Older pony feeds to put weight on

[ELM975]

Hi
I have two older welsh pony’s and looking for some feeding advice ?

Pony 1 - section a Welsh 11.2h (15yrs old) kids pony
Good weight looking to just maintain?
(currently on mash, chaff and pony nuts)


Pony 2 - section b Welsh 12.2h (19years old) kids pony
little under weight and want to put some weight on him however when I give him pony nuts or mix he is too hyper throws a couple of bucks and can get a bit spooky?
(currently on chaff&mix)

Both in light work everyday

What do you think ?

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

If it isn't broke, don't fix it - if pony 1 is good as is then carry on feeding it as is, if pony 2 needs more then maybe add in some linseed. It's slow release energy.

This is just my personal preference - I would take them off the pony nuts and the mix as both feeds are likely full of rubbish, the mash may be too but you haven't said what mash it is that you feed. I prefer to feed straights or as close to one ingredient, low sugar & starch feeds as I can. Do you know how they are with alfalfa?

 

[ELM975]

If it isn't broke, don't fix it - if pony 1 is good as is then carry on feeding it as is, if pony 2 needs more then maybe add in some linseed. It's slow release energy.

This is just my personal preference - I would take them off the pony nuts and the mix as both feeds are likely full of rubbish, the mash may be too but you haven't said what mash it is that you feed. I prefer to feed straights or as close to one ingredient, low sugar & starch feeds as I can. Do you know how they are with alfalfa?

Hi

that’s for answering.

pony 1
is on equerry condition mash/mollichaff/ pegus pony nuts (add garlic and magnesium powder as he can get a little spooky)

pony 2
Dengie alphaa original and a pony mix

yeah this is what I’m trying to do as straight as possible and low in sugar to try and keep them as calm as possible for the kids ridding

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I would say that you are actually feeding them hard feed which is very high in sugars and starch - but if it's currently working for them in terms of weight and temperament then it's not the worst thing in the world if you're happy feeding it. I will only feed feeds which are sub 5% in sugar and starch but then I have a warmblood who doesn't have the best feet and can be a bit of an idiot.

Personally I would remove the Mollichaff - I believe it's sugar content is 16-21% which is seriously high, perhaps Dengie Molasses Free would be a better alternative? It has 2.5% sugar and 1.5% Starch. I would also try the other pony on this as the Alfa-A Original is 10% sugar, which is still quite high..

The Equerry Conditioning mash is 12% starch which is pretty high and 6% sugar.. A good alternative is Speedi Beet which is 5% sugar and trace% Starch (so pretty much none). You may need to feed slightly more of it though. For the pony who needs extra condition you could add in Micronised Linseed or Coolstance Copra (which is a coconut meal high fat alternative).

The Pegasus cubes are also 16% starch and 4.5% sugar - the sugar isn't so bad but the starch which gets converted into glucose I would consider very high. I would cut these out altogether as with the other ingredients you probably won't need them. Or if you want to you could add in Alfalfa pellets at 5% sugar and 3% starch and high in protein if you want to have something else.

If the first pony gets quite spooky have you tried removing the garlic? There are some studies that have shown that it thins the blood, so if the pony has any ulcers in the gut the high starch feed could be irritating them and the thinner blood would then mean they are bleeding also.. May not be the case, but also could be worth a try.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

We have no oldies at but when we did we fed soaked grassnuts, dried grass chaff, linseed and speedibeet if necesssary. I certainly wouldn't feed garlic, it upsets the gut flora.

 

[Pinkvboots]

The foods too rich my Arabs can't have alpha a it sends them nuts, the nuts and mix probably have molasses added and some horses dont cope on that either, you need a low sugar starch diet I would just give him some hay, or if you really need bucket feed a grass chaff or grass nuts and maybe a bit of unmolassed sugar beet.

 

[Griffin]

I wold probably go for a balancer and chaff for both and add micronised linseed for the one that you want to put weight on (pony 2).

In terms of balancers, if your ponies will eat a powder, than Progressive Earth and Forage Plus are really good. If they won't eat a powder (mine wont'), then Spillers are a pretty good spec (and no added iron). Chaff, I can't feed mine alfalfa, so I stick with Thunderbrooks or Honeychop Lite and Healthy.

If you feed a balancer, it is really important to feed the right amount so that they get all of their vitamins and minerals.

 

[moosea]

How much hay do they get? how much work do they do?

I was always taught to up the forage first.

 

[ELM975]

How much hay do they get? how much work do they do?

I was always taught to up the forage first.

They have a night net and a morning net and they are ridden 1 hours a day schooling or light hack

 

[moosea]

They have a night net and a morning net and they are ridden 1 hours a day schooling or light hack

Its probably a good idea to weigh the nets. Up the hay for the poor doer and see where you are in a few weeks. Spring grass should be coming through and that will help.

 

[Equi]

Spring grass will be coming through. Unless pony B is seriously underweight i would be tempted to leave as is.

 

[ELM975]

Spring grass will be coming through. Unless pony B is seriously underweight i would be tempted to leave as is.

This is true won’t be an issue in a few weeks thanks to everyone for the comments great knowledge x