Never underestimate the power of the ponynut!

[Parkranger]

Upped boy's feed from Sunday to 1/2 a scoop of nuts (instead of 1/4) and then didn't ride Sunday or Monday

Certainly paid for it tonight.......we had a buck, a tanking session (to which I couldn't pull him back due to the insistent shaking of head). To top it all, my bombproof horse was spooky!

Back to 1/4 of a scoop tomorrow

 

[parsley]

The weather and time of year might have added to the ponynut effect!

 

[piebaldsparkle]

LOL

 

[Louby]

Yes ours are the same. My usually lazy boy has got a new lease of life and the pony is acting like a racehorse. A lady a few years ago once said her horses temperament changed with the seasons and I used to think 'whats she going on about!' but shes definately right.

 

[Weezy]

Mines on a scoop of chaff and 1/4 of nuts - thats PLENTY IMO!!!!

 

[Parkranger]

That's what naughty boy was on until the weekend and I asked the YO to up him to 1/2 scoop of nuts (as I was working him quite hard) - and then couldn't ride till today! oooooooops.

 

[horsegirl]

HI,

I always lunge for 10 mins or so if my TB has had a day off as he is so lively and I am not confident enough (or a god enough rider) to handle it. I find it less stressfull for both of us and he gets nicely warmed up so we can get straight on with trot and canter work. Mine gets a scoop and a half of nuts though as still too thin.

 

[Parkranger]

Never need to lunge beforehand normally - he really is usually the most bombproof well behaved boy! Just goes to show what a small diet change can make to a sensitive thoroughbred......

 

[horsegirl]

Mine is a spooky nut!! Worse with a day off though. very good tonight, we are working on canter poles as jumps are just too exciting for him, he would jump the poles too if he could.

 

[Parkranger]

Bloody hell I hate to think what he'd be like on a scoop and a half of nuts.....it makes me sweat just thinking about it.

 

[horsegirl]

conditioning nuts too and sugarbeet - and I wonder why he is so lively!

 

[Parkranger]

Cant you bulk him out on Chaff and hay rather than nuts? I swear they're like rocket fuel to TB's even though they are apparently 'non heating'....

 

[horsegirl]

Well he has 1/3 to1/2 a bale of hay per night and a couple of big scoops of alfa a oil too but even with the normal nuts he wasn't gaining weight, so we moved to conditioning nuts and then added sugar beet 2 or 3 weeks ago and finally he seems to be gaining weight.

 

[_jetset_]

Hannah's 'pony nuts' was something called Herbichop... she has always been a bit of a livewire (before she was pregnant that is) but I fed her Herbichop for two days and I hit the deck twice! She was an absolute loony, LOL!

 

[horsegirl]

That's what we get for buying TBs!

 

[Parkranger]

How about haylage? Is his grass good when he's turned out?

Such a mine field isn't it? I thought that bran was good for bulking out......

 

[horsegirl]

grassis very poor, although a growing a little with all the rain. Couldn't find anywhere that would supply haylage in small enough bales for 1 horse and horseage stuff works out too expensive. Still I think we have got the feed about right now and once he is fat enough I can start to slowly reduce the nuts/sugarbeet until he maintains weight. well that's the idea, I will probably be on here in a few weeks complaining he is too fat.

 

[Parkranger]

Good luck with it.......as long as you don't mind the fizziness then that's all good.

Why didn't I buy a cob?

 

[jess_asterix]

my ponies are on hayledge all day
and 1/2 scoop of chaff and 2 scoops of competition mix twice a day.
these are the big bucket scoop things, they are rather fizzy!! but that is how i like it!!!!

 

[Parkranger]

I don't think I'd ever put a TB on 2 scoops of compeition mix.....I hate to think what would happen! He's just not worked enough for that - everyday but not hard work.