Pasture mix

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Ehound679

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So I recently brought the Dodson and Durrell pasture mix to add a bit of energy to my pony as he’s a bit lazy. Should I be feeding it twice a day or once? I’ve always fed him once a day so reluctant to feed twice. He’s out 24/7. Opinions please x
 
There isn't enough information to provide advice. What is pony's age, fitness and workload? Was the choice of pasture mix a considered one and if so why did you reach the decision that was best? As Auslander says it is laced with molasses. There are usually better choices. I would be interested to know why this choice?
 
He’s worked 5 times a week and rather fit. I chose this option because his old owner used to use this on him and he went really well and looked fab! I know that’s not a good reason but she convinced me this was a good idea. I am interested to know why all is against this feed? I don’t know a better alternative myself and I’m not most experienced with feed so any help is really appreciated. The molasses does worry me as I don’t wanna over do the sugar intake. But I’m not sure what else to do. Because I also don’t want him gaining weight x
 
I don’t remember saying he was doing hard work. We do a bit of everything hacking, jumping and flatwork. My post is to ask for advice and if your all feel the feed is wrong then tell me alternatives but I don’t understand your point about my horses work load?
 
Ehound679 said:
I don’t remember saying he was doing hard work. We do a bit of everything hacking, jumping and flatwork. My post is to ask for advice and if your all feel the feed is wrong then tell me alternatives but I don’t understand your point about my horses work load?
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Because the feed should reflect the workload. Pardon me for asking.
 
Fibre is King of Feed. Cut the sugar, starch & feed what works for a horse's gut. Good hay, grass & exercise.

Source Dick Vet College
 
Sorry. I think my message came across abruptly. I do appreciate your responses to my post and I do apologise for the way it sounded. I’m just not sure what to feed him.
 
The grass is coming through. I think you'll be fine for energy for a bit. If he's still sluggish, perhaps make sure all is well in other areas. saddle, back etc.
 
Not only is Pasture Mix high in sugar (molasses is the 4th highest ingredient on the list!) it is also fairly high in starch from cereals, containing barley, maize and wheat. Personally I don't think that is an ideal feed when we are advised to aim for a low sugar, low starch fibre-based diet as much as possible. It also sounds like your pony is a good doer (as you say that you are worried about him gaining weight) and high sugar/starch levels can trigger laminitis in such ponies, especially when the grass is coming through fast, as it is now. The other factor with Pasture Mix, is if you are feeding to make sure he is getting his vit/mins, then the recommended amount is 3kg for a 500g animal, which is far too much for a good doer! If you want to feed him something and he doesn't need extra weight, then I'd look at a low calorie balancer or a vit/min supplement.

If he is lazy, then I would work on his schooling to get him sharp off the leg and if you are still struggling with his energy levels then think about getting a vet check. Often laziness can be down to an undiagnosed physical problem - arthritis, sore feet etc. Ironically, some lazy ponies can be suffering from low grade laminitis which isn't enough to make them look obviously lame but can lead to reluctance to work. Owners then ramp the feed up with high sugar/starch mixes to get more energy and make the situation worse!
 
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I learnt my lesson as a teenager about giving hard feed for energy with a lazy horse. My wonderful saintly chap became spooky with traffic but stayed just as lazy. Once off the feed he once again was a saint in traffic. Schooling (of me) was the answer.
 
TGM said:
If he is lazy, then I would work on his schooling to get him sharp off the leg and if you are still struggling with his energy levels then think about getting a vet check. Often laziness can be down to an undiagnosed physical problem - arthritis, sore feet etc. Ironically, some lazy ponies can be suffering from low grade laminitis which isn't enough to make them look obviously lame but can lead to reluctance to work. Owners then ramp the feed up with high sugar/starch mixes to get more energy and make the situation worse!
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I would certainly check if he is OK in his feet, often the first sign of a touch of lami can be 'laziness'. I hope he's fine and just full of grass.
 
If you need more energy from calories feed him oats or oil. I doubt if he needs more food at this time of year, though. Other people have better ideas, above.
 
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I would also ditch the chaff as I am sure happy hoof also has molasses in it feed an unmolassed chaff and a mug of micronised linseed that should give him enough energy without the sugar or starch.
 
If you feel he is lacking something, then why not try a balancer and an unmolassed chaff as a token feed. You'll know he's getting all his vitamins and minerals without overloading him with sugars as the grass is coming through. Even on grass its not a good idea to feed once a day, I was always told a minimum of two feeds interspersed with grazing of hay if stable kept. This is so that you don't get a 'spike' of extra goodies going through the gut all at once.
 
My stock answer is that you cannot feed an already well fed horse for energy not matter what the bag says. More feed especially full of starch and sugar will only make him fatter and lazier. Schooling and fitness are always the answer. If he needs more food go fibre/ oil every time soaked grassnuts in small quantities are a great carriers for supplements and vitamins if needed
 
I have come to decision after hearing all these bad things about this feed that I’m just gonna stick with the chaff and supplements for him. He’s not lazy because he’s in pain. He has always been like this just as he’s getting older I think he finds it harder. Thanks for all the helpful replies but I can assure you he’s a happy pony. :) xx
 
Ehound679 said:
He’s worked 5 times a week and rather fit. I chose this option because his old owner used to use this on him and he went really well and looked fab! I know that’s not a good reason but she convinced me this was a good idea. I am interested to know why all is against this feed? I don’t know a better alternative myself and I’m not most experienced with feed so any help is really appreciated. The molasses does worry me as I don’t wanna over do the sugar intake. But I’m not sure what else to do. Because I also don’t want him gaining weight x
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Sorry honey, his old owner was obviously not very knowledgeable about feeds, pasture mix is top of my hate list for feeds, its packed full of the wrong stuff, the equivalent of human trash food wrapped in misleading packaging portraying it as healthy. A chaff would be the best way to go, just a token handful, he will be so happy with that, you will feel like he is getting a treat and so will he but it won't do any harm. I like grass chaffs like just grass which have no molasses, or there are things like dengi Hi-fi, or happy hoof which has a few nuts in too :)
 
Queenbee said:
Sorry honey, his old owner was obviously not very knowledgeable about feeds, pasture mix is top of my hate list for feeds, its packed full of the wrong stuff, the equivalent of human trash food wrapped in misleading packaging portraying it as healthy. A chaff would be the best way to go, just a token handful, he will be so happy with that, you will feel like he is getting a treat and so will he but it won't do any harm. I like grass chaffs like just grass which have no molasses, or there are things like dengi Hi-fi, or happy hoof which has a few nuts in too :)
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Agree. Mine has soaked speedibeet literally a handful when soaked with a sprinkling of Dengie Healthy hooves, so it carries his camomile & salt. Put it like this, I still have some of each bag left after they have been in since November.
 
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