How many of you don't feed hard feed during summer?

D

dizzyf

Well-Known Member
Joined
31 January 2009
Messages
294
Visit site
There's an old pony at my yard who has always struggled to keep weight on. Her owners finally got her to put some weight on by feeding her correctly. I haven't seen her for ages because she has been out 24/7 and hasn't been back on the yard (my horses are in different fields). Her owners were complaining that there is not enough grass, because the pony has lost weight "since they stopped feeding her"!!

We have plenty of grass, but even so all the other horses have some hay and hard feed to keep them in good condition. Even my laminitic pony has a small feed to mix in supplements.

How many others of you don't 'feed' at all?
 
Me! Our grass is very good (too good really) and I have 3 very good doers. They are hacked most days, stabled by day out over night and have a small quantity of hay while stabled. With my old boy who wasn't such a good doer I fed him all year round.

All my horses are more than well covered and have a lovely shine on their coats. :)
 
My 7yr old Fell/Dales boy just has to inhale and he's fat! so we dont feed him in summer at all. He is a big big boy and is taken out just about every day and looks brilliant!
My 17yr old mare is given a very small amount of Happy hoof at teatime with devils claw to keep her a bit fitter but she has not been worked for 4wks and looks pregnant!!! both are out 24/7 at the mo and the fields are good.
They both get a hard feed in the winter and plenty of hay, as they are stabled at night.
 
I don't give any hard feed to my good doer in the summer. However, feed should always be adjusted to condition and workload, so if a pony is below a healthy weight then it needs additional feeding. Common sense really!

To be honest though, I have encountered more problems with people who think they still have to give substantial hard feed to animals who are rather chubby, in light work and on good grass! Not every horse needs hard feed!
 
I don't feed hard food unless its necessary and I've never fed in the summer to date!

The thin ones get lots of grass, although I don't appear to have any of those now !! :p

Some are in very heavy work as polo ponies, but only ever get fed at tournaments so I can add electrolytes etc.
 
I never feed in summer (and hardly in winter - good doers - in winter on ad lib haylage) but they do get a supplement each day (topspec light) to balance any deficiencies.
 
I don't, shes managing just fine on grass alone. A little on the tubby side if anything!

She does however have a small handful of Happy Hoof, when I practice loading with her, which is about once a week. I am feeding her inside the trailor so she thinks of it as a nice place.
 
I dont feed mine, fat hairy cob. Re pony in OPs post, perhaps the owners should consider getting teeth looked at ? Old ponies can suffer dreadfully when their teeth are neglected.
 
I wouldn't give hard feed at any time of year if I didn't have a laminitic on supplements (Top Spec Anti Lam).
 
None of mine have hard feed during the summer. If one or more started to drop weight then I'd supplement their grass but at the moment there is no need.
 
My mare currently gets no hard feed, she doesnt need it so whats the point!! My friends spirited pony never gets hard feed at any time of year, if he loses weight he gets more haylage.
 
I have a 2yo Native who lives out 24/7. She only ever gets a token handful of something in a bucket when she comes in for handling/vet etc. (She was born and lived wild on the New Forest from birth until April this year).
She gets the token "feed" just before I turn her back out, as a reward for coming in and being handled. Other than that, she gets nothing.
 
I only feed mine when the grass isn't sufficient to maintain their condition.

TBH if you are paying for grazing you should expect there to be grazing sufficient to maintain basic condition. If the land can't support the horse then the land owner should be supplimenting with hay. If the horse/pony requires more than maintenance the yes feed hard feed.

It really riles me that some land owners get so greedy that they split fields too small to get in more grazers.

You really need up to 2 acres per horse, less for a pony to ensure that you have grazing year round of suitable quantity.
 
All mine get fed all year as their all on supplements of one kind or another if they wasnt i would not feed. As their all to fat for my likeing. They only get a handfull of safe and sound including my eventer who works very hard.
 
normally ours have no hard feed, this is the first year they have had to have hay and hard feed in summer-no grass.
i have a v.good doer though so she gets a handful just to get her vits and mins
 
It so depends upon the individual horse, what age it is, what it's doing, what the weather's been like, and what the quality of the grazing on offer is like. I play it by ear; last year mine did well on grass alone and I didn't feel it necessary to feed anything (not even a balancer) until well into late summer. This year the weather has been very dry for months and the grass is well below the normal quality so I have been feeding Bailey's Lo Cal daily, with Badminton High Fibre Complete Nuggets added as necessary. Other horses at the yard aren't being supplemented this year and their top line and coat condition is noticeably less good than those of the horses being topped up at grass. Some years it seems helpful to feed a little extra, other years it's not necessary.
 
My cob is on lo-cal (I don't class that as 'feed') as he has soaked hay overnight. I am still trying to get weight on my TB so she is still getting 2 x big meals a day.
 
Last edited:
My Skinny TB gets 2x hard feeds a day (Alfa/Sugabeet/Mix/Barley Rings)

I just bought him and he needs to put weight on :)

Allthough I do give him less than his previous owner did because I have far better grass!
 
Me!! I have 4 (albeit 2 shetlands) that are just out on grass. They are out 12 hours approx. on oldish grass, then come into the night field which has hardly anything on it. The Standardbred is still chubby, so def. does not need any extra feed. The 2 shetlands are just right, and Toggs (IDxTB) who has had laminitus is an ideal weight, again with no extra food.
The SB competes SJ and XC, but has plenty of stamina, so will not be getting anymore as yet.
 
Mine don't get any hard feed ever- no need. Theyre on fab grass and although theyre both competition horses (1 baby horse just unaff, 1 BSJAing to 1.20), they have more than enough energy and look and feel fabulous. They have lovely hedgerows and a good mix of grasses to get all they need
 
me! i have a 14.3hh lightweight cob on loan, she is on grass and hay in summer (we have great grazing, she is out all day and ridden for an hour each afternoon) and is fed a basic hard mix in the winter, plus hay i think.

it does not effect her, she was a bit tubby before i got her as she was only ridden half an hour each day, she barely broke a sweat and wasnt at all tired, so now she does break a sweat after being ridden for an hour and has put on more muscle etc and is less tubby!
 
Spyda said:
Well it is though, isn't it really. It's something over and above 'just grazing' and I think that's probably what the OP means.
Click to expand...
I don't think so, it's a balancer so basically a vit/min supplement. He is on soaked hay overnight so needs it to make sure he is getting everything he needs. I class hard feed as chaff, nuts, sugarbeet etc.
 
I don't feed hard feed in the summer or the winter, I have a Shetland, a TB a Newfie and a Dartmoor. In the winter there grazing is topped up with hay and they have access to a Mineral lick all year round. Apart from the Newfie who is a tad overweight at the moment they are all in good condition and living out 24/7.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top