Feeding help ...

maxapple

maxapple

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I have a 14.1 welsh x arab pony loan.

He lives out 24/7 and currently gets a very small feed of molly chaff and pony nuts once a day (slightly bigger when i've worked him hard)

We have good grass at the moment and he is an almost perfect weight.

I currently ride 5 or 6 times a week for an hour at a time. I usually do local shows once a fortnight so base my schooling around that - we're mainly doing a bit of dressage / jumping. In Sept I'll be starting some hunter trials.

I'd like some thoughts on what to feed in the run up to winter to enure he keeps his weight on and to help give him additioanl 'fuel' for the HT's. He's a fizzy little thing so I need non heating solutions. I was wondering about a feed balancer like blue chip? Or perhaps a feed like Baileys Outshine??
 
If you ring one of the feed helplines with all ned details ie age, height, temperament, weight, work levels etc etc they will be able to draw you up a bespoke diet. Get 2 or 3 and then cut and paste a bit to get a similar diet but for prices that suit your budget.
 
I have the same pony
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14.1hh Welsh x Arab 18 years old, out 24/7 on limited grazing. I do mainly pleasure rides of up to 12 miles once a month and hack out 4/5 times a week for around 2 hours.

Ben gets fed Good Doer ( couple on handfuls), Speedi-beet and Pasture Mix ( 1 scoop) twice a day. He looks really well, and ideal weight, around 400kilos.

You could feed Pasture mix if yours drops weight or condition in the winter, but as you are on good grass I wouldn't change anything yet.
 
Is he going to be living out through the winter or coming in at nights? Assuming he is in the correct condition now, I would keep an eye on his weight (perhaps by using a weigh tape once a week) and if he starts to lose a little then start supplementing his diet with good quality hay or haylage. You may find that with adlib hay or haylage you don't actually need to increase his bucket feed at all - we find this is the case with my daughter's pony (in sig below) who sounds quite similar to yours.

Unless you are feeding near the recommended amount of pony nuts, then he won't be getting the full amount of vit/mins from them, so if that is a concern for you, then you could consider switching to a balancer or using a broad spectrum vit/min supplement.
 
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