Jenni_
Well-Known Member
I think I need to join Topaz on that bootcamp!
I ponder at the kids at the yard fretting over getting a balancer and hard feed into the ponies, and mines is a big fine ISH on absolute war rations.
Feeding horses designed to live on fresh air - discuss
- Thread starter Auslander
- Start date
I think I need to join Topaz on that bootcamp!
I ponder at the kids at the yard fretting over getting a balancer and hard feed into the ponies, and mines is a big fine ISH on absolute war rations.
Sophire
Well-Known Member
I think it's common now for people to think weight gain = pump full of hard feed. I'm not of the older generation, in fact I'm early 20s, but on getting both of my horses they were underweight and the first thing I did with both was give ad-lib hay. My WB girl did great on just that until the 2nd winter I had her when she was out 24/7 and need a little extra to keep her fully clipped self warm. My TB just isn't a good-doer in my eyes, but I gave her plenty of time on ad-lib forage before making the choice to add hard feed. I know multiple people who just pump horses full of food and yet still feed one measly, not stuffed haynet a night, that the horse has finished by 7pm when they wont be given breakfast until 7am the following morning.
MissMistletoe
Well-Known Member
Nothing to add you've said it all^.
The Spillers lady at Hartpury suggested a balancer for Topaz, despite saying she was the perfect weight with what she is currently being fed. Topaz is the ultimate good do'er and has had no hard feed for approx 2 years, we have relented and given her a tiny amount of linseed, oats and grass nuts to see her through her coat change as her coat wasn't looking too sparkling, but will be back to nothing once on the summer grass.
From fatty:
To fit:
I will never feed processed feeds with all the rubbish and sugar in them again, just hay here unless they're lacking.
Now that is impressive! Lovely transformation, lovely horse.
Annagain
Well-Known Member
Feed companies have a lot to answer for. As AH said their nutritionists always recommend SOMETHING even when horses look the picture of health. I know selling is part of their job but I'd have a lot more faith in them if they tell people not to feed horses who don't. People put faith in these experts but they're just glorified salesmen really.
My two get Saracen Re-Leve, fast fibre and grass chaff (and not much considering they're 2 17hh chunks) during the worst of the winter and M gets some linseed towards the end of winter when he drops a bit of weight. The best way of getting the weight back on him however is grass and as soon as that comes through he's like a different horse.
My riding club organises weigh days twice a year and the reps are all horrified when I tell them my 2 21 year olds eat grass and nothing else in the summer. Every single company has suggested their low calorie balancer for them but they've done pretty well for years without!
My two get Saracen Re-Leve, fast fibre and grass chaff (and not much considering they're 2 17hh chunks) during the worst of the winter and M gets some linseed towards the end of winter when he drops a bit of weight. The best way of getting the weight back on him however is grass and as soon as that comes through he's like a different horse.
My riding club organises weigh days twice a year and the reps are all horrified when I tell them my 2 21 year olds eat grass and nothing else in the summer. Every single company has suggested their low calorie balancer for them but they've done pretty well for years without!
FfionWinnie
Well-Known Member
I totally agree. I feed my natives adlib hay and a mineral lick. None of them are fat. If in hard work they might get additional feed but they certainly don't lack energy.
My Welsh D is in foal, she's wintered out on old hill ground with a mineral lick. She's not fat ribs can be easily felt and perhaps seen at some angles. However she's not due til July and she will be well covered by then just eating grass!
In fact we got a sports pony in November brought up from the S of England to NE Scotland. He's 18 and always been a poor doer. I was giving him bucket feeds but he actually prefers adlib nice haylage and out on grass during the day. He has put on loads of condition over the winter and is looking fabulous.
For some reason people would rather spend a fortune on bagged feed when actually providing adlib forage is 99% of the time going to be money better spent.
My Welsh D is in foal, she's wintered out on old hill ground with a mineral lick. She's not fat ribs can be easily felt and perhaps seen at some angles. However she's not due til July and she will be well covered by then just eating grass!
