Not feeding the recommended amount, is it a problem?

[marmalade76]

I have a 14.1 riding pony, in light work, out in the day on reasonable grazing for the time of year, not poor or lean, plenty of shine on her coat. She's on good meadow hay but doesn't eat an awful lot of it, never clears it up but will nibble on her straw too. It's good hay, three different sorts (my husband makes it and I feed a variety because I can! Soft meadow hay, coarse hay and the third is in between the two). I've got her on a Dengie complete feed and looking at the bag, I'm giving her a third of the recommended daily amount (split between two feeds) and I really don't think she would eat any more volume wise 'cause she doesn't always clear it up. Should I worry about this, that she's getting enough vits & mins or should the recommended amounts be taken with a pinch of salt?

 

[blitznbobs]

Definitely dont worry about it - i never feed the recommended amount and if i did id have some fat or nutty horses. Most horses dont need any hard feed at all

 

[Cortez]

Good lord, feeding even a fraction of the amounts recommended by feed manufacturers is the reason there are so many obese horses and overhorsed riders. Even when I had hard fit horses in proper fast work I have never fed anything close to that amount.

*the last time I fed hard feed was 15 years ago.

 

[Sossigpoker]

A nutritionist once said you'd need to then swap to a lower calorie feed that you can feed the full amount of.

But personally , I add a powdered multi vitamin.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Many years ago I was worried that I was not feeding enough hard feed compared with the amount the feed bag told me. I don't worry now, i know that if I fed the stated amount I'd have a fat, unfit & well over weight animal. My horses are fit and ready to compete at any time, allbeit we don't compete very much now. We still give them the same amout of feed we qalways have & the work to keep them fit.

 

[Carrottom]

Feed according to work done is the mantra I go by. Few leisure horses are doing enough work for the recommended amount compound feeds.

 

[Lyle]

If she doesn't need the calories, then a balancer pellet can be really useful.