Feed - Iberians

[luckyhorseshoe]

Apologies, I know that this is in the wrong place but I figured more people would see it here. I also appreciate that it is quite a specialist question but I know that there are quite a few on here with Iberians.

Could anyone with an Iberian tell me what you feed yours and a rough description of the level of work yours is in?

Personally, i stick away from haylage and mixs for starch/sugars. Mine is mainly on a fibre based diet but this seems to be very costly when I add on my balancer and supplements.

I would be interested in what others do!

Thanks in advance for any replies!

 

[dressagecrazy]

Apologies, I know that this is in the wrong place but I figured more people would see it here. I also appreciate that it is quite a specialist question but I know that there are quite a few on here with Iberians.

Could anyone with an Iberian tell me what you feed yours and a rough description of the level of work yours is in?

Personally, i stick away from haylage and mixs for starch/sugars. Mine is mainly on a fibre based diet but this seems to be very costly when I add on my balancer and supplements.

I would be interested in what others do!

Thanks in advance for any replies!

My 5yo PRE is fed Pure Feeds Pure Easy & ad lib hay overnight.

He's working Novice/Elem & ridden 4-5 days a week.

 

[stencilface]

My half bred is fed high fibre nuts and a teeny handful of alfa a.

After his forays with eating oat straw a few years ago I steer well clear of oats now, and carrots unless I want a crazy beast. I also don't feed a balancer after his rather OTT reaction to one last year He did seem good on power and performance though for more zing without the fizz.

But mine is a huge fatty, and really needs no feed at all - only gets him to placate him and to feed supps

 

[Spanish Eyes]

I have 2 PRE Andalusian mares, who I use for hacking out, and general schooling - probably ridden 3/4 times per week, with lungeing and longreining in between.

I absolutely adore them as a breed - they are so versatile.

But, you have to remember that they originate from very arid conditions in Spain, so you need to feed them accordingly. The worst thing is to feed them like competition horses.

Generally they are good-doers. They also tend to be intolerant of sugar.

I feed mine the same way as one of my mares was fed at the spanish horse stud where she came from - ie hay/grass, coarse mix (eg Saracens) and dredge (oats and barley) in a 50:50 ratio. Mine do very well on this. The horses at the stud are worked everyday, and are all fed this way, even the stallions.

 

[luckyhorseshoe]

Thanks all.
Yes im aware of the issues people can encounter trying to feed them in this country, hence my question really. Just interesting to know what others are doing really! And as I said a balancer is quite expensive.

 

[tallyho!]

I know mine is still a baby, so no work as yet unless you count terrorrising the herd a full time occupation??

Not fed now but was on just a hi-fi diet, vits n mins and linseed and looks just fab on it. I have been told that they tolerate oils as an energy source much MUCH better than cereals. I worked on a stud a few years ago and they fed theirs Build Up (yep, I know...) no wonder they were crackers.

It could also depend on individual horses needs I guess but no-one I know now feeds cereals to any horse nevermind an Iberian.

WHat balancer are you feeding out of ineterest?

 

[depurple1]

I feed my 5 year old PRE a scoop of HiFi Lite and a quarter scoop of calm and condition, three times a day. He's turned out all day and gets hay overnight.

He's normally worked 5 times a week, usually 3 x schooling and 2 hacks.

If he's fed mix or heavily molassed chaff he goes loopy.

 

[Deseado]

My friend has two Spanish horses (and a very potentially portly friesian), that are fed haylage and straw mixed, some Bailey's lo-Cal balancer and nothing else. They look FANTASTIC on this, and are worked 4-5 days a week - more intensively in the summer when they are doing shows. The PRE's seem to be very good doers, and HOT HOT HOT unless fed sensibly and well ridden.

 

[Herts05]

My 8 year old PRE is worked 5 - 6 days a week.
He gets 1 flat scoop of Hi Fi Mollasses Free divided between 2 feeds. This is the lowest sugar and starch combination that I have found. I have also started to give him Equivits as a supplement, but not convinced he needs it. He gets 14 lbs of hay per day and is turned out for 6 hours per day.

He is naturally very hot and his current diet seems to be working well.

 

[BBP]

Mine gets soaked hay, strip grass in the day and a handful of chaff. B*gger all really. He is a good do-er, does 6 days a week medium intensity. He is a hot horse, very feisty and sensitive but can have lazy days too.