In fact we got a sports pony in November brought up from the S of England to NE Scotland. He's 18 and always been a poor doer. I was giving him bucket feeds but he actually prefers adlib nice haylage and out on grass during the day. He has put on loads of condition over the winter and is looking fabulous.
For some reason people would rather spend a fortune on bagged feed when actually providing adlib forage is 99% of the time going to be money better spent.
Annagain
Well-Known Member
Yes - towards the end of winter when the grass starts Archie practically tells me to cut down his feed. He'll only eat as much as he wants and starts leaving bits at the end of Feb/beginning of March. As soon as he leaves some I cut it down, a couple of weeks later he'll start leaving it again so I cut it down again. I wish I had his self-restraint! He eats lots of haylage right up until he goes out 24/7 though.
Peregrine Falcon
Looking for the light
Handful of molasses free happy hoof, grass nuts and linseed for my riding mare. The rest get a handful of HH with hay in winter. Horses generally don't work as hard as they used to and should! Fat is a result of over eating and under exercising. Struggling to exercise your pony adequately is poor management.
I have a friend who over feeds constantly. It drives me mad as I am so careful with mine, particularly coming into spring time. My son's 11.2 can just look at grass and balloon.
I have a friend who over feeds constantly. It drives me mad as I am so careful with mine, particularly coming into spring time. My son's 11.2 can just look at grass and balloon.
SEL
Well-Known Member
I've decided that PSSM and 'not worry' can't go in the same sentence! I've tried dirt paddock, short grass and long grass. Right now short grass plus muzzle is ok with some soaked hay.
Christmas Crumpet
Well-Known Member
Sel - you've cheered me right up. Just having another fellow sufferer helps ease the load!! Muzzle going back on tonight and think I'm going to change to a Shires Deluxe comfort one as horse seems a bit too efficient with his dinky muzzle. Then at least i can open up both fields so he gets more exercise. Both are currently grazed by the sheep but had to shut the top one off after the sheep escaped earlier. OH assures me he will finish the fencing...!!!
Amye
Well-Known Member
I completely agree!
I was a newbie horse owner a year and a half ago and the whole feed thing baffled me. When i got my boy, they had only fed him on hay and grass and he looked OK, very under muscled but not thin or anything.
He was very very lazy and I researched to find ways to change this. I came across so many threads that read 'i need some oomph in my horse - what do i feed him?' and it got me thinking that i needed to put him on some high energy feed to get him perked up, but i'm so glad i didnt in the end!
I have put him on a balancer since, because our grass is rubbish and his coat has definitely improved since then. But that's all he's on. Now, he's so much different to ride, all it took was some patience and time to build him up and I have a nice, responsive horse, no extra feed!
I was a newbie horse owner a year and a half ago and the whole feed thing baffled me. When i got my boy, they had only fed him on hay and grass and he looked OK, very under muscled but not thin or anything.
He was very very lazy and I researched to find ways to change this. I came across so many threads that read 'i need some oomph in my horse - what do i feed him?' and it got me thinking that i needed to put him on some high energy feed to get him perked up, but i'm so glad i didnt in the end!
I have put him on a balancer since, because our grass is rubbish and his coat has definitely improved since then. But that's all he's on. Now, he's so much different to ride, all it took was some patience and time to build him up and I have a nice, responsive horse, no extra feed!
Lintel
Well-Known Member
My native boys get fed a bit of bran and half a cup of suregrow only because they are on a lot of hay and the grass we have isn't great- my choice due to them both being susceptible to Laminitis.
I have no idea why people endlessly shovel feeds BUCKET BY BUCKET into there horses. The topspec lady once told me it's entirely psychological for the owners putting endless amounts of poor value chaff and mix into there skinnies when all they really need is one simple feed!
I have no idea why people endlessly shovel feeds BUCKET BY BUCKET into there horses. The topspec lady once told me it's entirely psychological for the owners putting endless amounts of poor value chaff and mix into there skinnies when all they really need is one simple feed!
