Feeding advice - weight loss

[dainewell]

I have a connemara mare, usually a good doer. She is about 10 and is fed blue chip dynamic, hi-fi and a course mix & sugabeet because she isnt in full work at the moment.
Our fields arent great at the moment and she has dropped alot of weight, in the past she has trimmed down for winter but never this much.
She is on ad lib hay when she is in but maybe she is spending too much time out on a bald field? Im not a fan of keeping her stabled for long amounts of time but she will stay in for days at a time without a fuss.

 

[sarahrees]

D&H Barley rings work for my retired mare
She had to stay in the vets for a week before winter set in and lost loads of weight but shes putting it on nicley now
xx

 

[_Libby_]

can you put hay into the field?

If not i'd try two feeds a day one morning one night,
my poor doer is on speedi beet, alpha a, build up and soya oil.

 

[TGM]

I'd swap the Hi Fi for Alfa A Oil and/or feed a conditioning cube instead of the coarse mix.

 

[dainewell]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm wary of feeding to much cereals etc and risking winter colic as she can be quite sensitive. Also she will balloon as the new grass comes through in spring so I dont want too much condition on her now. Maybe a high fibre diet is the way to go?

 

[Daisychain]

Ad lib haylage, should help, it is much better than hay for keeping condition on.

 

[helencharlie]

I would add vegetable oil and try mollichaff barley plus. Great for weight gain and slow release energy

 

[BlueCharlie]

agree with TGM change HIFi for Alpha A oil, there is nothing in HIFI to help with weight. \My exracer lives on purely Alpha a oil and vit supplement and he looks fab

Good luck