Feeding advice for hunter:)

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bsjastar

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So this is what I do every week from the start of the hunting season to the end:)
Sunday: Hunting
Monday: Day off
Tuesday: Lunge or light hack around the farm
Wednesday: jumping clear round (out in the lorry)
Thursday: schooling session
Friday: jumping session, or longer hack when lighter nights.
Saturday: 2-3 hour hack, and a bath.
He is 14.2hh, hunting fit, and kept in for 14 hours a night with three haynets. At the moment he's being fed show shine chaff, fast fibre and pony nuts with Mud X supplement.
I would like to keep on with the Mud X but would like to change his hard feed. He is 6, and a dales. Any ideas for his workload?
 
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If he is thriving why make changes ?

If he isn't thriving I would investigate why and then up calories gradually bearing in mind he is a native and they don't need rocket fuel.
 
What aren't you getting from the feed you are currently giving him? Does he need more energy, less energy, more weight, less weight, better coat and hooves? We can't answer the question until we know what is wrong with your current feeding regime!
 
He is generally in a really good condition, but slightly crazy!
My reason for asking was because he is a native and I didn't want him being fed too much! He's clipped and rugged, and has plenty of hay. Which would be the. best feed to keep the weight down and to keep him sane!!
Thank you x
 
bsjastar said:
He is generally in a really good condition, but slightly crazy!
My reason for asking was because he is a native and I didn't want him being fed too much! He's clipped and rugged, and has plenty of hay. Which would be the. best feed to keep the weight down and to keep him sane!!
Thank you x
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If he's porky, then you need to reduce the feed, not necessarily change it. If he's crazy then he probably has too much energy, again - reduce the feed.
 
bsjastar said:
He is generally in a really good condition, but slightly crazy!
My reason for asking was because he is a native and I didn't want him being fed too much! He's clipped and rugged, and has plenty of hay. Which would be the. best feed to keep the weight down and to keep him sane!!
Thank you x
Click to expand...

You are feeding a strange combination, the chaff is full of molasses, then you give fast fibre which is low in starch and sugar, then for some reason give pony nuts. it is not a well thought out diet and if he is being silly I am not surprised.

I would finish the bag of unsuitable chaff and pony nuts and just keep him on the fast fibre, if he requires more energy than he gets from FF or starts to drop weight then give some micronised linseed which will give condition without fizz.

Most natives can live pretty much on fresh air but you are working him fairly hard so he will need something, my only other thought is that he is very young and a heavy breed so I would be very careful about jumping him so much every week, I have a Dales here he has only just finished growing at 8 this year and has only just started jumping, it can take it's toll on their joints especially these chunky types.
 
I have a 14hh pony, who used to have a similar workload to yours (hunting, Pony Club, Riding Club etc) and she kept her condition nicely, despite the workload, on a low calorie balancer and ad lib forage. She is quite a fiesty little thing so doesn't need any additional energy from her feed, and because she has a hearty appetite she could eat enough calories through forage alone.

So I would agree I would try cutting out the chaff and the pony nuts (some brands can be quite high in sugar and starch) and either stick to Fast Fibre or try a low calorie balancer such as Spiller's Lite Balancer, which you can feed on its own or you could use a low starch/sugar chaff with it. If he starts to drop too much weight then you can reassess and add something else.

I do also agree that two jumping sessions as well as hunting once a week might be a bit too much for young legs. Could you swap the Friday jumping session to just polework if you want a change from flatwork?
 
I agree with be positive - feed the fast fibre as a base, then add a handful if grass chaff (readigrass, just grass etc) as it helps to make sure feed isn't eaten too fast, with linseed only if required for extra energy.

Good luck..

Fiona
 
He has the show shine chaff as he looks amazing, loves it and he is the right weight. The pony nuts are soaked and then the nutrients drained away, so it's a bulky feed but not adding any fat. And the fast fibre, as you have all said is a good feed. He isn't overly silly, just very forward and if not ridden most days and jumped a few times a week he is so excited when he jumps again. I forgot to mention he is a dales cross Connemara, therefore my instructor has told me that the jumping twice a week with a couple of walls out hunting is perfectly fine. With one of the jumping sessions already being a pole work session. I've owned horses for years so I understand all your concern for so much jumping for a young chunky pony, but he's a chunky pony cross:)
Thank you all!! Xx ;)
 
bsjastar said:
He has the show shine chaff as he looks amazing, loves it and he is the right weight. The pony nuts are soaked and then the nutrients drained away, so it's a bulky feed but not adding any fat. And the fast fibre, as you have all said is a good feed. He isn't overly silly, just very forward and if not ridden most days and jumped a few times a week he is so excited when he jumps again. I forgot to mention he is a dales cross Connemara, therefore my instructor has told me that the jumping twice a week with a couple of walls out hunting is perfectly fine. With one of the jumping sessions already being a pole work session. I've owned horses for years so I understand all your concern for so much jumping for a young chunky pony, but he's a chunky pony cross:)
Thank you all!! Xx ;)
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So you are happy with what you are feeding, of course he will love the show chaff it is extremely sweet, I have never heard of anyone soaking pony nuts and draining away the nutrients it seems pointless to me, if it even works, there are plenty of ways of adding bulk without "fat" and he needs the vits and mins which you may be washing away.

I am not sure what you wanted, you asked how to change the feed yet have ignored the advice by several very experienced people, as for his breeding you said he was a Dales not a x breed, I still think jumping 3 times a week is a lot but I would not call a flatwork session using poles a jumping session.
 
Thank you everyone , I have took into account what you have all said and now realised the pony nuts is completely pointless however i only asked for advice not to jump at me for asking for advice! My instructor advices me everything I do ridden wise, I only follow that. So thank you.
 
My hunter who is prone to getting a bit lean has Linseed and it has done him the world of good. Its low starch with no added sugar so won't heat and is great for oils and conditioning, I love it. Another thing that helped before I found Linseed was Baileys outshine. I mix with speedi beat and a balancer with adlib hay and it seems to work, so far so good !
 
bsjastar said:
So this is what I do every week from the start of the hunting season to the end:)
Sunday: Hunting
Monday: Day off
Tuesday: Lunge or light hack around the farm
Wednesday: jumping clear round (out in the lorry)
Thursday: schooling session
Friday: jumping session, or longer hack when lighter nights.
Saturday: 2-3 hour hack, and a bath.
He is 14.2hh, hunting fit, and kept in for 14 hours a night with three haynets. At the moment he's being fed show shine chaff, fast fibre and pony nuts with Mud X supplement.
I would like to keep on with the Mud X but would like to change his hard feed. He is 6, and a dales. Any ideas for his workload?
Click to expand...

Hunting on a Sunday?? Really?? Not in the UK, it is against the law, as is shooting live prey on a Sunday
 
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