Feeding a Youngster

maxapple

maxapple

Well-Known Member
Joined
2 February 2007
Messages
2,181
Visit site
I have recently bought my 1st youngster - a 2 yrd old welsh section b.

He's living out and I don't plan to do anything more than bits of ground work / handling with him for the next year at least. Just wondered if he will need any hard feed?

He's currently quite skinny so I have been giving him a small feed of hi-fi, nuts & a sprinke of equilibrium feed (and some oil) We have good grass so i imagine he will put on weight quite quickly.
 
You need to keep youngsters on the light side. If they are fed incorrectly you end up risking bone and joint problems as the extra weight is simply too much for the young soft bones and joints.

If growth is forced by incorrect feeding... not talking about fat here, but bigness... you run the risk of the horse developing conditions like kissing spines and wobblers.

My youngsters live out on good grass. They recieve no hard feed, just a simple Young Stock feed balancer. The main concern with youngsters is making sure they have all the vitamins and minerals they need.
 
I fed my youngster Baileys Lo-cal feed balencer- it had all the good things in it to help her grow, mixed with a bit off chaff, the difference after having her a few months was amazing, her hooves improved 100% aswell.
 
I feed my youngsters on a combination of Baileys Stud cubes and Baileys Stud balancer (along with some Fast fibre to mix it up with). The ratio between the two depends on their condition, growth rate, weight etc. I find baileys very very helpful if I ever have any questions or just want some re-assurance. Would be worth giving them a call. The most important thing for a youngster is to ensure they are receiving the right nutrition to support their growth and bone development. Don't know if this helps
confused.gif
 
i feed my youngster on baileys low cal and alpha beet, am very concious of over feeding as he is a huge chap (hes 17.2 and just rising 4) and i dont want him developing any health probs if you are really stressing about what to feed ring round the main feed suppliers your local tack shop sells and see what they advise
smile.gif
 
The only thing to add to what's already been said is that Alpha-A is a very good source of calcium. My youngster has done very well on it.
 
I feed one feed a day, of a scoop of chaff (Hi-fi lite or Alfa-A) and a mug of Bailey's lo-cal. He also gets a carrot and a splash of corn oil due to slightly dry skin!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top