Help! what do i feed a 17.2h horse?

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BeccaandRoo

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ive just been given a 17.2h horse, i love him very much but i have absolutely no idea what to feed him or how much it will cost,
any help would be great :)
 
Depends on his condition, depends on his workload, how much grass and hay he's getting, whether he needs any special supplements for joints etc, weight, overall personality, and probably a ton of other things!!! Many horses in light work are actually perfectly capable of just living on a vitamin and mineral lick, and forage like grass or hay. So, include some more details and then we can help with a feeding regime :) xx
 
oh right, well hes doing quite a lot of work atm, hes currently in a riding school so being worked for a few hours a day,
when he gets bought over to my yard it wont be in a riding school but i will work him, doing a bit of everything for a few hours every day,
he doesnt currently live out but i would love to have him out in the field as often as possible as he is a hunter and has lots of energy and i just think its nicer if he gets to be out lots especially in the summer.
hes pretty easy going, really easy temperment, about 10years old, i know he doesnt need any special suppliments like joint stuff but i dont know how much he gets fed at the moment,
hope this helps xx
 
Why don't you ask the current owners exactly, in detail, what he is eating, tell them what you are planning to do exercise wise and grass wise and get their opinion first as they must know him really well. It would also be better not to change his feeding regime dramatically fast, ask so you can get some of the hard food they use, etc, so a gentle changeover will prevent any colic problems.
 
I would start saving now for winter - my big lad does a bale of hay a night in the worst of the weather - he goes out for 8 hours and only does half hour schooling most days in the winter and gets hacked out on Sats and Suns - he has a scoop of calm and condition, a scoop of hi fi original and a handfull of nuts - he also gets sugar beet and carrots split over 2 or 3 feeds a day.

Come summer - he is the exact opposite and come this time of year he is down to2 to 3 sections of hay - a handfull of chaff and carrots and is out for 12 hours a day - but is worked quite hard.
 
beccilacey said:
ive just been given a 17.2h horse, i love him very much but i have absolutely no idea what to feed him or how much it will cost,
any help would be great :)
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there is a list as long as your arm of things that will need to be considered before deciding on a suitable diet. I suggest you find a good local instructor to come and look at your horse and where he will be kept and teach you what is required for your individual circumstances and horse.

Feed requirements will change with the seasons and workload, so you will need ongoing advice.

In the meantime you should buy a decent nutrition book to learn the background and feeding 'rules'. Its not a subject that you can afford to have little knowledge of if you own a horse.
 
First things first - find out what he eats now and start on a equivalent to that.

Get him used to turn out gradually - a lot of spring grass in one go could cause more problems than it's worth if he's not used to it, start with an hour and build up from there.

Once he's settled and used to his new work load you can start fiddling. I'd monitor his weight using a weight tape over the first few months too so you have a better idea of when he's gaining/losing condition.

I'd imagine if he's going out and being ridden less, you'll end up on smaller hard feed eventually.
 
As everyone else has said it really depends on the horse and the workload etc :)

As a rough idea my 17hh chappie is just on a scoop of Safe and Sound and a vits and mins supplement at the moment, he is out for 14hrs overnight and in with 1/3 bale of hay a day... come the winter though he is only out for a few hours in the day and the big lump eats a bale of hay a night and double the hard feed :o :)

...also expect to pay extra if he has HUUUGE feet that wont fit mass produced shoes and quite possibly extra for HUUUUGE tack too if he has a big head or needs a big saddle :o :D
 
I would find out exactly what he gets now and start him off on that but my boy who is 16.2hh and still growing is just on half a scoop of dengie Healthy Hooves twice a day with a broad spec vit and min supp added... in winter he'll have some speedi beet added to this.

he has add-lib hay overnight in his stable in winter and I am still feeding hay in the stable during the day at the moment as there is just not enough grass to fill his belly. worth thinking about with bigger horses. He currently eats a good half a bale of hay a day but I expect that to increase as he grows and obviously in winter.
 
I am slightly concerned that you have been given this horse with apparently no idea of how to look after it - please ask the the horse's previous owners for advice and help in caring for him

Having said that, a 17.2 hh horse doesn't eat any differently from a smaller horse - just generally more of it!

all my guys are 17.2 +

At the moment, they get 3kg-5kg hard feed a day plus ad lib haylage overnight, they're out during the day but there's not a lot of goodness in the grass for them

In the winter when they're hunting and the weather's colder, they still have ad lib haylage and eat nearly twice a much (to keep warm as well as for the nutritional benefit). They get 5-7kg hard feed

I reckon they get through the equivalent of a bag of hard feed a week per horse - haylage, bedding and hard food costs me approx £25/horse/wk in the winter
 
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