Feeding youngsters........

[Navalgem]

I havent quite made up my mind about this.

Some poeple believe that youngsters should only eat grass and or haylege and others think they need some concentrates.

I'm against feeding lots of concentrates because I dont want to make them grow too quickly but I do what them to develop and look well enough to hold their own in a show ring. One is only 2 and the other a yearling so work/strapping is out.

 

[druid]

I feed 1 scoop (1.25kg) of D&H Youngstock mix and 3 mugs of D&H Suregrow (400g) to my yearling - he's slightly under weight but having run it by my vets they approved the diet and said they'd prefer to just see the ribs until the horse is 2 rather than do joint damage over topping them

 

[AmyMay]

All youngsters are fed concentrates at my place. This usualy stops when they reach the 2year old mark (unless they are showing, or need extra help).

 

[cazza]

We feed only grass and haylage. Unfortunately we had a I know best type of girl at the yard, she thought one of the youngsters needed feeding. Well all I can say is just over £4,000 later a long operation on both front legs, and now remedial shoeing, the youngster is just hitting 3 this year and as a result of overfeeding will never be ridden. If we do want to give our youngstock anything we usually give Alfa-a, grated carrots and maybe a handfull of a cereal mix sprinked in amongst it.

 

[ColleenIsh]

Our yearling is fed on spillers foal/yearling mix, conditioning mix, boiled linseed, soya oil and showshine molichaff

Shes growing like a bracken at the minute and Im just about keeping the weight on her . (hitting the 16hh mark)

 

[martinka]

I have been feeding my filly with Dodson & Horrel stud mix as per the instructions on the bag. There is no need to feed once they reach the age of 2 as long as the youngster is on good grass and looks well.
There is nothing worse than overfed young horse that ends up with huge problems due to overfeeding later in life.

 

[no_no_nanette]

We have found that Baileys Stud Balancer, fed in small quantities, is great to ensure that our WB yougsters are getting their Vit and Mins without driving growth spurts or putting on too much weight. They look in lovely condition, but just the right weight (as you say, Druid, they should look just very slightly "ribby" rather than otherwise). Time will tell if this is the right decision, but so far so good!

 

[Fahrenheit]

I feed according to each individuals condition.

If they are looking well, shiny coats and good weight on just grass in summer, they just get grass, if they look the same in winter on haylage they just get haylage. (I got one filly that was fatter coming out of winter than she was going into winter and she was a lardy arse then, and she only got hay all winter!)

If they are looking a little lean, i'll give them concentrates, I use Stud Nuts and Conditioning Cubes on my yard routinely for everyone to the level they need, except the stallions they get mix (R, G & O got 16+ and H gets competiton mix because he is a right fussy old g*t that turns his nose up and picks the bits he likes out of other feeds but he'll eat D&H competition mix like its going out of fashion).

If they get too much condition (ie plump little blighters that are too overweight), I will restrict their grazing in summer and they get hay not haylage in winter!

 

[bellaboo]

I feed my yearling a scope of suregrow daily which is what dobson and horrell advised me, she will stay on this till she is 18 months/2 years old and then will give her feed if and when she needs it but probably only high fibre cubes.

 

[Maesfen]

While I don't agree with force feeding youngsters I do believe that unless they are hardy natives, then they need help as regards vitamins and minerals for a healthy bone structure and these seem to be lacking in many pastures so I would keep on with Bailey's Stud Balancer (used to use Gro'nWin until they were bought by Spillers!) until they are two at the very least.

 

[severnmiles]

Rhi is on nothing but grass at the mo (she's a 2y.o). I've had her since a weanling and all she's ever been fed is the soaked oats diet, our own haylage and grass. I didn't put her on a yearling cube/mix because I wanted to let her grow at her own rate and not force it, however she's a touch under 16.2hh now

Please excuse her mane and tail (ex bf's cob has chewed it

)

 

[sleepingdragon10]

When Lux arrived home he was in poor condition due to having been very, very poorly so he was on Baileys Stud mix, alfalfa and Suregrow.....now he's looking much better and has gained the condition he lost post gelding he's just on oats and fibrebeet because our grazing isn't that good atm.

This is him a couple of months ago....

And this was taken last week

His ribs can be felt very easily and he's now hitting the 13hh mark at the withers and just under 13.2 at the backend.

 

[Theresa_F]

I fed my little cob Simple Systems products - low cal fibre but with some good protein from the alfa A. He also had the equimins youngstock supplement.

Result is that he has grown slowly but surely and as a two year old I received a lot of comments at how good he looked but that he was not over produced.

Still continue to feed SS products - I only feed fibre and not mix and their feed balancer.