Feeding question, cos I'm a bit thick!

[smokey]

My mare is living out this winter, unrugged as yet. Her weight is fine, and she has a good thick coat. At the moment she is being fed good quality hay and haylage, haven't weighed it, but I struggle to carry it! . I am just starting to feed her hi-if and sugar beet, on advise from a friend whose opinion I value. As both these feeds are fibre can I feed in large amounts, ie larger than a feed of mix? I was thinking of giving her a large bucket of this, 2 or 3 scoops of each, but worry that it will be too much. I know, I am really thick. My. Thinking is that it is just fibre, so could be fed ad lib like hay or haylage. Am I right, or will she burst?
Thanks for reading, any comments gratefully received.

 

[FreddiesGal]

Crickey! What are you feeding..a giant?! My mare was one one scoop of Alfa a and HALF a scoop of Sugar Beet and I saw a difference in her weight after 2 weeks.

 

[FreddiesGal]

Forgot to add, half a scoop when the pellets were unsoaked, not once they were soaked. If you do decide to feed in such large quantities, use the unmolassed type

 

[smokey]

She's a 17hh Clydesdale. If she was in for the winter she'd be getting this amount between 2 feeds, plus her hay an haylage. She is however out, in Scotland, unrugged 24/7, in a field with hardly a blade of grass. She isn't carrying any excess weight, and I don't want her to lose. My thinking was that I am only replacing the fibre she would normally get from the grass, but I am prepared to be corrected

Just seen your next post, she's having speedi beet, and I mean soaked scoops.

 

[FreddiesGal]

Oh..it is an actual giant! Lol. 3 soaked scoops of Speedy Beet per day sounds fine. I would love to see a picture

 

[smokey]

Oh..it is an actual giant! Lol. 3 soaked scoops of Speedy Beet per day sounds fine. I would love to see a picture

Lol, did you think she was maybe a Shetland?

 

[Janah]

I would love to see a pic of your mare.

 

[smokey]

And I would love to post a pic, unfortunately I have no clue how to get pics from my phone to the I-pad to HHO! Told you I was a bit thick!

 

[dumpling]

I think you just need to 'see how it goes' . I have no experience in feeding larger horses but I do have a pony which is usually fine but loses weight in winter and regularly take into account his weight and increase if necessary.

 

[Wagtail]

If she is doing well on hay and haylage then the only reason for a hard feed would be to provide her with vitamins and minerals to balance out the forage. Hi fi and sugar beet will not do this. If she maintains her weight, and has plenty of energy then I would just feed her a balancer in a bit of hi fi.

 

[Wednesday's child]

If she is thriving on the ad lib hay I would see no reason to increase her other feeds. My girl is also big hairy and unrugged and is gradually putting on some winter weight by feeding ad lib hay which she does not binge on but returns to throughout the day. She also has two smallish complete feeds twice a day also. Since feeding the ad lib hay which is topped up twice a day, she's looking fabulous and happy.

 

[Gingerwitch]

A horses stomach is about the size of a rugby ball. Feed anymore than this in a bucket and your just wasting your money.

Could you not split it over 3 feeds?

 

[smokey]

A horses stomach is about the size of a rugby ball. Feed anymore than this in a bucket and your just wasting your money.

Could you not split it over 3 feeds?

Thanks, that was my concern, the volume of feed. I will split the feed into a morning and night. Having read the other answers as well, I will look into a good balancer. Any recommendations?
Thanks for the answers so far guys!

 

[smokey]

If she is doing well on hay and haylage then the only reason for a hard feed would be to provide her with vitamins and minerals to balance out the forage. Hi fi and sugar beet will not do this. If she maintains her weight, and has plenty of energy then I would just feed her a balancer in a bit of hi fi.

Thanks Wagtail, I did wonder if this might be the better option. She did well on hay and haylage last year, but is not carrying the same weight this year, hence the hifi and beet. But I appreciate that wont provide her vits and mins. What balancer would you recommend?

 

[el_Snowflakes]

If you say she's a good weight why increase feeds?

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Hi-fi will not help her to put wieght on, so is a waste of a feed, it contains straw chaff, so is for good doers really. We use Readigrass or Graze-on grass chaff, or you could give her alfal-a, or similar. Our oldie, who comes in overnight, has haylage, a bucket of grass chaff and a feed of soaked grassnuts and speedibeet, with more chaff to stop her choking. If yours is on her own you could leave a bucket of grass chaff available but of course if she has company, she might have to share it.
I would only feed yours anything other than hay and haylage if she starts to lose weight, and I've had Clydesdales, so I realise that they do have big appetites, even though their stomachs are only the same size as a Shetland pony's. Perhaps you could change the ratio of hay to haylage to keep her weight on?

 

[smokey]

If you say she's a good weight why increase feeds?

She is a good weight NOW, but I'm aware that she will lose if I don't get her feeding right. Last year she was fat, and I didn't feed until she had lost a fair bit. This year, she is a good weight and I want to maintain that. Because I didn't have to worry last year, I'm not sure the best way to go about maintaining the weight. Hope that makes sense.

 

[Holzdweaver]

In reference to volume, i did a post recently and was told that as its fibre its digested in the large intestine rather than the stomach, so the rugby ball sized feed doesnt apply. You can feed it as a hay replacer so you can feed as much as you like.

