Low cal balancer

[fankino04]

I have a Welsh x mare who is not ridden and lives out 24/7, she is an extremely good doer and normally we use winter to reduce her weight a bit so when she puts on a few pounds in the summer it's not too bad. YO has just moved us to the winter grazing which is a field that was thoroughly trashed last winter and she hasn't done anything to help repair it so the grass is very poor and lots of weeds. Given her weight I'm happy for her to be on poor grazing but was worried about her getting enough vits and minerals and wondered if a balancer was a good idea? Can I feed it on its own? Which low cal would anyone recommend?

 

[Fjord]

I feed Feedmark's Slim Aid. You only feed a very small amount and its pelleted so can be fed from the hand as a treat.

 

[BlackRider]

Thunder brooks base mix or daily essentials are quite good.

 

[eggs]

When I was a kid many, many years ago balancers had not been invented and a retired native pony living out would not have been given any hard feed. If you really want to feed her something you could try a vitamin and mineral supplement such as Dodson & Horrell with a little chaff as a carrier.

 

[fankino04]

Thanks guys, yesterday I found her eating her field companions poo (insert vomit emoji) so guess I was right that there is something lacking in the grass, I've ordered her some of the slim aid and see how it goes.

 

[Cortez]

Thanks guys, yesterday I found her eating her field companions poo (insert vomit emoji) so guess I was right that there is something lacking in the grass, I've ordered her some of the slim aid and see how it goes.

Poo-eating does not mean there is a deficiency. The instance of vitamin or mineral deficiency in horses is vanishingly small and it is highly unlikely an otherwise healthy overweight animal needs anything at all.