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horse man

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hi all ,
ive been looking into getting my first horse i now have a stable and a three acre paddock set aside on my own land ,
im thinking of getting a shire as im really into my heavy wieghts ,
im looking for just a sat sunday ride when the weather is good ,

what sort of feed am i looking at per week ?
any help and advice would be great
 
Hello Horseman, and welcome to the forum!

I'd say the best thing to do is contact your local feed merchants, or tack shop to get put in touch with someone who is pretty good at this sort of stuff!

There is sooooo much on the market these days, you might get bogged down with information! If you are looking at a big chap, then more than likely he/she will be a pretty good doer, and a high fibre diet is the order of the day!

One thing I would consider, is maybe a companion or two? either get a little chap to keep the big one company, or a livery in, to help share costs and/or field duties, I'm sure you will be able to section off the paddock into nice small paddocks quite decently, of not already done.

Have you seen any neddies that have caught your eye yet?
 
hello and welcome!

what you feed will really depend on the horse. most heavier horses will do well with plenty of fibre (hay/haylage etc) and grazing, if its only in light work like you're suggesting.

do you have much experience of heavy horses?
 
Hello, and welcome :)
I would look at what the horse is already being fed, and if it looks well, then i'd stay with it, otherwise i'd ring a feed merchent and ask there advise, it's hard to give advise when you haven't got the horse yet, as each has diffrent needs.
Good luck with your search.
 
DragonSlayer said:
Hello Horseman, and welcome to the forum!

I'd say the best thing to do is contact your local feed merchants, or tack shop to get put in touch with someone who is pretty good at this sort of stuff!

There is sooooo much on the market these days, you might get bogged down with information! If you are looking at a big chap, then more than likely he/she will be a pretty good doer, and a high fibre diet is the order of the day!

One thing I would consider, is maybe a companion or two? either get a little chap to keep the big one company, or a livery in, to help share costs and/or field duties, I'm sure you will be able to section off the paddock into nice small paddocks quite decently, of not already done.

Have you seen any neddies that have caught your eye yet?
Click to expand...
thank you for the advice ,
there is so much on the market about feed ,i have my eye on a gelding
 
it might be worth talking to the people at Beamish Open Air Museum in Northumberland, or the Heavy Horse Centre in Cumbria, they may be able to give you more detailed information about owning and riding heavy horses!
 
Hello and welcome! :D

Do you have someone who will be able to help you with the initial purchase and horsecare basics? It can be a real minefield at times (but infinitely worth it once you get it right). If you don't then it may be worth finding a riding school or college who run horse welfare courses?

In terms of the feed question, its really difficult to answer without knowing what the horse is and what it requires. As tinkandlily already said I'd start by looking at what it is currently fed and work from there. The major feed companies (Baileys, Dodson and Horrell etc) all have helplines and are usually brilliant at advising you on a good diet.

I hope it all goes well for you :D
 
horse man said:
hi all ,
ive been looking into getting my first horse i now have a stable and a three acre paddock set aside on my own land ,
im thinking of getting a shire as im really into my heavy wieghts ,
im looking for just a sat sunday ride when the weather is good ,

what sort of feed am i looking at per week ?
any help and advice would be great
Click to expand...

Without wishing to appear harsh, if this is what you are looking for, and you have no experience of horses, *** perhaps *** find a good riding school first? Then if you don't like it, you can stop easily. Also, you might only want to ride at weekends when the weather is good, but owning a horse is lots of work, 365 days a year, and at least half of that year the weather will be s***e.
 
Welcome.
I have a heavy horse, Fany really does live on fresh air. And generally she does not cost much too keep, certainly a lot less than my WB. However they are a hell of a lot of horse if you are not used to handling big horses. Get a nice one and that is fine, but get one who is prepared to throw their weight around and it maybe a bit for the novice owner to handle.

Also they are not always as hardy as people think, especially the Clydesdales and Shires, they need rugging and to live in when the weather gets too bad, Cumbria Heavy Horses, not far from me, keep theirs in a lot in winter. They are not like the native ponies, who can rough it in almost any weather.

Also horses are creatures who like to live in herds or with at least one companion so it is a rare horse who likes to live alone.

Finally get yourself some experience handling/caring for horses.

Good luck and I hope you find your new best friend when you are ready.
FDC
 
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