Feeding an Irish cob living out

[madmav]

What would you be feeding this horse? I ask this on behalf of a friend who rides another person's horse - stay with me! He is six, 15.3, rugged, lives out, gets some hay and from what I understand a bit of chaff and some nuts. He is not clipped as yet, worked two or three times a week, hacking, bit of schooling. She is worried he is not getting enough to eat. Owner a novice. Rider back after years away, so unsure what is best. Appreciate any useful advice to pass on.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

If he's a good weight and a good doer then he shouldn't need much more than what it looks like he is getting. My good doer coblet was getting hay and a balancer during the past few winters and she was fully clipped but rugged up she got oats and chaff and beetpulp if she dropped or was going to a comp but most of the time just upping her hay ration kept her looking good.

 

[madmav]

Thank you Christmas Kia. A great name, too! Will pass that info on.

 

[hairycob]

I have 2 cobs living out (15.1 & 14.2), irish clip & just a rain sheet. Work about 4 times per week. They get hay now the grass has been eaten down along with a mugful of sugar beet to put a balancer in. Mine don't need any more.
Unless he is dropping weight quickly I would tell your friend not to worry - can you teach her condition scoring? I expect to go up a girth hole or 2 over winter so they go into the spring slightly lighter - mine will go into winter about a condition score 3 & drop to 2.5ish over winter. Usually with cobs the time to worry about weight is spring/summer & it's about limiting calorie intake rather than increasing it but there are always exceptions.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

I've got two: Welsh D mare & traddie cob boy. Traddie clipped out fully, mare chaser clip, both rugged.

They've got approx 7 acres, and at the mo are out 24/7. Their "routine" is basically that if they come up to the gate (we live on site) they are fed, in which case they'll have some Dengie Hi Fi Lite (double handful) mixed in with some dampened Fast Fibre (one cupful) and a little Cool Mix chucked in. Supplements added are occasionally Cider Vinegar and Brewers Yeast, plus some Linseed Oil.

Normally, they'll "ask" for their feed twice daily at the gate, in which case they get. If they don't come to the gate, they don't get fed - simples! Their decision. They've got PLENTY of grass, so no hay. Both good doers especially traddie cob.

They are positively thriving at the moment on this regime. Don't know how much grazing/acreage, or grass quality of your friend's cob? There are two simple rules with cobs IME: (1) don't over-rug and (2) don't over-feed. If your friend's cob is being used a little she may consider say a half or trace clip? The problem with cobs with heavy coats is that if you even mention the word "work" to them, they'll just sweat up and then you've got the dilemma of what to do with them as its getting dimpsy and they're dripping with sweat; a trace clip and THEN rugged appropriately just might be a viable solution.

 

[FestiveFuzz]

I have a 15.1hh (& still growing!) 7yo Irish cob who lives out. He's currently in a MW as he's got a trace clip. Over the holidays he's been worked daily but usually he's worked 3 times a week (goes back up to 5 times once it's light again after work).

He's fed a token feed of chaff and nuts and gets haylage, he doesn't really need anything else as he's a good doer and still has a good covering.

 

[JLD]

my 13.2 cob type has actually ballooned this week as i added in morning hay as well as night hay as I thought there wasnt enough grass. - clearly there is ! he gets a handfull of chaff with multivit and nothing else. unclipped unrugged unless raining when rainsheet , very light work.

 

[AdorableAlice]

The easiest way to feed horses wintering out is to drop a big bale in a feeder in the field. They can fill their bellies at will and should be fine. My two irish cobs, a youngster and a mature mare look well on the haylage and as yet are not being bucket fed. Grass gone now.

 

[starry23]

Nothing! (if the cob is anything like my Irish cob!)

Mine is out in a field by day and stabled at night. She gets a huge haynet soaked if the temperature allows (trickle net to slow her down and also means I don't need to feed so much to make it last the night). She only gets a (small) handful of feed balancer and chaff to put pink powder and turmeric in as she has had a dodgy gut since she has surgery/various courses of antibiotics and I worry about her joints (she got an infection in a joint and has ligament damage). She isn't clipped, rugged or worked (as not able to) but she is holding her weight nicely just now and hopefully should drop the extra 40kg I want off her in the next few months as it gets colder. If she didn't need the pink powder (it has helped so much!) she wouldn't be getting a bucket feed at all.

By the sounds of things this horse isn't getting much and to be honest, if it was mine, I'd probably be feeding it less than what he's getting but my horse is a good doer in the extreme! You have to judge each horse individually. What is his weight like and how does he condition score? If they don't know it'd be worth doing both and if he is putting on weight then reduce the food and increase the exercise or if the horse is losing weight then you can feed a bit extra. For example my Irish cob is 14.2hh 482kg on the weight tape and condition score 3/3.5 out of 5 right now. Which is ok coming into the colder weather we get Jan-March time. As she is a good doer I want her to be about 440kg on the weight tape and a condition score of 2.5 coming into spring.

ETA (we also have good grass but even if it was poor I think that I wouldn't start feeding hay in the field until the snow comes and the grass is covered but then my horse puts on weight just looking at the grass luckily I don't think we'll need to do that this year as our grazing is a bit too good!)

 

[Brightbay]

What would you be feeding this horse? I ask this on behalf of a friend who rides another person's horse - stay with me! He is six, 15.3, rugged, lives out, gets some hay and from what I understand a bit of chaff and some nuts. He is not clipped as yet, worked two or three times a week, hacking, bit of schooling. She is worried he is not getting enough to eat. Owner a novice. Rider back after years away, so unsure what is best. Appreciate any useful advice to pass on.

That's pretty much exactly my horse's life He goes out about 4 times a week at this time of year, isn't clipped, wears a no-fill rug if it rains, otherwise naked. Gets a scoop of timothy hay chop and about 400g of fibre nuts, plus a scoop linseed and some vitamins/minerals once a day. Lives out in a big field, but grass isn't great just now, so gets hay delivered morning and evening, probably enough to last about an hour.

He thrives on that, comes into spring looking good - although that's always my biggest worry, spotting when the grass has started to grow and his waistline is changing!

He's not a cob - he's a big hairy 17hh ISH, but he's your classic good do-er, so is treated accordingly. The one thing I do try to add at this time of year is some Vitamin E, as there's none in the grass or the hay during the winter.

 

[Micky]

When mine lived out, he got hay morning and evening in winter plus hi fi chop with spillers lite balancer, he was only hacked or schooled x4 a week and was a very good doer! Suited him and he lost a bit ready for the spring grass, perfect

 

[madmav]

Thank you so much for the replies. A lot of useful information which I will pass on. Irish cobs seem to do well on very little. And as I'm half Irish, that could explain why I'm a good doer, too! If I'm not careful, it all lands on my tum.
Just one last question, though, and apologies for the ignorance, but how do you do a condition score? I will go off and Google it. Happy New Year to you.

 

[Micky]

Google yes, informative stuff online but you could also ask your vet next time they come out to your irish Happy New Year

 

[starry23]

Definitely worth chatting to a vet about how to condition score but I find this guide quite helpful http://www.bluecross.org.uk/files/fat-horse-slim.pdf (page 9 gives a good guide to condition scoring and the couple of pages before it gives some more info)

 

[Micky]

http://www.thehorse.com/videos/3035...&utm_medium=nutrition&utm_campaign=12-30-2013

try this link for your body scoring