Purplerain123
Member
Hello,
I am after some feeding advice please.
I have a 17yr old IDxTB who i have owned for a year now, came to me for quieter life after a hard hunting life. We spent the last year hacking and fun rides etc.
Over winter he was fed on ad lib hay (winter field pretty muddy, hardly any grass) with a scoop of Allen and Page Veteran Vitality food with his joint supplement which seemed to work well for him.
Two things are about to change. 1. I am just about to go on maternity so he is about to have a few months off work and will be turned out 24/7. I have a few friends who may ride him but not often enough to say he's in work.
2. He has recently been moved from winter grazing to a new paddock. This did have a bit of grass in, but already eaten off between three horses and not the best quality. The first few weeks we stopped hay and hard feed as there was enough spring grass. But this field is now a bit sparse. I am aware though that its spring grass shoots that are coming through. In the evening he's back at the gate asking for food, where as he wasn't for a while. I often taken him out to graze on hedgerows in the evenings for 10 mins. We are moving him on again to another field but same issue, not very much grass and poor quality. (I dont get much of a say which field he is on, they seem to move horses around the fields but don't seem to rest the fields in-between)
I am now not sure what to do about feeding him. I am worried the grass alone is not enough to keep him happy and fed. But don't want to over feed if its spring grass coming through and he's a rest.
My maternity wage isn't brilliant either so any where I can save is ideal.
What is the best thing to do.
Thanks in advance.
I am after some feeding advice please.
I have a 17yr old IDxTB who i have owned for a year now, came to me for quieter life after a hard hunting life. We spent the last year hacking and fun rides etc.
Over winter he was fed on ad lib hay (winter field pretty muddy, hardly any grass) with a scoop of Allen and Page Veteran Vitality food with his joint supplement which seemed to work well for him.
Two things are about to change. 1. I am just about to go on maternity so he is about to have a few months off work and will be turned out 24/7. I have a few friends who may ride him but not often enough to say he's in work.
2. He has recently been moved from winter grazing to a new paddock. This did have a bit of grass in, but already eaten off between three horses and not the best quality. The first few weeks we stopped hay and hard feed as there was enough spring grass. But this field is now a bit sparse. I am aware though that its spring grass shoots that are coming through. In the evening he's back at the gate asking for food, where as he wasn't for a while. I often taken him out to graze on hedgerows in the evenings for 10 mins. We are moving him on again to another field but same issue, not very much grass and poor quality. (I dont get much of a say which field he is on, they seem to move horses around the fields but don't seem to rest the fields in-between)
I am now not sure what to do about feeding him. I am worried the grass alone is not enough to keep him happy and fed. But don't want to over feed if its spring grass coming through and he's a rest.
My maternity wage isn't brilliant either so any where I can save is ideal.
What is the best thing to do.
Thanks in advance.
