Feeding a 3 year old warmblood

[Spirit7]

Hi. I’ve not posted for years as been having a quiet life but I have a lovely new pony as of a few days and am currently feeding: forgave plus young horse summer balancer, speedi beet, agrobs myoprotein, and more micronised linseed…..around 400g of beet and myo and about 200g linseed in addition to balancer.

please can I have opinions and thoughts on can I do better? What do you all feed.

Out about 12 hours a day on normal grass and ad lib hay (all not fertilised).

I’m not a fan of Lucerne as last horse (still with me) had LGL and hind guy issues… so I’m super careful as I want to stay unshod.

Horse is approx 15.3 and just 3 last April.

If anyone old is still here a big hello from a very excited me !!

 

[TheMule]

You're feeding a lot! Is he in work? How is his condition?

 

[Lexi 123]

I don’t have a young horse but I feed my horse
One cup of speedie beet
scope of gain cool and easy
one cup of gain Opti-Care Balancer

there is a 3 year old young horse on the yard and he is fed
stud balancer and cool cubes
he is very skinny he seems to be struggling with weight even though the grazing is very good. there is a 4 year old looking better than him and is only on grass. So I think it depends on the horse .

 

[PSD]

Seems a lot, what’s his weight like? If it was me I’d leave dr green to work his magic

 

[AmyMay]

Is he poor?

 

[CaptGinger]

I have a 3yr old ID/Warmblood, not in any sort of work gets walked out or long-reined maybe once a month. He is out 24/7 but comes in for a small feed and a snooze at tea time or since moving to summer fields comes in for a few hours for a break off the lush grass.

He gets half a Stubbs scoop of fast fibre, a small scoop of mix and some mixed herbs. I have fed him this since getting him at 8 months

He seems to do well on this his weight is just about right.

 

[Spirit7]

Hiya thanks for replies. I should have said what I have been advised to work up to feeding !!. He’s a little poor but not too bad. He’s been moved around a lot over last 3 months (before me) I’ve not had him a week I’ve not got much grass in the field he’s in to settle with my others atm. I’m not feeding that amount yet as easing in but this is what Forage Plus recommended and I thought it’s sounded loads so thought I’d ask. What he is actually as of today in a bucket twice a day/ tomorrow ia handfull of agrobs myo, half scoop of linseed, third of fast fibre (as came on it and I feed it anyway) and 75g of FP balancer……sorry to be confusing but I don’t want to over or under feed and that’s I called the experts at FP….. they actually advised to feed SS hay care pellets but I went with myo protein instead. Just want what you would all feed assuming you all have lots of 3 year olds. Thanks again

 

[Spirit7]

I don’t have a young horse but I feed my horse
One cup of speedie beet
scope of gain cool and easy
one cup of gain Opti-Care Balancer

there is a 3 year old young horse on the yard and he is fed
stud balancer and cool cubes
he is very skinny he seems to be struggling with weight even though the grazing is very good. there is a 4 year old looking better than him and is only on grass. So I think it depends on the horse .

Thanks. 3 and 4 year olds looked massively different when I was shopping though …. So hard to ge tit right

 

[Spirit7]

I have a 3yr old ID/Warmblood, not in any sort of work gets walked out or long-reined maybe once a month. He is out 24/7 but comes in for a small feed and a snooze at tea time or since moving to summer fields comes in for a few hours for a break off the lush grass.

He gets half a Stubbs scoop of fast fibre, a small scoop of mix and some mixed herbs. I have fed him this since getting him at 8 months

He seems to do well on this his weight is just about right.

See that sound sensible to me

 

[Patterdale]

All my youngsters are out on good grass with a good mineral lick. They look fab. I would not be pushing a young horse with that much food.

Unless he is very underweight for some reason. How’s his condition?

 

[TheMule]

Honestly? Hay to supplement the grass if it isn’t great, ad lib hay when he's in, and a balancer. I like to use soaked grass pellets as a carrier as I use a powedered mineral supplement but fast fiber would work too.
I wouldn’t bother with myoprotein if he's not in work and the forage is good quality

 

[AmyMay]

Providing you have some grass I’d simply be giving him hay alongside. At the most a bucket of fibre nuts with some beet in it.

 

[Patterdale]

Feed companies are just reps, they always tell everyone they need to feed their horse loads of expensive stuff.
Save yourself the money and time and just give good grass and good hay or haylage. He will thrive on it.

 

[ihatework]

Gawd, I couldn’t be doing with all that faffing.
Grass/hay and if coat/feed need improving some stud balancer

 

[Spirit7]

Honestly? Hay to supplement the grass if it isn’t great, ad lib hay when he's in, and a balancer. I like to use soaked grass pellets as a carrier as I use a powedered mineral supplement but fast fiber would work too.
I wouldn’t bother with myoprotein if he's not in work and the forage is good quality

Thank using FP balancer and I think I like the carrier being the myo grass pellets, always ad lib hay. Forage / hay not amazing. I don’t think anyone’s is this year. Thank you

 

[CaptGinger]

It’s one of those subjects that will have a lot of differing opinions and whilst i would always err on the side of less is more for a youngster you need to feed the horse in front of you.

