Feeding grass nuts to a TB?

[Mince Pie]

Think ahead for the winter I am wondering what to feed my TB, I am thinking about feeding her calm and condition, barley, grass nuts and lo-cal does this sound OK

My issue is that I am also feeding a native so need to find some feeds that I can feed in larger quantities to keep weight on the TB and smaller quantities for the pony (although I would have thought C&C would do the trick?)!

 

[bj666]

Hi , I have TB's and a Quarter Horse and a Heinz 59 , all are go doers except for my TB gelding ( he's recovering from a fractured pelvis so he worries the weight off ... typical male .... his injury is at least fatal !!!! Any mare would just get over it ! ) so I have to feed him up and feed the others a less fattening feed . I feed SHREDDED sugarbeet and Dengie Hi-Fi . The wimpy gelding gets loads of sugarbeet ( a Stubbs feedbucket 2/3rds full )and the Hi-Fi and the others get sloppy sugarbeet and Hi-Fi . Its just getting the ratio right between the Sugarbeet and Hi-Fi . I feed the shredded SB as it keeps them satisfied for longer and they get more of the vits and mins out of it as it stays in their digestive system longer . They all come out of the Winter .... I think the term is " well rounded " !LOL ! Shredded sugarbeet and Hi-Fi is a cheap feed rather than mixes etc etc . Just remember to soak the SB for 24hours and make it sloppy . I get Readigrass rather than the grass nuts as its still a fiber so again they get alot out of it , the grassnuts tend to go to mush so it goes through their system too quick so no full contented feeling.

 

[Mince Pie]

That's interesting, so you only feed sugarbeet and chaff? She would be getting 2 large nets overnight with haylage and 2 meals a day. How many scoops does your TB get per meal of each? 1 of each?

 

[bj666]

The wimpy gelding gets a stubbs feed bucket , 2 big scoops of Hi-Fi and about half of his stubbs feedbucket full of sb twice a day . The rest get 1 big scoop of Hi-Fi and sloppy sb . The Readigrass is really just a "garnish" so half a scoop of this each feed for each as there isnt much feed goodness . And like I say they are blooming ! They also get haylage at night , the 2 TB's get a big net each and the QH and the Heinz get a smaller net . I keep it simple and as natural as I can , their digestive system isnt built for loads of cereals , its built for grass/ fiber so you wont go far wrong with this , also its not fizzy feed , you can always fizz them up with extras . Cereals give them a buzz but only about 30-45mins after its fed and then like us once the sugar has gone you come down ( you know you feel great after chocolate but then low once its worn off , wereas you feel satisfied all day after Sunday roast ( and fall asleep in front of the telly !!!)) . Worth trying , like I say its the cheapest Ive found and it works and most important I have happy healthy satisfied horses .
Oh yes I found Mollichop too expensive and too sugary , Dengie Hi-Fi and Trident Shredded Sugarbeet spot on. Ive fed my TB's ,competition horses ... infact everything and not one has had a problem with work or weight.

 

[Mince Pie]

Ah ok there is no way she'd look at a meal that big!

 

[Dizzle]

My (previously a hat rack) tb came though winter on nothing more than ready grass (or graze on, basically dried grass used like chaff), pony nuts and when the going got tough, a little extra added sunflower oil.

It was his best winter to date and the cheapest feedwise! I think he costs me £15 a month on a bad month!

ETA: Even in deepest winter it was one scoop of grass with half a scoop of nuts, twice a day.

 

[bj666]

Ah ok there is no way she'd look at a meal that big!

Oh yes I know its a lot for the wimpy gelding but he is recovering from fractured pelvis so he has alot of body mass to make up , the feed that everyone else gets would be a start ! Like I say its a case of tweeking ratios until you find whats right for your horse.