feeding new 2yr old

vixiem

vixiem

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hi i was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for feeding my 2yr old welsh sec D colt ive just bought?
He is about 13.2 ok weight at the moment. hes in not on any grass but getting 2 small haynets of good quality haylage a day.

thanks!!!
 
My two year old has a scoop of Hi-fi molasses free with his supplements in in the morning, is turned out all day (not much grass so ad-lib hay put out) then has more Hi-fi + supps in the evening and two massive haynets (he never runs out) for over night.

The older horses have pretty much the same.
 
2 small haynets of haylage isn't enough, well to me anyway.

Cut the haylage to ad-lib hay and just get him a general youngstock mix with a mineral lick/all round vit supplement.
 
High fibre low starch and sugar high oil and protein would be the way to go
so alfa oil as a base with either a good balancer like topspec or linseed and a broad spectrum mineral and vitamin supplement
Ad lib hay until the grass comes through avoid cereals at all cost
 
When my then rising 2 to arrived last year she had Alfa oil, speedibeet, and feedmark balancer. I always try to keep it as simple as I can, unless the horse needs anything different - so she's now 12 months on, still having the same.

As lib hay is a must for me too
 
I think as a native he needs nothing but hay and a decent chop to get his supplements in. I can't believe how much feed a lot of people recommend! My rising 3 17.2 ISH gets ad lib haylage (home made, very dry and off old pasture) with Baileys light chaff and his equivite and cortaflex (He has had a hock op).
Its quite normal for them to look a bit poor coming out of winter and then when the grass comes through you don't need to panic about getting overweight.
 
Just keep him chewing away on hay/haylage, don't let him get fat especially at this time of year, with spring round the corner and lush grass on it's way he'll be a miserable sod if he has to be in starvation!

Lay off the concentrates completely.
 
AdorableAlice said:
Native ponies and conditioning feeds are potentially an explosive mix in more ways than one.
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i dont need him exploding just yet!! bless even if he is only dinky compared to my big sec D mare!!

i think ill up his haylage and get him a broad spectrum supplement and just pop that in with some hifi and carrots.
 
I was in this position with my 2 yr old Cob who is putting on so much bone/joints/height it's unreal, he's a good doer so didn't want him to have any food as such, but being a vet nurse, everything was telling me to make sure he's getting the correct nutrition for his joints ( he's going to be 16hh + and heavy) Anyway after lots of talks with nutritionists we decided to put him on Suregrow, it's fab I feed him 1 kg a day and mix it with chaff to slow him down, it's isn't heating and hasn't made him fat, infact he's been on that and adlib hay all winter with turnout all day and he's fairly slim :-) Because a horse is fat doesn't mean it has the right balance of nutrients etc, you see so many horses with problems with their joints at such a young age, I don't think it hurts to support them when they are growing rapidly X
 
i did have a quick read up on the suregrow. how much do u pay a bag if you dont mind me asking, i presume i wouldnt need to feed as much as you hes only little at mo! bless x
 
vixiem said:
i did have a quick read up on the suregrow. how much do u pay a bag if you dont mind me asking, i presume i wouldnt need to feed as much as you hes only little at mo! bless x
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Think it's about £15 for 20kg....... you feed 200g per 100kg body weight, so Freds is about 500kg so 1000g grams (1kg) so I get 20 days for my big boy...... so not really expensive as you feed small amounts x
 
i have my 2 year old on hi-fi molasses free and spillers youngstock mix.... (love spillers mix)! she looks fab!

i prefer them leaner than fat tbh...she is rather porky compared to when i got her but shes utterly hooting up - her butt is massive!!! :D
 
vixiem said:
i did have a quick read up on the suregrow. how much do u pay a bag if you dont mind me asking, i presume i wouldnt need to feed as much as you hes only little at mo! bless x
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You are totally ignoring the advice of very knowledgeable forum users. A youngster of this type does NOT need any supplementary feeding.

Seriously, pump it full of D&H build up or stud mixes and you'll be sorry when it has OCD and other developmental diseases!

Give ad lib hay and leave a mineral block in the stable/field. Simples.
 
Toast said:
You are totally ignoring the advice of very knowledgeable forum users. A youngster of this type does NOT need any supplementary feeding.

Seriously, pump it full of D&H build up or stud mixes and you'll be sorry when it has OCD and other developmental diseases!

