I am a tad confused......

S

scotsmare

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 May 2008
Messages
9,331
Location
Scotland
www.creativewritingforaliving.co.uk
I need to 'tweak' my girls feeds for separate reasons. They are currently fed the recommended rate of Winergy Growth but it's clearly not enough for them calorie wise at the moment.

I did speak to Winergy but their recommendations got me thinking that there was perhaps a better way to be doing this
wink.gif
I'll tell you after a few suggestions what they 'recommended'
blush.gif


So diet suggestions for the following:

16.1 Warmblood mare, 4yrs, currently being backed and needs to fill out / finish growing. Currently stabled most of the day with ad lib haylage. Plenty of natural 'fizz' so doesn't need rocket fuel to add to it!

Yearling warmblood filly to make 16.2hh, currently looking ribby due to growth spurt and adjusting to being out 24/7. Grass not brilliant but ad lib hay in field. Edited to add - I want to take her showing this summer so needs a good 'cover' but I don't want her fat!

Both are currently fed twice per day.

Suggestions
confused.gif
 
I'm not sure about the 4 year old, is she under weight or just needing to build muscle? I would probably go for a balancer like top line to mix with the normal feed to give her a bit more shape.

As for the yearling I'd be keeping it as fibre based as possible, don't want to feed them heavy concentrates when they are still gorwing. We used to take the babies off stud mix at around 9 months and just give them fibre cubes and chaff/alfa. I've seen a few WB foals that were fed high protein diets as they were under weight and went onto have issue with their feet.
 
I would suggest high fibre diet (Alfa A or similar) and avoiding concentrates with either of them for reasons already cited above. Oil and a vit/min supplement in their diets will also help and will boost coat shine for showing
smile.gif


My 4yr old was on calm & condition, alfa and a broad spectrum vit/min supplement. I have recently removed the calm and condition as he doesn't need to get fat. Now he has handful of Alfa A, daily dose of vits/mins, a glug of oil and chopped apple/carrots for interest
smile.gif
 
I didn't know that about Wineregy, everyone I know feeds it with other stuff so I assumed it was like any other mix. I generally feed straights, not a fan of fancy science based feeds. Oats, barley and molichop have nevr failed me yet
laugh.gif
 
Not sure what to suggest about your 4 year old other than to add something like calm and condition but be aware that it is rather high in starch so can fizz up some horses. But with your yearling maybe a change as mine didnt get on with Winergy at all so she gets chaff, pony nuts, BoSS, small amount of calm and condition just to mix it and is well covered, all of mine live out 24/7 with field shelters my yearling stands at 14 hh so I dont know how that compares with yours?
 
I've now spoken to Baileys who have devised 'diets' for them both - 4 yr old's to get cubes and alfa oil, yearling (who is standing 15hh) is to get stud cubes and stud balancer (she won't eat 'lots' of feed which is why she isn't getting on with the Winergy).

Winergy wanted to add 2 kgs of stud cubes to their base diet of 3kg per day for my yearling - she just physically couldn't pack it all in!! She's already at the end of her enthusiasm on the 3kg per day without adding more.....

Yearling is out 24/7 unless weather is manky (ie v. windy / rainy) then she comes in.
 
I would go for soaked whole oats - will add condition without any fizziness - promise!! The horses love them and will eat them no problem and at £5 or 6 a 20kg bag way cheaper than anything else.
smile.gif


We use them on ours and just add handfuls of alfalfa and speedibeet - bear in mind I am no longer the bravest of riders (advancing years!!
wink.gif
) and have a strong coblet who goes of her head on any mix
crazy.gif
and ride out with my neices on their ponies - we have no need for extra fizziness and ponios wiggling off for a laugh!!
blush.gif
Haven't needed to give them to my wb as he has been on a diet (RI called him v well covered before laughing.....) but I can promise there is no extra fizziness!!
smile.gif
 
Lol, hun, if you go by what the bags say, our horses would have to be standing eating their feeds all day long
blush.gif
. To get the 'right' amount of No. 4 into the Dizzy one, I'd have to feed her three times a day, with just the No. 4, never mind the rest of her feed!

Dizz will now eat one feed a day. To get her to eat any more, I have to keep her in and leave the feed down for a couple of hours.

Ho hum.
 
We find grass nuts work really well for putting/keeping weight on.
We haven't had youngstock for a very long time but our old ladies have always benefitted from grassnuts, sometimes mixed with calm & condition. We did have one who couldn't tolerate cereals or sugar but she kept her weight with grassnuts or alfalfa nuts. The beauty of them is that they are easy to digest, can add supplements/medication as necessary and very few horses are intolerant of them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top