Feed help

jess.shaw94

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14 December 2015
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Hi all,

I recently bought a new mare (first owned horse but several years in the business, never had to make the decisions myself before lol) and previous owner said she had her on chaff and sugar beat. However since i bought her i've just been keeping her on hay alone as recommended by YO. I'm wondering if i should giving her feed on top or not and what feed would be best for her? She's 5 and is hackey x cob and in good condition and only currently in very light work (1-2 times a week ridden). Generally shes very calm round the yard but sometimes has moments of spooky/erratic behavior, for example, this evening when bringing her in from the field she spooked slightly at nothing and then took a couple of steps and reared... and then just carried on as normal back to the yard. Not sure whether the rearing is excited/nervous/anxious or just plain rude as she can sometimes be a bit stubborn but just wondering if theres anything i could be doing with regard to feeding in case shes lacking something in her diet or whether im just over-thinking everything??

Any suggestions welcome :)
Thanks in advance
 

Red-1

I used to be decisive, now I'm not so sure...
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Congratulations on your new horse.

My retired man had a winter on hay alone and looked fantastic. My youngster is mainly on hay but has a 1/2 scoop of Agrobs once a day just to get a supplement in as she is still a baby.

If she is holding weight well, and the others are not having any feed, then I would go with what the YO says, at least for now. She should be fine on hay as long as she holds weight. It will also help you settle together.

If the others are being fed then I would give a token feed of chaff with a vitamin supplement in, as much as anything so she does not feel left out. If she drops weight then re-think.

What I would avoid is high sugar/high starch feeds.
 

Cortez

Tough but Fair
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I don't feed extra anything unless/until the horse starts to drop weight. And I certainly wouldn't feed just so it doesn't feel left out - that will certainly cause that to happen. I have just one horse that gets a bucket feed, the others don't and they don't look for one either.
 
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