Feeding the fussy fat horse…

[dominobrown]

FAT Bam is pregnant, about 4 months along, living out and despite being a Warmblood cross TB type she has the body type of a Welsh section A and will quite happily get ridiculously fat. Got a bit of chub off her but being pregnant and all would still like her a bit slimmer.
She has to have a couple of powder supps, one a vit and min balancer so I literally need a tasty feed with no calories and it doesn’t matter if it’s nutritionally void. Impossible I know! She is living out with another broodmare who is always slim with that athletic (normal) Warmblood/ thoroughbred body type which much to fat Bams disgust gets a „proper“ feed, so ideally something that can „bulk“ out fat bams pathetic ration and keep her distracted for more than 10 seconds.
fat bam has already decided that Hi fi light, unmollased sugar beet and spillers lite and lean balancer are disgusting and is a bit miffed that all her feed bins say „light“ on them while Darci the other mare‘s feed bins say „full fat“. She is a right foodie… bit like me with full fat and no fat yogurt ?

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

Could you put some mint in it to make it more palateable?

or Pure Meadow Mash or Pure Easy - I haven't found anything that won't eat most of their feeds

 

[HappyHollyDays]

I was also going to suggest Pure Easy. My WB fatty pony needs supplements and it’s about the only food where he will lick the bowl clean. On its own HoneyChop lite and Healthy comes a distant second so I have to mix the two together in summer.

 

[TPO]

Pink Mash

 

[PapaverFollis]

I've resorted to Dengie Healthy Hooves and Spillers Speedy Mash Fibre for my fussy fatties. They need a fair chunk of powdered minerals because my grass is wonky so any efforts to feed them in proper diet food just kept failing. They don't get a lot and sugar and starch are still low so it seems to strike the right balance.

 

[PapaverFollis]

I do "cut" the Healthy Hooves with an equal amount of Top Chop Zero for the big girl. Don't tell her! She thinks she's getting the good stuff. ?

 

[dominobrown]

Thanks, will try some of these suggestions. See what the Fat Bam says…

 

[Goldenstar]

Soaked grass cubes and a sprinkle of oats normally work .

 

[AdorableAlice]

Saracen Recovery Mash, no feed value and tiny amount soaked makes a very tasty snack to hid anything in. A bag lasts forever.

 

[vmac66]

I use a about half a cup of fast fibre mixed with Dengie hi fi molasses free chaff get my mare to eat her supplements. She licks the bowl clean.

 

[Cortez]

In foal mares don't actually need any supplemental feeding until the last 3 - 4 months (if they are not underweight to start with, of course).

 

[tristar]

i would not be feeding if she does not eat up, as my none horsey friend says, they try to con you into thinking they are hungry, and thats how they get fat

 

[dominobrown]

She needs a supplement which is a powder and also I do not have a balanced pasture, we are high in iron and very low in copper and magnesium here. That’s why I need a feed with basically no calories. I am feeding her the supplement I do under the advice of some of the leading vets in the country and independent nutritionists.
Feeding a pregnant mare can be complex. My mare being overweight is a huge cause for concern… however drastic weight loss and huge mineral deficiencies cause stress on the body which is a leading cause of aborting a foal. So Cortez is right in that a mare does not an increase in calories until the end of pregnancy, and also a significant increase in vitamins and minerals too, however allowing the mare to become massively deficient in vits and mins is not fair on her or her future foal.
Thanks to those who have helped and some suggestions to go through here.