Help a rank amateur figure out a feed bill...

[Flashheart]

Hello, dipping my toe in the water here for the first time... I've been a lurker for ages, but I could really do with some knowledgeable help.

I am a novice owner of a 16.2HH DWB x ISH. He's 16. He's currently on box rest (just starting his 4th week) having sustained a kick to his right front that impacted his radius and left a big hole in his leg. He's been otherwise fit and well until that injury. He's apparently healing well, vet was out last Monday and he trotted up 1/10 lame, but an x-ray showed up an area of bone that was healing itself. Vet returns on Monday, when we will know more.

Until now he has been on Working Livery. As he cannot work, he has to either go on DIY livery, or full livery, but the complicating factor is that I have no idea what his feeds costs as it has been included in his livery costs until now. So I have no idea whether the price they are offering me for full livery to include his feed is a good deal or not...

I have found out what he is fed currently, and I have two questions:

1. How much does what he currently eat cost? Even if it's a "how long will one 20kg bag of calm & condition last him?" I've currently got no idea so all help gratefully received!

2. Is that the best thing for him? What should I be feeding him if not?

So, he currently has:
1 scoop of Alfa-a
1 scoop conditioning cubes
1 scoop calm & condition (made up)
1 scoop speedy beet (made up)

He is on 3 feeds a day- he is normally on grass turnout and they had upped his feeds to 2 a day to try and get some condition on him going into winter. He's looking much better though so this is now less of an issue. It strikes me as a lot of food for him (he's got unlimited hay as well) if he's not working...

Thanks for your help

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I wouldn't want a horse on box-rest on all that feed - he must be the most naturally laid-back horse on the planet if he is genuinely getting all that hard feed, without climbing the walls. Is that amount split into 3 feeds, (surely) or is it that x3?
If you have the time to do DIY, I suggest that you do that and monitor carefully, exactly what he needs to eat.

 

[JennBags]

Wow that does sound like a huge amount of feed! If you want condition on him, I'd feed ad-lib hay/haylage rather than tons of hard feed especially as he's on box rest. I always think hard feed for energy, forage for condition.

A bag of feed (chaff or nuts) is round about 16 scoops (large scoops), so at 3 feeds a day you'll get through over a bag each of these a week. Speedibeet will last for longer as it expands hugely when made up with water, probably last you 2 weeks, c&c will expand some as it includes beet so probably ahout a week. Probably about £40/week just on hard feed (I don't spend that a month!).

 

[Flashheart]

Yes that is each feed. So all that multiplied by 3...

And yes he is the most placid, docile creature imaginable- I 100% cannot fault him for his temperament. He's an absolute legend.

 

[Flashheart]

Wow that does sound like a huge amount of feed! If you want condition on him, I'd feed ad-lib hay/haylage rather than tons of hard feed especially as he's on box rest. I always think hard feed for energy, forage for condition.

A bag of feed (chaff or nuts) is round about 16 scoops (large scoops), so at 3 feeds a day you'll get through over a bag each of these a week. Speedibeet will last for longer as it expands hugely when made up with water, probably last you 2 weeks, c&c will expand some as it includes beet so probably ahout a week. Probably about £40/week just on hard feed (I don't spend that a month!).

Thank you both, that's very interesting.

 

[honetpot]

You need to buy some kitchen scales and at least once weigh the amount of food you are giving. They you just divide the bag of feed buy the meal size for each type of feed.
As every one has said while he is on box rest, he is expending very little energy so most of his feed should be hay/haylage. If he is on a yard where they feed everything at the same time, half a scoop of low cal chaff and a couple of carrots with perhaps his vits.

 

[Spiritedly]

With regards to the calm and condition, there are approximately 16 large scoops (unmade) to a bag and and one scoop properly mixed is enough to feed my five at a ratio of 2 x full scoops and 3 x 3/4 scoops a day so a bag should last you just over two weeks.
As others have said though it does seem a lot of hard feed for a horse on box rest so may be worth cutting back on hard feed and upping his forage.

 

[Nicnac]

One of mine sustained a very similar injury in late April this year and had 3 months box rest followed by a month t/o in tiny paddock. He was walked every day on a soft surface for up to an hour plus 20 mins am and pm in hand grazing after a month on box rest.

He had adlib hay, grass nuts in a treat ball and Protexin Gut Balancer only. No hard feed at all and he's a big, young TB.

My main costs were bedding, fresh vegetables on string to keep him occupied and dope to keep him on the ground whilst walking in hand!

 

[PapaverFollis]

That is a huge amount of feed! Calm and condition would probably do on it's own fed at recommended amount (which might be less than he's getting now!). And adlib good quality forage.

 

[Flashheart]

Yes he is on a yard where they feed everything at the same time. he's on a bit of Bute to try and get the heat out of his injury. So needs a bit of feed for that but apart from that he's on ad-lib hay.

Vet has said he's allowed out of his box for an occasional pick at some grass. More for his mental wellbeing than anything else.

 

[Flashheart]

Thanks so much for the help, all.

 

[claret09]

if i was you i would stick to adlib hay and then something like happy hoof and speedy beet. calm and condition is actually quite high energy so not really suitable. cut out the cereals.

 

[KittenInTheTree]

Given that your horse is apparently content and settled on his current regime, my advice is to pay for full livery and allow the people already organising his daily care to continue to do so during his convalescence. Chopping and changing a horse's diet is not something to do on a whim, or to save money. If you are genuinely concerned about overfeeding then I suggest that you sit down with your vet and whoever is in charge of arranging the feeds and discuss what is best for the horse. IMHO, four weeks of box rest so far and not acting out rather suggests that he's being managed quite well.

 

[claret09]

my 17.2 in medium work gets through 2 and 1/2 bags of happy hoof a month, speedy beet lasts us about 3 months (he has it in his evening feed). we also use linseed, Kentucky joint liquid. i have recently added top spec top chop zero (it is just another flavour) - a bag of that lasts ages. he also has lots of carrots and apples

 

[SusieT]

I'm mean. I'd cut out all feed to a handful of chaff or nuts - He doesn't need anything else tbh.. I'd also keep him on the same routine otherwise

 

[MissTyc]

Given that your horse is apparently content and settled on his current regime, my advice is to pay for full livery and allow the people already organising his daily care to continue to do so during his convalescence. Chopping and changing a horse's diet is not something to do on a whim, or to save money. If you are genuinely concerned about overfeeding then I suggest that you sit down with your vet and whoever is in charge of arranging the feeds and discuss what is best for the horse. IMHO, four weeks of box rest so far and not acting out rather suggests that he's being managed quite well.

This.
Or rather, Maybe this. I think you're at a crossroads and you need to decided what your ownership plans are. E.g. is the horse going back on working livery as soon as he is sound? If that's the plan, then absolutely let his usual carers who seems to know him well continue to take care of him. But if you're planning on changing the situation after this box rest, then by all means start to learn how to look after him. You may find that while this routine suits him (seems to from what you describe), another routine might suit him just as well ... Go by condition and behaviour, not by price!

 

[MagicMelon]

Wow I wouldnt have mine on that even if they were in hard competition work. I wonder why they feed so much different stuff and in such quantities. I would move horse onto DIY so you can choose what your own horse is fed (Im a little surprised you didnt know what it was being fed from the very beginning) and you'll likely need to be there more often anyway to take him out for grass etc. Id cut his feed right back to basics personally.