 

[Bennions Field]

I have had my PRE mare from a foal, she's six this year, she's not ridden due to injury, but is fed Alfa Pellets, soaked, and unmollased sugar beet and a sugar / mollases free chaff. to this NAF's basic vits and mins are added, NO Balancers, they are way too much for PRE's and tend to be way too high in calories for her. she's also now got a 9 month old foal who's fed the same with the addition of a stud/youngstock vit and min supplement. All my horses are also fed ablib hayledge which i have made from my own fields, i tend to only put the mininum of fertiliser on but check on the mineral levels of the soil every 3-4 years.

As previously said, PRE's are not used to our rich green fields, and tend to both get fat quickly and hot up equally as quickly. i would go by eye on your horses condition and reduce his feed accordingly if needed. with regard to temprement and being hot or not, if he's too much reduce/cut out his feed untill you are satisfied. the feed companies are there as a guide, but remember they are there to sell feeds, and what the 'average' horse needs is not always right for everyone, so feed acording to whats in front of you. it's worked for me for the last 20 odd years.

 

[Sags_Deer]

Mine has speedibeet, hi fi lite and a balancer, the speedibeet goes when i use the current bag up. I made the mistake of giving him alfa a once, umm never again extra hot was not the word for it lol.

 

[luckyhorseshoe]

Thanks all for your comments.

Mine is rising 6. She is typically hot as you all describe but I find if she doesn't get enough calories for the work she's in, she can
loose condition quickly.

I feed a balancer and a supplement to help her retain her weight.

I wonder, if when she is fully mature it might be easier to keep weight on her.

She is always well rugged in the winter, loads of hay overnight when she is in.

My other theory is that my old yard didn't have great grazing do I wonder if my new yard, with better mama aged grazing might help her.

Either, that or i am the only one with a PRE that isn't a good doer?!

 

[luckyhorseshoe]

Sorry if that makes no sense - damn autocorrect on the iPhone!

 

[Spanish Eyes]

Funnily enough, I wouldn't describe either of mine as hot (that role goes to my TB LOL). Both are very sensitive, but in general are very level-headed and sensible - neither need regular work to keep them sane. Both live out 24/7, all year round, but the grass is generally short like a bowling green, and on a hillside so drains well - wouldn't describe it as good grass at all.

When I got my first PRE I put her onto the same diet as my TB - cool coarse mix, speedibeet, pink powder and Top Spec Cool Condition cubes. She did ok, but I seemed to be shovelling food down her to keep her condition up. When I got my second, from the stud, I switched both to that diet and they've both done really well on a much smaller volume of feed.

Interesting that tallyho! doesn't know anyone feeding cereals to an Iberian - I know of several doing it very successfully.

You may find this useful: http://www.clubcaballo.com - they have a Feeding the Spanish Horse section.

 

[Andalusianlover1]

My PRE is more laid back than a dead carcass. He's a very good doer who doesnt really need any hard feed. At the mo he's on small handful of Alfa A Oil (dryish skin), double handful of Hi-Fi lite 1/3 of a scoop of pasture mix. When he's regularly competing (ODE, HT) I put him on competition mix. It makes no difference to him at all, just gives him a wee bit more stamina. I dont even think Oats would make any difference to him or sugar! He's ridden 4to5 times a week with galloping and x-country trg included.

 

[stencilface]

My PRE is more laid back than a dead carcass. He's a very good doer who doesnt really need any hard feed.

LOL - this describes mine totally (although he's not a full ) I am a touch worried about the spring grass coming through, and will have to up his cardio work I think - much to his meandering disgust.

 

[tallyho!]

Funnily enough, I wouldn't describe either of mine as hot (that role goes to my TB LOL). Both are very sensitive, but in general are very level-headed and sensible - neither need regular work to keep them sane. Both live out 24/7, all year round, but the grass is generally short like a bowling green, and on a hillside so drains well - wouldn't describe it as good grass at all.

When I got my first PRE I put her onto the same diet as my TB - cool coarse mix, speedibeet, pink powder and Top Spec Cool Condition cubes. She did ok, but I seemed to be shovelling food down her to keep her condition up. When I got my second, from the stud, I switched both to that diet and they've both done really well on a much smaller volume of feed.

Interesting that tallyho! doesn't know anyone feeding cereals to an Iberian - I know of several doing it very successfully.

You may find this useful: http://www.clubcaballo.com - they have a Feeding the Spanish Horse section.

That's it, every horse is different, just because I don't know of anyone doing so "at the moment" doesn't mean there isn't... I personally prefer not to feed cereals. There are many other safer options available... although I do rate oats quite highly if I did need to feed grains.