Feed for New Hunter

[meesha]

Hi, just after a bit of advice, my chap has been out twice and lasted well through 3-4 hours of hunting - he has lost a bit of his excess weight and is looking fairly good - he is currently only on topspec lite with a single handful chaff but I feel I may need to up this a bit for stamina.

Currently we still have good grass so has the odd flake of hay to supplement but is not that interested in it, once weather turns he will be on adlib hay and in depths of winter adlib haylage He will hopefully be hunted 1 day a week with one other fast ride and a day or so of light hacking/schooling. He is 8 years old - appaloosa, lives out fulltime but with large shelter on hardstanding and arena (which they will be shut on when the dreaded rain appears).

Any ideas of what I can add to the topspec lite or should I leave it as it is and let him build up his stamina through fitness.

All suggestions welcome.

 

[rosie-ellie]

Try adding linseed/flax oil

 

[JenHunt]

sugarbeet - keep packing the fibre into him and Im sure he'll go all day if he's naturally a good doer!

If you do get to a stage where you need more condition then you can add oil, or oil rich feeds (like full fat soya meal, or copra) which will also help with the stamina.

 

[meesha]

Thanks guys, will try speedibeet first as he has had this b4 and then add the oil if need be

 

[LizzieJ]

You may not need to feed him much more atm, mine hunts all season on chaff! I do add oil and unmollassed sugar beet if she needs more condition though

 

[meesha]

Thanks Lizzie - have held off feeding him anything other than the topspec lite as he is such a good doer but it is hard to stick to your guns re feeding when everyone else seems to be doing big bucket feeds. Will stick as I am - its only the long canters where he suffers out on fun rides but to be fair i am trying to keep up with a 16.2 ID/TB haha

 

[LizzieJ]

Do you do much fast work over distances at home?

 

[meesha]

box up to quantocks to do a good amount of cantering/gallop once a week but at home just bit of lunging/schooling, hacking with hill work. I think its just his fitness he needs to improve on (or his attitude) didnt struggle at all out hunting the couple of times I have been but can loose steam occasionally. He is getting better, took us around hour and half to do fun ride of 10 miles today.

ps. r you out tuesday ?

 

[LizzieJ]

I'd say it's probably fitness then

No, I'll be out saturday though

 

[JenHunt]

Ron hunts all season on ad lib haylage,

I give him a bucket of speedibeet in the evenings and he trickle feeds this all night, and it's normally just about finished by 8am. He also gets a scoop of alfa oil and a mug of lo-cal balancer each day.

He's 16.2 IDx - 17yo, hunts once or twice a week plus other bits and pieces of hacking and schooling, and still comes out of the winter looking 'well'!

 

[chancing]

Wish chance was a good doer I'm getting really pi67)£d off with people asking me if I'm feeding the correct feed and is she getting enough!! Currently Meesha chance is on baileys no 4 and 11 and oil going to have to cut back a little and she seems to have gone a little looppy she's getting this 2/3 times a day turnout and 2 haynets. Are you out Tuesday?

 

[Luci07]

Do you only ride him 3 x a week including the hunting or did I read that wrong?

 

[JenHunt]

Luci07, once we're hunting fit that's more or less all we do.... hunting twice a week, a short hack on sundays, and an evening doing SJ or dressage every other week. He's out 12hrs a day all winter, in all weathers, and it seems to keep him fit!

 

[meesha]

hopefully out tomorrow x