Feeding horses who are out 24/7

[Chukkas]

I'm curious to know what people are feeding their horses/ponies that are out 24/7 now the grass has stopped growing?

 

[catwithclaws]

Just hay

 

[HaffiesRock]

My ponies get a small bale of hay between them every day. They are only in a small private paddock so very limited grass, even in summer. Feed wise, they both get non molassed sugar beet and micronised linseed and my Haffy gets a scoop of barley too as he doesn't hold his weight too well. I personally prefer fibre as a feed, but the barley is working well and he is feeling great.

 

[TheMule]

Blimey, grass is growing like Spring time here- wet, warm and sunny day times. It's going crazy!
Mine won't see any hard feed and hay until after Xmas

 

[lurcherlu]

She has a haynet each day wheni bring in to ride , eats that and is on one feed a day ATM of fast fibre , healthy tum chaff , linseed and barley

 

[windand rain]

grass nuts, grass chaff and vitamins to basically the dying grass is substituted by more grass

 

[ihatework]

Urm, grass! There is still plenty of it here and horse too porky anyway. Plus a tiny amount of fast fibre to disguise drugs, he wouldn't get that if he didn't need medication.

 

[pennyturner]

They'll be eating what's left of the grass, nettles, thistles and weeds until well after Christmas. Some years they go right through on foggage, except the odd day when there's snow on the ground.

***praying for a cold, dry winter***

 

[Auslander]

Mine have shedloads of grass, and a handful of Veteran Vitality just to get joint supplements/antibiotics down them

 

[khalswitz]

Still grass here too!!

Mine has been fed all through the summer (hard keeping TB in reasonable work) but hasn't been hugely upped in feed yet - just started adding a small amount of rice bran and solution mash to get his tummy used to it for when he needs more.

 

[ladyt25]

We have too much grass! So much that for the first time at this time of year we have had to section ours off in to a smaller paddock so they don't eat too much and explode!!

 

[Copperpot]

I have loads of grass. They are still in restricted paddocks.

 

[CBFan]

Where in the world is this grass that has stopped growing???! Mine is on grass and a mug of micronized linseed with about the same amount of soaked grass nuts with his supplements per day. he is a 17.2hh Cleveland bay and is fat as... despite being muzzled during the day since going on to longer (previously munched down by sheep so mainly rough and stalky) grass. I am hoping I can persuade his field companion's owner not to feed hay - certainly until they have munched through the grass (which will be Christmas at least at this rate)...

 

[JJS]

Mine are on the same rations as they have been throughout the summer: a heaped Stubbs scoop of Healthy Hooves and 2 mugfuls of Fast Fibre for the Conn/TB; and a fistful of HH and a sprinkling of FF as a token feed for the Welsh x.

 

[cobgoblin]

We still have tons of grass and it hasn't stopped growing yet. Never had so much at this time of year.
I'm looking at a wall of big bale Haylage in the yard and wondering if I've overdone it a bit.

 

[w1bbler]

Another here that's still strip grazing. Conny is still muzzled whenever fence is moved so she can't gorge.
Grass should last til.after Xmas unless we get lots of snow/frost

 

[Nudibranch]

Grass, which is still growing even up here. Two horses on 9 acre winter field= three small bales fed last winter!
They have token nuts for feeding balancer year round though.

 

[Annagain]

Still plenty of grass - and more growing - with us. They're still on the hay fields at the moment and will be for about another month. They then go to another field - which is currently growing like mad - to eat it down for a week or so until the ponies can go on it safely before going to their winter field. They won't get any hay until they start coming in overnight, ususally mid-end November.
They get a token handful of Happy Hoof at the moment - just so that they come when I call them as they're on 24 acres spread over 6 fields and it can take me 20 minutes to find them, especially if it's getting dark.

 

[Goldenstar]

One in light work is just getting a token feed to get his minerals into him the other going to the hounds two or three days a week is getting a small feed twice daily and some chopped grass when he's in the stable ( he come in to be groomed before work ) .
No hay or haylege we have loads of grass .

 

[Happy Hunter]

I'm on 'colic watch' as there is so much grass!!
Honestly OP - your question is a bit like how long is a piece of string.

No mention of horse age, breeding, workload, clipped or not, rugged or not, are they coming in to stables for the winter, or are you leaving out 24/7 for foreseeable future, current diet, current weight etc...

 

[SaffronWelshDragon]

Saf and Rosie Shetland are still on the restricted section (still about 1.5 acres), Misty and Penny the oldies are on some very long grass on about 3 acres. Penny (in her thirties) is also now getting 2kg of soaked LucieNuts and unmolassed sugarbeet split into two feeds now as poor teeth. This will increased as we go into winter.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

Mine get grass chaff, low energy nuts and a vitamin powder all year round.

 

[_HP_]

I just up the hay when the grass is gone. Feed is always the same... Handful of either fast fibre/grass pellets or speedi beet to carry their mineral supplement.

 

[sarahann1]

Still loads of grass here! They get add-lib hay or haylage once it's been eaten down then chaff and speedibeet.

 

[Ibblebibble]

still got loads of grass here too! when it has gone they won't be out 24/7 so will be getting hay and a feed of fast fibre, balancer and sugarbeet.

 

[staffylover]

grass growing furiously still! Nutmeg is in her grazing muzzle for 2/3 of the day, to stop her exploding! She has 1/2 scoop Pure Balance and chaff daily, as she has done through the summer, and probably will through the winter. The horses out 24/7 get ad lib hay when needed, not until Christmas at this rate

 

[debsandpets]

My boys are currently in knee height grass - I hopefully won't need to feed anything for a good couple of months still ............. (Fingers crossed)

 

[SO1]

grass and blue chip lami lite balancer, still have too much grass so ponies are in still in the diet field until the horses have eaten down the grass in the winter field.

 

[irishdraft]

I have so much grass which is still growing I have had to top a couple of winter fields otherwise cob & pony will explode, still on restricted grazing even my own which are worked most days but I do feed them baileys lo cal balancer for vitamins etc no hay needed unless we get snow