feeding advice

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pip_dog

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Hi. New to the forum, but would like some advice. Have just bought a new mare, 12 years old, quite fizzy, but not naughty, just likes to go! We won't be feeding until late October, and have so far come up with this plan with a feed company:

Dengie molasses free
Baileys Meadowsweet
Speedi beet
lo cal balancer

Anybody tried meadowsweet, is it heating at all? I would be slightly underfeeding the mix, and topping up with the balancer.

She has been on a mix previously with her last owner during winter, leisure mix I think.

Any suggestions?
 
I haven't used Meadowsweet but looking at the ingredients it contains both barley and maize which, personally, I wouldn't feed to a fizzy horse!

Does she lose condition in winter? What is her workload going to be?
 
Hoping to get out twice a week. Apparently she is good through winter condition wise. But was stabled before. Will be out with me
 
tbh i'd start with a balancer and a chaff ie your dengie mollasses free/fibre based feed ie fast fibre/calm and condition - and also feed ad lib hay

then only add if you need to.

then it would depend why you need to add - for example - mine (also lives out- good do'er) is on spillers conditioning chaff and spillers balancer - if she's in work she also gets baileys conditioning mix (i use that as its heating and i like her to have extra spark ;)) when in full work (yes she's a good doer but i have no grass at the mo and when i say in full work i mean it - we regularily do 10+ mile hacks - mostly in trot and canter)

but when needing a little extra if out of work then she gets cheap fibre nuts.

i'm afriad its difficult to base a feed now on what a horse might need in the future

ETA - out of interest - why are you not feeding her until october?!
 
I know it's difficult to tell right now. Definately going to feed the chaff and beet and balancer. Will maybe hang fire on the mix...
 
If she usually keeps her condition well over winter and is only going to be ridden twice a week, I think you will be wise to drop the mix and just feed balancer plus chaff/beet.

Will you be able to feed hay/haylage in the field when the grazing deteriorates?
 
pip_dog said:
Yes. Mix of both. Haynet in morning and at night. Grass really does just disappear completely until about march
Click to expand...

That's great - if you do have any trouble with her losing condition then remember to increase the hay/haylage before thinking about adding mix to her hard feed.
 
Mixes r generally around 24% starch. Sugar is rarely pit on the bag but anything with mollases in conatins some sugar. Horses diets should reAlly b below 10% starch and sugar. So personally I'd avoid any mixes and increase fibre. If weight gain.needed use.an.oil based product like Alfa a oil or outshine. If horses is a good doer should reAlly need anything on top of chaff balancer and speedie beat with hay. :-)
 
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