haylage/weight question

[pixiebee]

My new forest pony is in medium work(5-6 days a week for 1-2 hrs at atime) and is reletively fit. He had to much weight on him just before i moved yards about a month ago, since then he has lost some weight and is beginning to look toned too. I feel that he could do with loosing a little more to be a healthy fit weight. He isnt on any hard feed currently, and was staying in at night and out during the day. But doesnt seem to be dropping any weight. He is fed haylage when he is in and has a fair amount of grass in his field. I dont however want too much weight off him as we are coming up to winter months(although he doesnt really drop weight over winter!) should i worry about dropping any more weight as winter is coming or get him at a good weight and keep him at that weight over winter(he shall be getting hard feed during winter and unfortuntaley it is restricted turnout so will be spending alot of time in, so will be getting hard feed and haylage and a very small amount of grass) is there any excercises that are good for toning and muscle gain? Is haylage fattening or can i feed him as much as he wants? Also can anyone suggest a good hard feed/combination to feed over winter months for a pony that keeps weight on very well, gets fizzy on most feeds and will be ridden/lunged 4-6 times a week!!!!!

 

[pixiebee]

ok i guess nobody wants to help :-( *sniff sniff*

 

[TGM]

Well that is a lot of questions in one post, but I will have a go!

[ QUOTE ]
should i worry about dropping any more weight as winter is coming or get him at a good weight and keep him at that weight over winter

[/ QUOTE ] If he is a good doer then get him at the right weight now and maintain that over the winter. Get him to the stage where you can feel his ribs easily but not see them, then measure him with a weigh tape. Then you can measure him with the weigh tape on a weekly or fortnightly basis throughout the winter to give you an easy guide to whether he is losing, maintaining or gaining weight, and you can then adjust his feed accordingly.

[ QUOTE ]
is there any excercises that are good for toning and muscle gain?

[/ QUOTE ] Hill work is good, and active walking is good exercise too. It is also important to ensure your pony is working correctly when you exercise, otherwise he will build muscles but they will be the wrong ones!

[ QUOTE ]
Is haylage fattening or can i feed him as much as he wants?

[/ QUOTE ] I always think this is a difficult question - what is fattening? All food contains calories but some contain more calories than others! All foods can put on weight if enough is eaten! Haylage usually contains more calories than hay made from similar pasture as less nutrients are lost during the process. You will find that most good-doers cannot be fed either haylage or good hay ad-lib without gaining weight.

[ QUOTE ]
Also can anyone suggest a good hard feed/combination to feed over winter months for a pony that keeps weight on very well, gets fizzy on most feeds and will be ridden/lunged 4-6 times a week!!!!!

[/ QUOTE ] If you are feeding haylage you may find that he doesn't need any additional hard feed if he maintains his weight. If he loses weight, up the haylage before you up the hard feed.