Feeding Yearlings

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Misskim89

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Hi everyone, I just wondered what everyone fed their yearlings. I have a 1 year old gypsy vanner and he is currently on one scoop of hi fi dengie and 2 cups of stud balancer with a sprinkle of garlic. He has this twice a day.

The grazing at my current yard is poor so he also has ad-lib hay.

I have had him from 10 months old and was feeding 2 small handfuls of hi fi dengie and a sprinkle of stud mix. I am new to having young stock so I contacted Baileys Horse Feeds who sent out a nutritionist to look at him and advice me.

When I make his feeds to me it looks far too much but I am taking advice from the experts so I guess they know best.

Just wondered what you are all feeding yours and how much and what breeds they are and what their conditions look like.

My yearling Teddy has a bit of a belly on him, before I could see his ribs and now I can't, can slightly feel them though.
 
I woudn't feed him anything excxept good grass and hay. You don't want him to grow too fast, it really isn't good for their tendons.
I certainly would stop the garlic, contrary to myth it doesn't deter flies and it does upset the gut flora.
The problem is that the feed companies are experts in marketting, which they put before horse welfare, imo.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
I woudn't feed him anything excxept good grass and hay. You don't want him to grow too fast, it really isn't good for their tendons.
I certainly would stop the garlic, contrary to myth it doesn't deter flies and it does upset the gut flora.
The problem is that the feed companies are experts in marketting, which they put before horse welfare, imo.
Click to expand...

This ^^^ also that sounds like quite a lot for a gypsy cob type. They don't need much at all, our TB yearlings which will be in training next year don't get too much. Too much weight at a young age and you will have joint problems galore.
 
If I fed my yearling what Baileys told me to she would be very obese! She's 3/4 Irish Draught 1/4 Irish cob and naturally a good doer. She gets a handful of speedi beet to mix her vitamins and minerals in (we are low in copper). She's out on poor grass so also gets hay.

Grass alone made her too fat in the spring, and it wasn't that rich.

I wouldn't feed a balancer to a youngster, let alone a stud mix. Take a look at the threads about joint troubles in youngsters, although your boy isn't high risk it is far healthier to feed him the bare minimum, ie forage and minerals if required.
 
How lovely that you have taken on a yearling, I hope he gives you years of fun in the future. It is so tempting to look at a underdone or gawky yearling and think it needs feeding up. I thought that when I acquired a 10 month old ugly duckling colt, also named Ted by the way !

My advice to you OP, would be to worm count yours and then worm under the guidance of your vet before deciding on a diet for the young cob.

Would you believe me if I told you that this cob went from this................

TED032-1_zpse79347ce.jpg


to this in three years on a diet of good quality hay and haylage. He also had the appropriate amount of Suregrow (D/H), if I remember rightly it is 100g to 100kg bodyweight. I stopped the suregrow in the summer of his 2nd year. He was on average grazing.

DSCF1780_zpsc1fkkyp5.jpg


Feeding will not force upward growth, the youngster will be as big as nature intends him to be, what it will do is allow too rapid growth with all the problems that can bring.

Although the nutritionists at the big feed companies are helpful, they are also employed to sell products. I doubt there are many leisure horses that actually need or can tolerate the amounts that the bagged feeds recommend.

Good luck with your Ted.
 
Hi, I have only just realised I had replies on my post. Bit late but thank you everyone for your replies. I now currently have teddy on baileys light chaff, under half a scoop and 2 cups of stud balancer. This is what he has been fed throughout the winter. I am now thinking of taking him off it all and just having him on grass for the summer. The nutritionist said he won't get vitamins he needs but as you guys said grass should be enough. I just worry it won't be enough for his healthy growth. What do you guys think. She also gave him a body score of 5. Btw photos of your horse are beautifuul. How do you post photo and il post a recent one of Teddy x
 
In your position I'd cut his hard feed and just let him have the summer on grass.

My adult horses only get one cup of balancer per day and that is only through the winter - they get no hard feed at all in summer and never have - and that includes when we had 2 babies - they got nothing but grazing through summer then hay and balancer in winter.
 
Yeah that's what I think I should do too, by next winter he will be over 2 years old. So do you think I should change the balancer to something else? I just want to give him the best possible and I don't have much knowledge with nutrition.
 
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