I asked originally as my boy has a dry scoop of grass nuts and speedibeet and after soaking, its three quarters of a small tubtrug per feed.

 

[smokey]

Hi-fi will not help her to put wieght on, so is a waste of a feed, it contains straw chaff, so is for good doers really. We use Readigrass or Graze-on grass chaff, or you could give her alfal-a, or similar. Our oldie, who comes in overnight, has haylage, a bucket of grass chaff and a feed of soaked grassnuts and speedibeet, with more chaff to stop her choking. If yours is on her own you could leave a bucket of grass chaff available but of course if she has company, she might have to share it.
I would only feed yours anything other than hay and haylage if she starts to lose weight, and I've had Clydesdales, so I realise that they do have big appetites, even though their stomachs are only the same size as a Shetland pony's. Perhaps you could change the ratio of hay to haylage to keep her weight on?

This makes sense, I have just added haylage to her hay, so the ratio is about 20/80 at the moment. Will increase this over the next few days, and aim to feed about 80/20. She's on her own, so not a problem to leave her feed in the field.

 

[smokey]

In reference to volume, i did a post recently and was told that as its fibre its digested in the large intestine rather than the stomach, so the rugby ball sized feed doesnt apply. You can feed it as a hay replacer so you can feed as much as you like.

I asked originally as my boy has a dry scoop of grass nuts and speedibeet and after soaking, its three quarters of a small tubtrug per feed.

Thank you, that's what I thought, and was the reason I asked the original question. Having read the answers here, I am looking at feeding a balancer to ensure she gets all the nutrients she needs.

 

[Wagtail]

Thanks Wagtail, I did wonder if this might be the better option. She did well on hay and haylage last year, but is not carrying the same weight this year, hence the hifi and beet. But I appreciate that wont provide her vits and mins. What balancer would you recommend?

Personally, if you are not worried about weight gain then the easiest thing to feed would be a mix. I like the Pure feeds company mixes and also their balancers. You could feed an all in one feed and balancer such as Pure feeds easy or pure feeds condition, depending on how your horse was doing. Or alternatively, their fibre balancer is very good if you want to feed less. But for keeping condition on a horse, you really cannot beat good quallity haylage.

 

[smokey]

Personally, if you are not worried about weight gain then the easiest thing to feed would be a mix. I like the Pure feeds company mixes and also their balancers. You could feed an all in one feed and balancer such as Pure feeds easy or pure feeds condition, depending on how your horse was doing. Or alternatively, their fibre balancer is very good if you want to feed less. But for keeping condition on a horse, you really cannot beat good quallity haylage.

Thank you, I'm a bit undecided at the moment, but can see the sense of feeding a balancer/all in one. Will do a bit of research over the next few days and will update then.
Agree that good haylage is the key, and she is having that now.
Thanks to everyone for taking time to reply, lots of food for thought (forgive the pun!)

 

[CBFan]

I have a 17.2hh Cleveland bay so I'd imagine they need a similar amount of food. Plenty of hay / haylage is definitely the way to go... Maybe put a mineral lick in the field so that she can supplement herself if she needs it? Otherwise I really wouldn't worry about feeding any bucket food. She won't drop weight so suddenly that you can't do anything about it (i.e. pop out and buy some speedi-beet). Save your pennies

 

[Tnavas]

Smokey - you sound as if you are on the right track.

I have a pure Clydesdale and she also winters out naked, however this winter she received nothing extra at all and has come through winter looking a million dollars. She needed to lose some weight though. Normally she would get hay or haylage depending on the weather.

Our Clydesdales live on fresh air so are lovely and economical to feed. One thing I did provide my girl with was a multi mineral block that she could help herself to 24/7.

When worked she gets Oats, Sugarbeet and Linseeed and Meadow Chaff, in small amounts.

 

[smokey]

Great advice guys, I am looking at mineral licks at the moment, think that will be the way I go. Have to confess, I have bottled it tonight and brought her in! She was soaked to the skin, and caked in mud, field is under water. She'll be back out as soon as this rain clears

 

[Tnavas]

Smokey you are a Clydesdales dream mum!

Mine will only go in her stable if there if food on offer - if brought in with no possibility of food she will plant herself in the doorway and its like trying to move a ten ton bus! Wave a cupful of food under her nos and she sill change her mind in an instant.

 

[smokey]

Smokey you are a Clydesdales dream mum!

Mine will only go in her stable if there if food on offer - if brought in with no possibility of food she will plant herself in the doorway and its like trying to move a ten ton bus! Wave a cupful of food under her nos and she sill change her mind in an instant.

Lol! Mine was stabled overnight in the winter until last year, and it wasn't ever an issue. She wintered out last year and loved it, I didn't intend bringing her in as she much prefers to be out, but she was totally soaked, and our forecast is bad for tonight again. I felt sorry for her! Like yours, she's very food orientated, it's how I've taught her everything!

 

[Tnavas]

Food orientated is the key word - mention food is involved and her whole demeanor changes

He two offspring are the same.

Turn on the clippers and the 6yr old climbs the wall - offer him some food and it's OK clip my legs.

Stomach rules!!

My girl - first one going kindly and the second "Shan't and won't so near the driving ponies"

Do you have some pics of yours?