Hi...conditioning cube advice please!!!

[joanne c]

I have a 13.2hh chunky cob mare who is now living out 24/7 for the first time this winter. She has been out since April. She is eating hay, chaff and hi-fibre pony nuts with Pink Powder at the moment, but am looking for conditioning cubes to keep her going through the winter now. She is a good doer, and will be doing light work throughout the winter (happy hacking). I have looked at Baileys No. 4, which seems to tick boxes, but any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.


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[ycbm]

Why are you looking for a conditioning feed when she is a good doer?

A good doer here would be on forage only and a token feed to get minerals in if in light work.

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[PapaverFollis]

I wouldn't even be able let my good doer look at bag of conditioning cubes without her putting 50kg on! Are you sure she needs them, OP? He current diet sounds pretty adequate.

Maybe just see how she gets on? Ideally they lose a bit of weight over winter anyway...

 

[AdorableAlice]

Might be worth carrying on as you are and seeing if she drops off as winter progresses rather than feeding for something that hasn't happened yet and might not.

In general cobs thrive on good hay and need little in way of bucket feed unless elderly and/or tooth problems.

 

[joanne c]

.[/QUOTE]

Sorry - I wasn't clear before. I was going to replace the high fibre pony nuts with the conditioning cubes and potentially remove the Pink Powder as the Baileys contains the minerals. She has never been without a little hard feed, so I want to keep her topped up during her first winter out as I didn't want her to drop off over winter. Just wanting some advice for planning ahead during mid-winter
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[ycbm]

Dropping off over winter is the natural cycle for a horse. I believe it protects them against laminitis in the spring.

I don't think you should be giving conditioning cubes to a well covered cob, they are meant for poor doers like my TB. If she does drop too much weight you'd be better off increasing the amount of high fibre cubes you use at the moment or give more hay.

 

[Jeni the dragon]

I've got 2 good doers here, both will be on just hay, a tiny bit of chaff and balancer over the winter. They need to drop a good bit as they've come through the summer better than I wanted. Definitely no conditioning cubes anywhere for them!

 

[TPO]

Honestly wouldn't be feeding condition cubes to a horse in light work.

If this winter is as mild as last year then there will still be plenty of sugars in the grass.

Conditioning cubes are usually high in starch and contain ingredients like oat and wheat feed.

Your current regime of feeding high fibre is a much more sensible and horse friendly option.

If grass is in short demand then ensure your horse ALWAYS has access to forage by feeding adlib hay.

If you really want to feed something look at pink mash and/or grass nuts, micronised linseed and an unmolassed alfa and straw free chaff.

For vitamins and minerals look at Equimmins advance complete. @Leo Walker done the maths and it's the highest spec at lowest price (£25 for over a months supply iirc so better value than Pink Powder and higher spec).

Equimmins also do a cubed/pellet version of this so you could use that in it's own for vit/mins if there was no real need for a bucket feed

 

[joanne c]

Honestly wouldn't be feeding condition cubes to a horse in light work.

If this winter is as mild as last year then there will still be plenty of sugars in the grass.

Conditioning cubes are usually high in starch and contain ingredients like oat and wheat feed.

Your current regime of feeding high fibre is a much more sensible and horse friendly option.

If grass is in short demand then ensure your horse ALWAYS has access to forage by feeding adlib hay.

If you really want to feed something look at pink mash and/or grass nuts, micronised linseed and an unmolassed alfa and straw free chaff.

For vitamins and minerals look at Equimmins advance complete. @Leo Walker done the maths and it's the highest spec at lowest price (£25 for over a months supply iirc so better value than Pink Powder and higher spec).

Equimmins also do a cubed/pellet version of this so you could use that in it's own for vit/mins if there was no real need for a bucket feed

Thanks very much for the in-depth explanation. I do feel a bit more reassured now and will look at the Equimmins advance complete too. It's her first winter out completely in a new field, so am just trying to do my homework and monitor her over the next few weeks.

 

[TPO]

Thanks very much for the in-depth explanation. I do feel a bit more reassured now and will look at the Equimmins advance complete too. It's her first winter out completely in a new field, so am just trying to do my homework and monitor her over the next few weeks.

Marketing companies do sterling job of training us that we str bad owners if we aren't feeding! There are even feeds specifically targeting fat horses who definitely don't need fed!

Fibre is your horses friend and as long as they always have fibre trickling through their system this will keep their central heating system going.

Wait and see how she goes living out because, generally speaking, it's much easier to put on weight than it is to lose it.

Horses are also designed to shed weight in the winter. Us keeping them well covered year round can play havoc with their metabolism too.

Enjoy a winter of no mucking out!!

 

[joanne c]

Yes... I am in agreement. I read far too much info on how wonderful products are then and go into overload on info! Will continue with the current regime and monitor. Am definitely looking forward to a winter without mucking out, seeing her adapt through the changes and keeping it as natural as possible. I have really seen a happier pony since being out 24/7! 😊