her previous good doer status seems no more, i have to feed her more than when she was younger, think her days of being a good doer are over, which is easier to manage than before, she would always balloon so easily but no longer does, but yes she is fed all year round now
 
My pony was about 35 and yes i fed all year round- not a lot but just to make sure he got all the nutrients he needed- and it was something to hide joint supplements etc in
Now have a TB and think i will still be feeding all year-twice daily
crazy.gif
 
Mine get fed all year
Bear is fed because he is worked and you don't run a car on no fuel.
Buddie needs his glucosamine.
Bertie is a growing Boy.
Bear gets 2 scoops of Hi Fi orig and 1 scoop of cool mix
The other to get a level scoop of each, I have to feed Buddie the same amount as the colt else he'd eat his small amount and then eat the colts!!
I can't bloody win!!
I still have bugger all grass as they trashed the fencing so they have all 3 paddocks, but once they are sorted and the grass starts growing they will have half of what they are on now.
 
I do,they just get smaller and smaller in the Summer,and he does not seem to mind......TBH,if I was not giving some supplements......then the fat g*t he is, would get now't!
smirk.gif
 
QR -

My horse is fed all year round, he gets a third feed in winter though. My pony who lives out 24/7/365 only gets fed during the winter months, but within the next few years she'll need to be fed all year round too as she is loosing her teeth!
 
Yep, mine gets less from Oct-Dec as goes on winter hols and lives out, gets more hard feed in summer for energy, and more slow release fibre feeds in winter for weight and muscle building as he comes back into work
smile.gif
 
My TB lives out in the summer and from may to Sept will not be fed unless he starts to lose condition. He is a good doer and is fit for the work he has to do.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top