Hunters - what are you feeding yours at the moment?

[spotty_pony]

Question in title.

My boy (Appy x) has already dropped some weight so I have just upped his feed as I don't want him losing anymore so close to the start of the season!! Last year, he started looking a bit skinny about half way through the season and I upped his feed a bit late so it took a lot longer for him to regain the condition lost. I only hunt him 1-2 times per month but he puts a lot into it and the weight seems to just drop off him - this is the horse which once lived in fresh air and was Laminitic! Just goes to show what a change of work/fitness levels does to the metabolism!!

At the moment he is still living out 24/7. I have kept him in work over the summer (mostly steady hacking 4-5 times per week) to keep him ticking over. There isn't a lot of grass in his field so he is coming in most days and eating ad-lib hay for 4-5 hours, or being turned out in a richer paddock for part of the day. He is currently being fed:

1 scoop of Hi-Fi Lite
2 mugs of Baileys Lo-Cal Balancer
1/2 scoop of Baileys Topline Conditioning Cubes (slowly increasing this to 1 scoop)
Carrots, Apples, etc

Just interested in what everyone else is feeding their hunters at the moment? Also, just to add - he has been wormed but is due to be done again soon so hopefully that might help.

 

[Goldenstar]

Chopped straw, cup oats ,water of the speedibeet , vit and mineral supp salt.

 

[Shay]

My boy is an Appy too (although thats his colour not a breed - he's an Irish Sports horse by breed.)

He will be hunted every 10 days or so in season and is a competative show jumper otherwise. He is also prone to feed related stressy behaviour.

He gets 1 scoop A&P Power & performance, 1/2 Scoop A&P Cool & collected. 2 scoops Hi Fi and garlic (Although we'll stop the garlic when the flies die off) spead over 2 feeds with about 8 hours day time turn out in a fairly spare field and 4 Kgs hay at night.

 

[L&M]

Grass - mine have held their weight well, have plenty of grass, and are full of energy, so won't be giving any hard feed until they come in at night in Oct.

Have you tried adding oil to his feed, as worked wonders for a new one that came to us underweight?

 

[hunteress]

County COB looks great very shiny hunts twice a week been hacking a couple of times a week in the summer to keep him from getting too fat and he enjoys doing, not just been chucked out in the field for summer as many hunting people do. He is just on grass at the moment but am going to start senior top spec bit of mix today to help his joints, plenty of carrots !! will up it as the season go's on ie; looks and more petrol needed as for petrol needed I give him propel plus which is great, have fun.

 

[Christmas Crumpet]

Grass.

And the odd polo or apple when I remember when I catch her!!!

When she comes in and is hunting every week she will have pony nuts, molllichaff and sugar beet with her joint supplement and vegetable oil. I up her feed or lower it depending on how much work she's doing that week - i.e hunting twice or doing nothing as its too icy.

 

[JenHunt]

at the moment ours are still on just grass, and a bit of haylage when they come in for an hour or two during the day. our grass is thin in the summer paddocks, but will be richer in the winter paddock, we're just waiting for the sheep to come off it!

once they come in they will be on totally ad lib good haylage, then 2 feeds a day, each of 2 scoop alfa a oil, 1 scoop (before soaking) speedibeet and a mug of lo-cal. Tom will get topped up with oats depending on his workload and how he's feeling. Ron won't as he's a loony without oats! Tom also gets no-bute.

if you're concerned about your horses weight I would start adding an oil/fat source. Try Outshine if you're a fan of Baileys, or copra meal, or extruded full fat soya meal. Any feed that is 18%+ of oil content will help. Feed up to a scoop per day.

Alternatively a good mug full of soya or veg oil in each feed will help, but may cause wet droppings.