Pony feed help

[sissa]

hey.

i have a 13.3 connermara x welsh pony.
she is ridden/worked 5 days a week, turned out during the day, stabled at night, with a haynet.
she has one feed everyday. it is after she has been worked. it is -

1 and a half - 2 scoops of chaff
1 and a half - 2 scoops of sugarbeet
1 and a half - 2 scoops of badminton working mix

do you think this is enough/ too much for her?

just interested in what you think.

xxxx

 

[sleepingdragon10]

Seems like an awful lot of food to get in one go

What is the chaff? What's her condition like? Is she a good doer/bad doer/ just about right?
Any chance her feeds could be split?

 

[AmyMay]

Far too much in one feed for a little pony. If you think she needs that much then I would split it between two feeds.

But as to whether she is getting the right amount of feed perse - how does she look and feel??

 

[sissa]

i forget wat her chaff is....

shes in good condition...

i dont really think her feeds could be split - not enough time in the morning!

she is a strong pony, and can be quite full of energy at times, and takes a good workout in the school to get her a bit tired!

it is quite a big feed - shes my loan pony, and her owner is at the same yard, and wants her feed to be kept the same...but she feeds her 15.2hh pretty much the same....! (abit extra sugarbeet and chaff, but not much!)
cheers guys for ur help!
so wat do u rekcon i should do bout her feed? cut it down?
if so, which bit should i cut down (eg chaff/sugarbeet etc)


xxxx

 

[AmyMay]

[ QUOTE ]
dont really think her feeds could be split - not enough time in the morning!

[/ QUOTE ]
No, you feed one in the morning and one in the evening.

 

[sissa]

yeah - thats wat im saying - if i let her hav some feed in the morning, it will add another 5/10 minutes on the morning rush. cos then i got to turn her out!

 

[AmyMay]

[ QUOTE ]
yeah - thats wat im saying - if i let her hav some feed in the morning, it will add another 5/10 minutes on the morning rush. cos then i got to turn her out!

[/ QUOTE ]
Well most of us are in that position - just add another 10 mins on your morning.

 

[Christmas_Kate]

Wow, that's alot of feed in one go!!

If she's strong and fizzy, cut out some of the working mix, it may be too high in energy.
Do remember she's a native and will be more liable to laminitis if you're not careful with feed.

Personally I would give this in two feeds, an added 5 mins in the morning is nothing really.

 

[shellonabeach]

I too am short for time in the mornings - who isn't!

I have found my way round this by changing his rugs and doing his stable around him while he is eating (move the bucket to move him!) in some ways it makes life easier as I can leave the door unbolted while getting haynets / filling up water etc.

Obviously my boy is fine to handle whilst eating.

Edited to say I agree with the above if she is fizzy I would cut out working mix and replace with something less heating such badmingtons high fibre nuggets.

 

[JessPickle]

That seems a lot as pickle is in simular exercise (by the sounds of it) and has a total of 2-2.5 scoops of feed (diffrent types) and he is a 17.1hh cyclesdale x


ETS: Forgot to say he has two feeds a day each with amount above in.

 

[aran]

that is a lot of mix - how much does badminton recommend for a small, native pony?
you are supposed to base a horses diet around the fibre and only add to it if you need to - therefore you shouldnt reduce the chaff - its the mix that should go up or down depending on workload or condition.

you need to split the feed - that is too much at once (even for a large horse).

 

[twisteddiamond]

i echo working round your pony while its eating to cut time of the morning rush thats what i do with my guys
and that amount of food definately needs to be split in two.

 

[joanne1920]

its much too much feed in one go,
quote form Baileys horse feeds
' Divide the total daily amount into as many feeds per day as you possibly can, Keep meal sizes small for optimum digestion and too avoid overloading the horses system. Do not exceed a total of 3.5 - 4 lb (1-2 stubbs scoops) per feed for a horse and 3-3.5 lbs (1-1.5 stubbs scoops) for a pony including additional chaff or sugar beet pulp.'

A 13.2hh - 14hh pony weighing approx 365 kg in light work should be getting approx 1.8kg of concentrate (hard feed) and
5.5kg forage (hay and grass),

A pony getting that much feed at a time is liable to colic and the feed itself will bypass some of the stomach and wont be digested properly.

You need to weight out your feed and see how much your pony is getting, it sounds an awful lot, unless you are using small square scoops? If its the normal round ones, i think your pony is getting abbout 3 times what it should be getting and being a native with spring around the corner, you need to be watching weigh very carefully.

Please get advice form a feed company, i have found both Baileys and Dengie to be very good and after all they employ equine nutrionists to help. also dengie offer a feed service where you can ask them what your pony should be getting alot of companies do, but you really should split that feed down its not doing your pony any good what so ever, if you dont have time in the mornings then either get up 10 mins earlier or see if someone else can watch over your pony and turn out when finished in exchange for a favout to them?
Sorry if you dont like my opinion...

 

[claireross]

Wow thats more than I feed my 16hh Welshie. I would feed the chaff and change to speedi-beet, but I can't imagine a native pony needing anything else, unless it is dropping condition.,

 

[Chex]

Have to agree (but only if they're the big round scoops, if its the tiny scoops tehn might be ok!). I would change the mix. I can see how it will be difficult to change though, if it up to her owner.

 

[sissa]

just to say - her scooop is not the big circular ones....i cant really explain wat the sizing is....

lets jsut say, a hands and a half length, and about 7cm deep?
something along the lines of that :s


cheers guys for ur help, im defiently gonna rethink the feeding situation, and see if i can feed her in the morning...and tlk to candys owner!
xxx

xxx

 

[joanne1920]

Sounds like one someone uses at our yard she refers to it as a goat scoop! about 6 " long plus a handle and about 2.5 " deep? 1 of these equals 1/2 a round scoop i think if i remember rightlt, so 2 = 1 round scoop??

 

[JessPickle]

what a scoop like this?

http://www.farmhardware.com/images/products/small/52/52153.gif

 

[Vicki1986]

sounds a lot.

if she can be fizzy id say change the mix to cubes.

in comparison i have a 13.1 native type WHP, in very good condition and is an exceptionally good doer, she has 2 feeds a day with 3 small handfuls (half a big ronud scoop) of Dengie Good Doer (to keep the nasty sugars etc at bay as she can put on weight easily) and baileys lo cal balancer.
she is ridden 4-7 times a week and is hunting fit. she has plenty of energy on what i feed her and can still buck for england when the fancy takes her!

 

[joanne1920]

Thats what i feed my cob, and he's doing extremly well on it!

 

[rrose]

far to much for 13.3. you need to cut it down so shes only getting a max of 2 scoops allthogether. if your worried she may loose weight put her roughage up.

 

[Boxers]

I have a 13.2 welsh C. He has 2 scoops Happy Hoof (chop with nuts in it) and half scoop 16+ mix (he's 16 yrs old). The Happy Hoof is good for ponies prone to laminitis. He has this amount twice a day. I use the smaller square scoop not the big round one.

When he was younger instead of the 16+ mix he had the same amount of Happy hoof together with pasture nuts. These are non-heating.

Sounds to me like you need to halve his feed and give him it twice a day. Maybe cut out the mix as he is getting a bit 'hot' and substitute it with another mix or nuts.

I am pushed for time in the morning too, and so while he's eating, I fill his water, haynet and skip out around him. By that time he's finished eating and is ready to go outside.

If your pony is turned out alone you could put the feed bucket in the field with him.