SW3
Well-Known Member
Having recently moved house across the country I have just moved livery yards from a place I had been at for a long time years with various horses. My youngster has come with me to the new place. He is on full livery as I work full time and quite long hours. I was very spoiled at the old yard and didn't really need to think about what he was fed (to be honest I'm fairly ignorant on feeding, but rapidly becoming less so...) as my friend ran the yard and my horses always had the best and were in fantastic condition although perhaps they were slightly overfed if I'm honest.
IN the new place my boy is being fed twice a day (it was once but I asked them to feed him twice a day as I think that is better) with one scoop of chop, plus a quarter scoop each of barley and beet, plus carrots that I add in. He has hay when in the stable but he is probably not in for more than around 3 hours a day at the moment (when he comes in for me to ride and to have his hard feed). The rest of the time he is out, but there is very little grass in his new paddock and the yard owner is not putting hay out in the field. I ride him probably 4-5 days a week but only 30-45 mins at a time on average as he is a baby. He is a 16.1hh TB and a pretty good doer but is used to plenty of grass and hay / haylage in the field if and when there is not so much grass on the fields or the nutrition level of the grass is low. My question is whether you think what he is having now, is enough, on the basis of what I have told you about him and what he has been fed before???
The other horses at the yard look healthy enough but to be honest some of them are a bit skinny for my liking (although not all). I don't want my boy to lose condition or be hungry, especially since he has always been fed fairly liberally in the past. [NB I am aware I need to learn much more about feeding asap!] What do you think? Feeding gurus please help!
[Sorry, this is a bit long! It seems I have gone off on one a bit....]
IN the new place my boy is being fed twice a day (it was once but I asked them to feed him twice a day as I think that is better) with one scoop of chop, plus a quarter scoop each of barley and beet, plus carrots that I add in. He has hay when in the stable but he is probably not in for more than around 3 hours a day at the moment (when he comes in for me to ride and to have his hard feed). The rest of the time he is out, but there is very little grass in his new paddock and the yard owner is not putting hay out in the field. I ride him probably 4-5 days a week but only 30-45 mins at a time on average as he is a baby. He is a 16.1hh TB and a pretty good doer but is used to plenty of grass and hay / haylage in the field if and when there is not so much grass on the fields or the nutrition level of the grass is low. My question is whether you think what he is having now, is enough, on the basis of what I have told you about him and what he has been fed before???
The other horses at the yard look healthy enough but to be honest some of them are a bit skinny for my liking (although not all). I don't want my boy to lose condition or be hungry, especially since he has always been fed fairly liberally in the past. [NB I am aware I need to learn much more about feeding asap!] What do you think? Feeding gurus please help!
[Sorry, this is a bit long! It seems I have gone off on one a bit....]
