feed advice for field kept horses

[FaldingwoodLivery]

hi everyone, looking for some advice with regards to feeding my youngster. i currently have a 2yo sec d gelding turned out 24/7 with a 11 yr old 13.2 companion mare (although age is not certain as she was given me by a friend who in turn got her from the sales and i'm certain the passport is not actually the ponies ..... but thats another story). both ponies are un rugged.

the field they are in still has plenty of grass and they both seem to be doing ok weight wise, the mare was fat coming to me about 2 months ago and has since come down to a nice, if not still a little chubby size, the welsh is looking a little lean although he is bum high so going through a bit of a fugly stage

however i have noticed the mare is starting to chew the post and rail fence ALL the time, which she didn't do in her previous home, am wondering if she's lacking in vit/minerals.

the welsh d did used to be turned out with another 2yo as a companion and the plan was to hay as and when needed and feed a youngstock mix when nutritional levels of grass had dropped to ensure they had all they needed to grow. however now the companion has changed im reluctant to do this as im worried about weight/lami issues with mare if she has too much hard feed.

i cant bucket feed them seperately as the gelding is basically unhandled and will remain that way until he is ready for backing, and the mare is a absolute nightmare to catch, even if you have feed! it would generaly be a case of chucking feed in piles on the floor and letting them hoover it up once i had left.

so what to do?? am thinking just a vit and mineral lick for field? but does the youngster need more to provide him with everything his little growing body needs??

 

[forestfantasy]

Field lick now & ad-lib good quality hay when the grass gets poor (athough there won't be much goodness in it now even if it looks good)

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Mmmm, might be an idea to put a lick out in the field for them & see if your mare does stop chewing the fences as it just might be she's lacking in something which a vit-lick might provide.

You could try painting the fence with something to stop the chewing? Sorry there's a brand name but brain is a bit addled at the mo; alternatively you could just use creosote as that smells nasty enough to discourage most chewers IME.

With your little Welsh D, I'd aim to avoid over-feeding; natives and ponies in general do seem to thrive best on poorer rather than richer pasture and will soon get fizzy if you so much as mention the word "concentrate" with them.

Personally I'd try a vitti-lick in the first instance and see how that goes.

 

[FaldingwoodLivery]

Thanks have picked a lick up this afternoon so will chuck that in and see if it stops her. I'm a big believer in feeding as little hard feed as poss, but this is the first youngster I've had so doubting myself a bit

 

[beeswax]

want a cheap and efficient way to paint your fences get some fresh manure and mix it with water until it is sloppy and horrible looking then paint it on the wooden fences, horses wont chew that bit of fence again. By the way doesnt cost a penny just a bit of work.

 

[ShadowFlame]

Agreed - salt licks. All my boy gets (4 yr old cob) is hay and a handful of chaff as a "token" feed. If they're not dropping weight, don't worry

 

[kirinsam]

I would offer a bucket feed , I do mine twice a day , even if its only a handful and just hang around whilst they eat it . It means my youngster has got used to me being around him whilst he is eating so I can easily check for cuts etc and as time has gone on he looks out for me so when it came time to catch , and now rug I can easily fiddle about with him without any worries. If the two of them have different feed requirements just give the one who needs less more chaff to slow it up so they finish together.