Giving up hard feed

[Patterdale]

I was just wondering if anyone else has done this.
I have 9 horses ranging from foals to 6 year old, and I was totally fed up with a) spending loads of money on feed and supplements, and b) spending loads of time and trouble making up the feeds and administering them separately to different horses who all live out.

I’ve therefore given up hard feed completely, and they have instead true ad-lib access to good haylage, and a good lick bucket. I’m saving literally hundreds over the winter and they look just as good as they ever did - better in some cases.

Just wondered if anyone else had tried this. I can’t see me ever going back to hard feed. And if it helps someone else to make the transition then I’d be glad to save someone else the time, money and hassle!

 

[HappyHollyDays]

None of the polo ponies have any hard feed and winter out on just grass and hay grown on the farm. All look fat and happy.

 

[milliepops]

i only feed anything in work, sick or the young ones because the grazing is rubbish and in the grand scheme of things, some minerals and protein don't cost a lot.
so that's 3 that get a balancer currently.

I only feed the others strategically (e.g. for distraction, or bribery )

 

[teddypops]

I don’t usually feed any of mine except the old one. They get grass and hay and do very well on it.

 

[Cortez]

I haven't fed any hard feed at all to my horses for at least 10 years. I have very good grass and hay, and I have horses of a good-doing breed. I have in the past given hard feed to some rescue horses which were severely starved, and I have fed a couple of lactating broodmares which were pulled down by their foals, although I haven't always fed broodmares/mares in milk, it depends on how they do.

 

[twiggy2]

I dont currently have any horses but I din think that feeding a hard feed, supplement is fashionable.
I never fed anything unless it was in hard work, underweight or actually needing it.
People used to think I was terrible for not feeding the kids Welsh a first pony, if she got a whiff of feed she was spooky and silly.

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

Mine all live out 24/7 and have grass all year round and ad lib hay in the depths of a hard winter if grass is limited. Only my retired mare has literally a handful of hard feed once a day for her post Lyme's meds and a bute.

Even before my riding horse had to go back to his previous owner to look after him while I get my hips replaced does not get hard feed, the daily hacking out with me isn't nearly enough work to warrant anything other than grass or hay.

I truly believe probably up to 75% of privately owned horses are fed far too much hard feed and various additives that aren't warranted for their workload. That in turn leads to a myriad of health issues that often could be avoided with a more natural diet, IMO only of course!

 

[Annagain]

My two IDs (Archie - late 20s, retired and Charlie - 7, light work at the moment) get literally a handful (I have very small hands!) of fast fibre, a handful of mix each night and some veg peelings (if I have any) when they come in. I wasn't going to give them anything as they're both doing very well on grass and (now that they're in overnight) good quality, adlib haylage but Charlie was LIVID when he came in and had no tea. The first night he was throwing all sort of shapes with his head over the stable door, doing a lap of his stable and then returning to the door to pull more faces. I left him to it thinking he'd calm down but he didn't. His stable was a nightmare by the next morning and he'd only eaten half his haylage.

I stuck it out for 3 days but he was trashing his bed really badly so I gave in and they now have the tiniest amount - without the veg, what they get would fit in a coffee mug. All is now well in the world of Charlie, his bed is back to its normal state and he's eating 90% of the haylage, which is how I like it to be. Some say he's got me well trained but I'll do anything for an easy life and the way it's going, a bag of each feed will last me all winter! Archie didn't even notice, just tucked into his hay but I can't give Charlie some and not him!

Charlie is very opinionated and will let me know when things aren't exactly right. Much like Archie 15 years ago. He's mellowed so much so I'm hoping Charlie will soon!

 

[ShadowHunter]

I tried this this year, 3 are fine (good-doers anyway), however, the TB looks like a skeleton so he's back on hard feed tonight. Normally he comes out of winter thin anyway so I thought that the feed wasn't doing much and maybe he'd eat more forage to compensate, but apparently it was doing something!

 

[TheMule]

Mine get a very small amount of soaked grass and alfalfa nuts (1 scoop dry between 6) with a mineral supplement at this time of the year, mostly to keep me happy as they also have plenty of grass and ad-lib haylage when they need it.
I did have a very poor doer but once I found the key to keeping her low stress (IE out 24/7) she never struggled with her weight again- she evented to a decent level with no hard feed.