MagicMelon
Well-Known Member
I dont know, I actually think that few horses realistically have decent grazing and decent forage. For me, I dont have enough grazing so I have to supplement it 24/7 with decent hay. Two out of three of them are slightly chunkier than Id like so one is in a small paddock during the day (so shes off the hay) and neither are rugged, both have a small clip so they are hopefully using their calories to keep warm. They do get hard feed twice a day, for one its because she needs a supplement added to it and the other literally gets a sprinkle. They are fed because my one horse must be fed (he's old and I struggle to keep weight on him), the other two would go nuts if I didnt feed them especially as they live together. So from a practical point of view, its easier. But otherwise I dont mind giving them a tiny bit of hard feed as I feel if its something high in vits & mins then its supplementing their non-decent grazing. Hay doesnt have much vits so I dont want them lacking.
horselady
Well-Known Member
My cob gets grass. She had some fat round her belly and so I stopped giving her hay cobs soaked into a mash and now she's gradually getting it off. Her previous owner gave her oats! She goes nuts if she has oats and won't stay still. She has calmed down so much since she came off the oat based feed!
laura_nash
Well-Known Member
On the one hand, I do agree with you about shovelling in the hard feed. I used to get loads of stick for not feeding my cob enough when I had him on a primarily showing / dressage yard. He just got a handful of chaff so he had something when the others were fed and I was always getting told how mean I was despite the fact he was nicknamed "fat boy" when I got him as he was so obese.
On the other hand, both mine (who are the epitome of "live on fresh air") have improved health-wise, particularly their coat and hooves, since going onto a ForagePlus mineral mix based on grazing analysis (fed in a small amount of fast fibre). The most dramatic improvement was in my rescue pony, who was suspected of sweet itch when rescued because his coat was so poor, and is now glossy, shiny and a much darker colour. I have also found a bit of linseed in winter keeps them mud-fever free, and like to give them the odd tonic (e.g. a period on Global Herbs Restore after worming). I do stop feeding altogether if they are overweight (like now), but I think there is an argument for feeding a bit of feed and some supplements.
On the other hand, both mine (who are the epitome of "live on fresh air") have improved health-wise, particularly their coat and hooves, since going onto a ForagePlus mineral mix based on grazing analysis (fed in a small amount of fast fibre). The most dramatic improvement was in my rescue pony, who was suspected of sweet itch when rescued because his coat was so poor, and is now glossy, shiny and a much darker colour. I have also found a bit of linseed in winter keeps them mud-fever free, and like to give them the odd tonic (e.g. a period on Global Herbs Restore after worming). I do stop feeding altogether if they are overweight (like now), but I think there is an argument for feeding a bit of feed and some supplements.
Leo Walker
Well-Known Member
To clarify, by balancer I meant Progressive Earth/Forage Plus powder etc. I notice a dramatic and marked deterioration in my horses feet when I dont use it. I dont give good doers pelleted balancer, mainly due to the iron content
rara007
Well-Known Member
Horses for courses. Here's one of my natives- currently on two feeds a day (blue chip 'normal', alfalfa oil chaff, linseed, conditioning nuts and apple chaff to persuade him to actually eat any of it). I've had the occasional mumble that standing he looks fat (only on here never RL!) but he's always going to be rounder than a blood horse, it's the fat pads within the joints I'm aiming to get back and evidence proves this is now well managed. He's 100% sound over stones unshod too so no hidden low grade lami here.
The rest of the yard ( a cob, and about 6 other ponies in work from retired- medium) are on just grass and then a bit of chaff and lo-cal when they are away competing or to go with byte. I have personally been responsible for getting a 'round' horse in hard work so low on minerals we got coat change colours, it's not a myth that even when a native is rounded, if it's working hard and well muscled without much fat it could still be deficient!
The rest of the yard ( a cob, and about 6 other ponies in work from retired- medium) are on just grass and then a bit of chaff and lo-cal when they are away competing or to go with byte. I have personally been responsible for getting a 'round' horse in hard work so low on minerals we got coat change colours, it's not a myth that even when a native is rounded, if it's working hard and well muscled without much fat it could still be deficient!