Give ad lib hay and leave a mineral block in the stable/field. Simples.
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I got my advice from a 2 independent vets who also seeked advice from a nutritionist who didn't work for D & H ...... I would rather listen to them then knowledgeable forum users, but I am sure the OP will decide to take advice from everyone, seriously be careful before you spout off and are so adament with your opinion
 
im not ignoring peoples advice, i was just reading up on other options aswell and was asking for information off a person who had used it. suregrow is balanced with all vits and mins he needs while he growing. how can i ensure hes getting all that from just haylage and a mineral lick? theres seems to be 2 trains of thought on this. x
 
i know people say about listening to "real" people but nothing wrong with asking everyong - forum or outside and forming their own opinion :)

if i need advice (Regularly)!! then id ask here too and decide my own opinion from others :)

ive never had a 2 year old (or yearling when i got her) before....so everything i read i learn from it - good and bad!

just a thought :)
 
You can ensure he is getting everything he needs from a vit/min lick as that is what they designed for. A horse at his age needs nothing more than vits/mins and forage.
I have fed suregrow to my two youngsters in the past, though they were both lean tb types. Balancers have fillers in and i would certainly not be giving it to a cob type at all. There is absolutely no need. As long as they have a constant supply of forage going through the gut, and access to a lick, there is nothing else you need to do! Why pay more money when you can do just as well by him without paying £13 for a bag of feed?
 
vixiem said:
im not ignoring peoples advice, i was just reading up on other options aswell and was asking for information off a person who had used it. suregrow is balanced with all vits and mins he needs while he growing. how can i ensure hes getting all that from just haylage and a mineral lick? theres seems to be 2 trains of thought on this. x
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You're right, I was so worried as I didn't want to feed my boy at all! But it was pointed out to me a good doer isn't necessarily balanced, just feeding hay doesn't cut the mustard, my boy has such a small amount of feed and has lost weight over the entire winter to the point he looks like he could do with some hay in the field by day, I can't abide fat horses, and I certainly do not stuff him full of hard feed.
 
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I feed my rising 2 year old Alfa A Oil and Spillers 'gro n win' balancer. I have had her since she was a weanling when the balancer and chaff was introduced. She looks fab on it, did very well successfully in hand last year (she looks fit not fat like some show ponies!) and I don't feel I will be changing her feed for the next year or so. She also gets turned out through the day and in at night where she munches on 2 hayledge nets!
Find out what works for your youngster, mines would not survive on 24/7turnout or no hard feed which is why I don't do it just work out what's best!
 
noodle_ said:
i know people say about listening to "real" people but nothing wrong with asking everyong - forum or outside and forming their own opinion :)

if i need advice (Regularly)!! then id ask here too and decide my own opinion from others :)

ive never had a 2 year old (or yearling when i got her) before....so everything i read i learn from it - good and bad!

just a thought :)
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Quite right, I ask loads for loads of advice on here and I take it all into consideration, I wouldn't discount anyone's views and certainly don't think it's appropriate for people to be scathing
 
A lot of the time it depends on the horse, finer types who don't do so well on just haylage may need that bit extra. But Welsh types are designed to survive on poor pasture. I'm not saying this is what you should feed, i'm just saying that you can have adverse effects by overloading a system that isn't designed to take it, a lot of people forget that when it comes to different types. Especially natives.
 
Toast said:
A lot of the time it depends on the horse, finer types who don't do so well on just haylage may need that bit extra. But Welsh types are designed to survive on poor pasture. I'm not saying this is what you should feed, i'm just saying that you can have adverse effects by overloading a system that isn't designed to take it, a lot of people forget that when it comes to different types. Especially natives.
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You are right, but my cob baby is turned out for 10 hours a day every day on winter grass, that now resembles a mud pit, he has adlib hay overnight and his feed, he is growing so rapidly he doesn't resemble a barrel he's growing non stop, hell when hes a grown up, he will probably be on rationed hay and never see hard feed again, I just think it's important to support the joints, we don't keep horses naturally on a variety of weeds/flowers/grasses like they would on the moors and mountains, we stick them in a field that is often overgrazed and bare in the winter
 
What im saying is that its so easy to overload joints. I looked at the OP's thread that showed her new 2yo and IMO, i wouldnt like to see any more weight on him at that age. Therefore, i wouldn't feed any more than ad lib HAY not haylage, and give access to a mineral/vitamin lick.
Horses are very good at knowing when they are deficient, if he needs the lick, he will use it!
A lot of vitamins/minerals are water soluble, therefore what you put in half the time will just come out the other end anyway. Waste of money on a horse that doesn't need it if you ask me.

While i respect your opinion and your horses requirements, i am advising that OP doesn't give her horse any supplementary feed as he is already so mature looking that it may well do more harm than good.
 
Toast said:
What im saying is that its so easy to overload joints. I looked at the OP's thread that showed her new 2yo and IMO, i wouldnt like to see any more weight on him at that age. Therefore, i wouldn't feed any more than ad lib HAY not haylage, and give access to a mineral/vitamin lick.
Horses are very good at knowing when they are deficient, if he needs the lick, he will use it!
A lot of vitamins/minerals are water soluble, therefore what you put in half the time will just come out the other end anyway. Waste of money on a horse that doesn't need it if you ask me.

While i respect your opinion and your horses requirements, i am advising that OP doesn't give her horse any supplementary feed as he is already so mature looking that it may well do more harm than good.
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I agree with you! I also haven't looked at the OP's photos! My lad was eating drinking mud before he went on his feed .....
 
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