Ponies on grass

Berkeley

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If your pony is out 24/7 on just grass do you use any suppliments/feed/vits & mins or just alow them to live off fresh air? Even if they are good doers......

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
 
Last year i was giving my 2 ponies a small feed a day with a little garlic added. I haven't given hard feed since April as they were too big and i won't feed over the winter until i think they may need it. They are out 24/7 on plenty of grass all year round.
 
My fatty just gets a handful of chaff or nuts to keep her quiet whilst the others are fed. If you were feeding by the text book then you would give a vit/min supplement in case there were nutrients missing from the pasture, but I'm afraid I don't bother with that!
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Ours get nothing
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Even when competing hard Pip gets nothing (ANd he isn't an amazing doer- but I have to keep him on good grass, the others are fatties and are in tiny poor fields.)
 
T lives out un-rugged 24/7 in the summer without being fed much and he gleams
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He has a literally a handful of cherry chaff and a handful of Spiller's Conditioning Cubes every time he's ridden (5-6 times a week), plus slightly bigger feeds for dinner & breakfast if he's kept in overnight, but that's all.
 
Mine have always lived out (except now when 1 of them now lives in the yard), have always fed them a hard feed daily as I dont believe grass has everything (areas lack specific minerals etc.). My 2 old ponies get speedi-beet, alfa-a and an all round vit & min supplement.
 
I use Simple Systems Total Eclipse as a supplement for mine - mixed with water in a sandwich bag until it forms a ball so no need for bucket feeds and for one I add a clove of fresh garlic as he won't eat garlic in powder form but loves to crunch on the clove?????
 
I would give my pony nothing as he is a good doer but as he has a anti fly supplement in the summer and a breathing supplement in the autumn as he has an allergy he has a bit of good doer chaff to mix it in.

I would actually like to him a bit more food as he loves his grub but he would get huge!
 
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