Feeding a 3yo??

K

Kobie

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 November 2011
Messages
93
Visit site
On Sunday I am collecting my new 3yo filly, for the last month she has been out 24/7 but when she come's to me will be in at night but out all day, She will have ad lib hay when in, but was thinking should I feed her anything else? even as a token feed?
 
Kobie said:
On Sunday I am collecting my new 3yo filly, for the last month she has been out 24/7 but when she come's to me will be in at night but out all day, She will have ad lib hay when in, but was thinking should I feed her anything else? even as a token feed?
Click to expand...

Anyone?
 
My 4 year old who is not being ridden as needs to mature is on topspec balancer and Alfa A , also top spec cool cubes which are cereal free. He needs to fill out a bit though. But I would defo feed as balancer
 
I think it depends on what you will be doing with him. Balancers can make horses a bit crazy, which is why I have taken mine off his, and just put him on a vit min supplement. He wouldn't normally be on anything, but he's on box rest so I want to make sure he gets everything.

If you do feed a balancer, make sure you know if he is more excitable on it, don't want to be backing him, or doing anything new if he is feeling a little mental :)
 
My 19yo is on spillers light balancer so may try her on this when i start the ground work for backing with her, thanks all.
 
I have my 3 year old out 24/7 but when it's v cold I will give her haylage and a feed consisting of sugarbeat chaf and some carrots I give it warm to them in the winter.

Stacey
 
My 3.5 year old has been on Baileys Performance Balancer for six months and she has filled out beautifully on it, without getting fat or fuzzy. She's unbacked and just does the odd bit of ground work or walking out in hand. I did check with Baileys that it was ok to feed as I give it to my older horse. Great Balancer and not mega expensive.
 
Idealy you need to feed sufficient feed for groth of bone and muscle - ad lib meadow hay is great. I would also feed a supplement designed for young growing horses, a feed balancer that is purely for a horse not receiving any other hard feed is ideal.

Be aware that feeding mixes not ddesigned for a youngster can lead to unbalanced bone/tendon growth.
 
I really like the Saracen Horse Feeds Biolife 2000 (its a balancer) its suitable for all types & ages...my 3yr old section A has her measure with a handful of hifi complete with adlib hay and she is looking great. (i also feed it to my comp horse)
 
I feed Dodson & Horrell Suregrow. Its fantastic stuff and my 3yo has been on this since weaning. He and my yearling both get it with a double handful of Graze On. I find this seems to keep the weight on them nicely without making them too fat, especially since the yearling is growing so quickly. Its so easy to damage youngsters with incorrect feeding.
Monitor your babys growth, slow and steady is always better than growing like a weed and ending up with orthopedic issues later on :)
 
I would feed some kind of stud or yearling mix and maybe add a bit of chaff if it needs weight but keep it simple. stud or yearling mix will have the correct balance of vits and minerals in so you don't have to add anything. Getting the balance wrong could lead to the horse growing incorrectly. hope that helps
 
I asked a similar question when I had just bought my 2&1/2 yo WB. agree with balancer, seems to be working well for mine :), although its important to feed in the recommended quantities otherwise it wont be doing its job properly (according to equine nutritionist). I now have all of mine (including 2yo) on Baileys local balancer though may be swapping to top spec lite balancer going to calculate which will work out cheapest :). I also have (on recommendation from on here) got a bag of dodson and horrel sure grow in as Im expecting to need to feed a more calorific balancer through winter to keep weight on (the expiry date isn't until march 2012). They have lots of information on sure grow on their website :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top