Good doers - Preparing for the spring grass

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vicksey

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My horse has been quite poorly so been having lots of feed and hay over the winter to build condition back up. He is now back to full health but looking a tiny bit on the porky side (top end 'good' on the condition score). I know the min he gets to the spring grass he's going to ballon
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So, prehaps a bit premature but was just wondering if those of you with good doers cut down on feed on the run up to spring to aviod your horses going out too fat, and if you do when?? Thanks!
 
one of mine is a good doer and he only very young, he was just ever so slightly on the porky side a couple of weeks ago, so i reduced his hard feed to almost nothing and replaced his very thick rug with just a thin no fill rug, he is now at a weight i am happy with again. If he gets porky in the spring i will just cut his grazing land down and if needs must stable him for part of the day time. will just see how it goes. x
 
This winter he didnt have sugar beet and I cut down his chalf, hayage compare to last year as he was on the chubby side and I shuggly though out the summer with his weight!! Im using the weigh tape every 2 weeks and conditon scoreing. His girth is on the big size for him now I keep forget to get a new one so when spring comes I will know if he puts on weight well thats the plan to keep him silm no need for the big girth!! Really think abouit what you are feeding him Ive cut back so much and he is looking the best his ever has lookd even the vet was very happy!! Once we are allowed to turn out all the time he will be in day time with one or 2 silces of soaked hay out at night. I dont allow him to be out 24hrs a day he would just become huge!!! Not good on their joints!!
 
I'm aware of it, but I'm not doing anything drastic yet apart from monitoring him. I stand back and have a good hard look at him every day, if I notice the weight creeping on, I will cut his hard feed down a bit then.
 
I have swapped my porky boy's Mollichaff Veteran Chaff for 95% Hi Fi Lite. Didn't think he'd eat it but he has and so far he's lost about 30kg over the winter. Still needs to drop another 20kg if poss but I'm very pleased so far.
 
Thanks everyone, good idea about cutting back on the rugs.

My lad is only on 600g (2 round scoops )of hi fi good doer and 2 scoops of very watery alfa beet a day (and 30ml red cell)

Do you think i should cut the hi fi lite down to just a few handfullls, he is only in light work?
 
Well my lad lost plenty of weight over the autumn as he was on box rest with laminitis. He got down to a weight the vet was happy with and since then I have been feeding him rationed hay so that he maintains his current weight through to the spring. He is out 24/7 and always will be but I will monitor his weight weekly and reduce grazing if he starts to put any on.
He has three handfuls of hi fi lite to put his supplement in but other than that he is on a trashed and muddy paddock for exercise and measured out hay. If he starts looking like the weight is going on, I cut down a bit on his hay ration.
I am able to start walking him out and building him back up to work now so that will help keep his weight down too.
 
2 scoops of hifi and 2 scoops of alfa beet sounds quite a lot IMO.

My Iberian x is in light work and still needs to get a bit more weight off - he gets 1/2 scoop of cool fibre and a feed balancer, plus soaked hay, and daytime turnout in a field with a herd of sheep sharing his grass. Even on that little I have had to put his summer rugs back on him to see any change in weight!

I feel so mean when his best mate is a skinny TB that needs loads of feed just to maintain his weight!
 
It does sound a lot but the alpha beet is so watery it is just bascially flavoured water, and the 600g of hi fi is still 400g less than the reccomended daily intake so i thought if i cut it down i might be depriving him, as he is a horse that need is nutrients

so confused about what is appropriate really, do you think just a maybe 2 handfulls of hi fi with half a scoop of alfabeet would be sufficent twice a day?

Thanks everyone for the advise!
 
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