Newbie pony owner. Feeding advice please?

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milliehenry

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Hello! I would be so grateful to receive some advice on what to feed my New Forest pony. He is the first equine I have owned. There is so much information that I have become blinded and confused by it all. At present he is only on grass and hay. I would like to begin feeding him supplements such as garlic & mint and a vitamin & mineral supplement and really would like him to have two meals of hard food a day, but WHICH???
He is 12 years old, has a wonderfully calm nature (which I hope he keeps) so nothing that is going to get him all fizzy! He will only be used for light work. Any advice gratefully received.
Many thanks. 😊
 
Hello and thank you for your response. He is currently out from 8am - 5pm ish. Has a 30 inch hay net mix of hay and haylage overnight. His weight is approx 420 kg and he is 14.hh
Sorry unable to upload photo just now.
 
My new forest pony just has a balancer along side grass - he lives out. He is feed on blue chip native balancer. It has garlic in it already so you won't need to feed garlic or any other vitamins or mineral alongside it.
 
Alongside what SO1 advised, during summer - esp if he's only in light work - you really don't need to give him hard feed during the summer months (balancer aside). It could well give him more energy and pep him up - plus obese horses are more likely to get laminitis.

If you really want to learn the ins and outs of equine nutrition, there is an excellent (and free) 6 week course offered online by Edinburgh Uni through coursera which I would highly recommend. It will give you the knowledge you need.

In the meantime - all us HHO'ers are here to help too! Good luck and enjoy your new pony. :) xx
 
What a great idea Orson! I will definitely look into the nutrition course. And thank you for your advice. I most certainly intend to enjoy my boy! :) X
 
They are fantastic ponies but can be prone to weight gain which is something you need to look out for if your pony is on good grazing. My pony is ridden or lunged every day and still has to wear a grazing muzzle as otherwise he gets very fat.
 
SO1 said:
They are fantastic ponies but can be prone to weight gain which is something you need to look out for if your pony is on good grazing. My pony is ridden or lunged every day and still has to wear a grazing muzzle as otherwise he gets very fat.
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I agree with everything said above, I have two New Forest ponies and they put on weight incredibly easily. They are both just fed a balancer alongside grass 24/7 (Topspec lite - the full fat version of most balancers are far too conditioning, so be careful which balancer you choose). One of my ponies has a problem with ulcers, so her balancer is mixed with a straw chop to help full her tummy up twice a day, my other pony just has the balancer on its own. Good luck with your new boy!
 
Hi Darkwater and thank you for your response. I will take on board your advice and the advice of everyone who has taken the time to respond. I am very grateful!
 
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