Hard Feed & Carrots

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jomax

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Just wondered what everyone is feeding their horses this winter? My mare absolutely loves her stable in the winter, and really isnt that keen on being out. But i do try and have her out during the day (Not over night) for 2/3 days a week. Even then, she is rugged, but if it starts raining or is really cold she just stands at the field gate and 'shouts' to come back in!!! So, back to my question, she has always been a little spooky and flighty (typical chestnut mare!) so i have now taken her off all hard feed, apart from one small scoop of cool mix plus carrots. She gets as much haylage as she will eat, both in a net & on the floor. What is everyone else doing this winter?
 
Currently stabled at night, gets haylage overnight and a handful of graze-on twice a day.

As of tonight will be living out 24/7 with more grass, haylage and I'll decide if he needs to be fed as we go on.

I would change from haylage to hay and cut out any form of mix, unless she needs weight or energy I wouldn't bother feeding.
 
Just been having a conversation about this. I think a lot of people are of financial necessity cutting out/down hard feed and supplements and feeding more hay/lage this winter. This can only be to the benefit of the horse.

Ours get haylage and Graze-on (but that's all they've ever had) and the old lady gets added Speedibeet and grassnuts.
 
mine is on alfalfa, calm and condition, and a small amount of senior support (rowen barberry) twice a day. Hay adlib. a carrot in each feed
Horse is on 24/hour turnout and this is maintaining his weight.
I would also take your mare off hard feed and go to hay instead of haylage unless she is no worse than summer - ie you say she's always been a little spooky but that implies she's spookier now.
 
I don't know how many carrots you are feeding but they do contain a fair amount of sugar which can be a trigger for some excitability. I've stopped feeding carrots to my scatty WBxTB this winter and think she's definitely better temperamentally for it. Mine's just being fed Spillers lo cal balancer and hay ATM.
 
My good doer cob is out 24/7 unrugged in a well grazed field. In the morning he gets a section of hay. In the evening he gets a small feed of Hi Fi Light and a tiny bit of Speedibeet to mix his supplements in (cortaflex, mag ox and half a sachet of danilon), a carrot and a section of hay. He is in very light work at the mo and is a bit tubby, hopefully this will change when I can ride in the evenings after the clocks change.
 
All my gang (and they range from 2yrs to 17yrs) are having spillers H/P, dodson and horrell fibergy, sugar beet, then with carrots added and they always come out of the winter looking fab, even my out wintering girls.

Verena Elmdale stud.
 
I agree that it might be the carrots turning her a bit flighty, I can't feed them to one of ours as she goes crazy! Maybe swap for a bit of apple instead?
Ours are having TopSpec topchop with the topspec balancer, some apples and the one that drops weight has a few pony cubes. They have this with hay/haylage overnight, and are outside for about 11 hours in the day with hay to keep them going cos the fields are bare.
 
Cut out the carrots - lots of sugar in them.

I have four neds:

Two mares in work (16hh TBxID, and 16.3hh DWB) - both get Hi Fibre Lite as we have to keep the sugars low (GM is very susceptible to sugars), and Top Spec Balancer.

Two geldings retired - both get a small handful of Hi Fibre Lite, again, keeping the sugars low, and Bailey's Lo Cal Balancer.

Two of them also have Bute or Devil's Claw, and Milk Thistle.

I worked out the costings some weeks ago - it worked out cheaper to feed the mares the Top Spec Balancer than it was to feed all the vits and supplements seperately. They have excellent shines to their coats and are holding weight, etc.
 
Another one for cutting the carrots as they can be high in sugar.

My two who are in full work, and hunt weekly, are fed 1/2 scoop dengie hi fi, 1/2 scoop pony nuts and 10 kgs haylage per day. They look very well on this so see no need to supplement/alter. They are also turned out for a few hours in the daytime on reasonable grazing.

I don't agree with ad lib haylage, both from a financial point of view and a health one - there are too many overweight horses in this country without my 2 adding to the statistics!
 
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