Maintaining weight - adjusting ration

[Orchardbeck]

My 26 yo veteran mare was looking worse for wear in the autumn so we completely revamped her feed ration. She has now gained weight and condition and is looking so much better, I'd like to keep her where she is but worry if we continue as we are she could become overweight. Can someone give me some advice on what I should cut back on as I can't seem to decide?

She is currently getting, twice a day: 1 stubbs scoop Dengie Alfa A oil, and half a scoop dodson and Horrell cushcare. She is given hay, but struggles with it as a sole source of forage so also has two stubbs scoops (dry) soaked fast fibre with one scoop Dengie HiFI molasses free mixed in.

My instinct is to cut down on the fast fibre by half, but I'm scared she'll start losing condition again. We go through bags of it like nothing else!

She has had laminitis in the past which had been related to specific causes (once after the pasture had been fertilised and the other following a colic episode caused by defrosted sugar beet, and we tried to build her up with calm and condition probably too quickly) so I try and keep her on oil and fibre where possible but the cushcare is a relatively new addition - she has been on saracen veteran mix most of the winter.

Anyone care to help me decide what to cut back? Thank you.

 

[Cortez]

I would cut back on whatever is the highest calorific value feed, which would likely be the Alfa A Oil stuff. Feeding is really very simple; if they are too fat, feed less. Too thin, feed more. So if you're worried that she'll lose weight, just add stuff back in when she starts to drop off. Simple.

 

[be positive]

Why don't you gradually cut down the FF and the Alfa a oil, if you do it slowly rather than by half in one go you can easily adjust if she does drop weight, I think I would want to get her off the alfa oil before spring and maybe replace the oil in a different form without the alfalfa.
My thought would be to get her down to a handful of Alfa oil with the cushcare twice a day and over a few weeks reduce the FF to one scoop but be ready to pick it up if she struggles to eat enough fibre or loses any weight. I don't see why the cushcare cannot eventually be given in the FF/ Hi Fi mix if she continues to do well.

 

[Orchardbeck]

Thank you both! Please forgive my baby brain, I'm still in the new mum stage (admittedly for the third time) and can't think clearly!

Obviously the Alfa A oil is the first thing that should be reduced, I keep forgetting that it is really high calorie and not just ordinary chaff.

I guess there isn't much wrong with her eating that much fast fibre, it's just that we seem to go through so much of it as she won't eat all of her hay (she is treated for diastema by the dentist) - she is the same with haylage, it makes no difference.