Feeding help?? Feed my horse!!

[Stinkbomb]

I need some advice on my mini Inky. He is a 3 yr old stallion ( very calm ) He is shown and is free lunged 4 -5 times a week for around 20 mins. He is out 24/7. The grass is minimal but IMO enough so that i dont need to supplement with hay. Around april time he was getting a handful of alfa a oil, speedibeet and a small scoop of stud mix twice a day and about 1/2 slice of hay at night. He looked really well. Around early may he appeared to be putting on weight so i removed the stud mix and stopped the hay. I added outshine for coat shine but only 100g a day. However he now seems to have gone a funny shape!! He is getting a large belly but i can still feel his ribs so i dont think he's getting fat. ( he has been wormed and teeth have been done )

SO thinking he looked best on the mix ( and maybe needed more protein ) i changed and fed just stud mix and speedibeet. His "figure" still hasnt improved.

Here are some pics..

May time when he looked his best..

Recently, more belly but you can see his ribs ( just where the sun catches his body )

My grazing. Please remember he is only 32" tall and weighs just 100kg. The grass does "fluff" up more after a shower of rain. This pic was taken after a very dry spell!

Minis are not like ponies like welshies and are shown quite lean ( not thin i might add )

I need a feed that will reduce the belly, keep the topline and the energy.

Any ideas????? Would you also feed hay??

 

[merlinsquest]

Sorry, no help at all, but he is lovely in both

I cant see a vast difference other than he looks a bit more hollow at the back of the ribcage on the second pic.

 

[PucciNPoni]

I can't really help on feeding a mini - I used to feed one in the States, but that was nearly 20 years ago and things have certainly moved on since then. But I wanted to just say that I think he's lush - everything from his color to his very lovely stance.

 

[the watcher]

I would be inclined to stick with the current feeding regime, but increase or change the workload with exercises to encourage him to lift his stomach muscles - you can try asking him to back up and then just asking him to hold that position before he steps off - done often it is a great stomach lifter and top line improver

 

[Jericho]

Havent got a lot of advice regarding minis but my 11hh welsh A went a very funny shape - fat bum, huge belly but ribs showing. Admittedly she has had 4 or 5 foals so the big belly can partly be explained by that - LOL but anyhow..... I changed her feed from Happy Hoof and general vit and min supplement to just the recommeded amount of Top Spec Anti lam. It has made a big difference as she looks much better and that it is the only change I made to her management. She is on similar grazing to yours and I have to be very careful with laminitis but I think the Top spec has specific ingredients to help ponies digest their food more effectively and deal with the 'toxins' in grass that cause lami. I rang their help line and told them about funny shape and they said this would help and it has.

It is expensive but lasts ages (and will even more for your gorgeous little man!)
Anyway thats my tuppence worth....