At the risk of been told otherwise I find what I feed suits mine well - here he is for comparison

 

[Spirit7]

Feed companies are just reps, they always tell everyone they need to feed their horse loads of expensive stuff.
Save yourself the money and time and just give good grass and good hay or haylage. He will thrive on it.

Thanks. Wasn’t feed company as such as were not recommending their products other then balancer which I would have bought anyway. I am shocked at cost of feed an only fed FF and linseeds last 10 years !!

 

[Spirit7]

It’s one of those subjects that will have a lot of differing opinions and whilst i would always err on the side of less is more for a youngster you need to feed the horse in front of you.

At the risk of been told otherwise I find what I feed suits mine well - here he is for comparison

Loos amazing and much more covering than mine. Thank you

 

[Spirit7]

Providing you have some grass I’d simply be giving him hay alongside. At the most a bucket of fibre nuts with some beet in it.

So beet and grass pellets ok in your opinion ? Or what fibre nuts?

 

[Spirit7]

All my youngsters are out on good grass with a good mineral lick. They look fab. I would not be pushing a young horse with that much food.

Unless he is very underweight for some reason. How’s his condition?

Have to stable at night …..not enough grass in current field.

 

[AmyMay]

So beet and grass pellets ok in your opinion ? Or what fibre nuts?

To be honest, fancy complicated feeding is just a waste of time and money imo. I’ve either fed nuts (pony, fibre or grass) with a bit of sugar beet if needed, and added Alfa A if more condition or oomph is needed. At this time of year I’ve rarely fed (perhaps a handful of nuts).

If your youngster is poor I still wouldn’t be shovelling food into it. Grass, hay and if that’s what you have grass pellets.

Have a look at @AShetlandBitMeOnce post about her new horse Dex. The improvement in a month is staggering on just (I believe) a Balancer, hay and grass.

 

[Auslander]

Crikey - that's a lot.
I have a 3yo warmblood colt here on livery. He gets 1/2 a scoop of stud cubes and a handful of grass chaff twice a day, ad lib haylage (very dry - practically hay) when he's in, and grass. He has wintered out unrugged, spent a lot of time and energy telling everyone how sexy he is/demonstrating his athleticism, and he's looking spot on. I'd rather he was a bit leaner, so there's less weight for his baby joints to carry round - I like babies a bit on the light side

 

[blitznbobs]

Be careful, over feeding warm bloods that are growing is linked to ocd… even if they are a bit poor avoid a too rich diet… hay and a good balancer is enough

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

Faran got suregrow balancer and hifi light in summer

Suregrow and a scoop of a mush made of grassnuts/beetpulp/alfalfa nuts with readigrass in winter with good quality hay and he was never fat and grew just fine.

What you are feeding sounds like a lot

 

[Spirit7]

Be careful, over feeding warm bloods that are growing is linked to ocd… even if they are a bit poor avoid a too rich diet… hay and a good balancer is enough

Yes this was something I am concerned about. Thanks for your comment. I think I’ll just stick with what I started with before talking to FP

 

[Spirit7]

Faran got suregrow balancer and hifi light in summer

Suregrow and a scoop of a mush made of grassnuts/beetpulp/alfalfa nuts with readigrass in winter with good quality hay and he was never fat and grew just fine.

What you are feeding sounds like a lot

Thanks. Won’t feed Alfalfa as seen too many horses have issues and improve once removed but yes the myo protein is the grass nuts and balancer sound good which I’m already feeding. I wouldn’t feed anything fertilised so that rules out any dengi. Might feed extra linseed in winter needed for condition and maybe add beet. I’m going to phone back Forage Plus and ask why I was advised to feed so much ……as they are supposed to be actual experts.

 

[Spirit7]

Crikey - that's a lot.
I have a 3yo warmblood colt here on livery. He gets 1/2 a scoop of stud cubes and a handful of grass chaff twice a day, ad lib haylage (very dry - practically hay) when he's in, and grass. He has wintered out unrugged, spent a lot of time and energy telling everyone how sexy he is/demonstrating his athleticism, and he's looking spot on. I'd rather he was a bit leaner, so there's less weight for his baby joints to carry round - I like babies a bit on the light side

That’s more than I’m feeding lol.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

When my Arab was young he got a balancer chaff and linseed as he was on the lean side, I also gave him as much hay as he would eat I put it in the field as well so he could eat hay whenever he wanted.

I also fed a bet of haylage with it so something to add if you think the hay is poor, I do think the best thing for them is good grass at that age.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Thanks. Won’t feed Alfalfa as seen too many horses have issues and improve once removed but yes the myo protein is the grass nuts and balancer sound good which I’m already feeding. I wouldn’t feed anything fertilised so that rules out any dengi. Might feed extra linseed in winter needed for condition and maybe add beet. I’m going to phone back Forage Plus and ask why I was advised to feed so much ……as they are supposed to be actual experts.

They are sales people that's what they do most feed companies will over estimate what you need to feed.

I can't feed mine alfalfa or molasses sends them nuts i feed a grass chaff like emerald green meadow or grass tastic or graze on its just chopped grass.

 

[Auslander]

That’s more than I’m feeding lol.

Y'what? That's not what you said in your earlier posts!