Shetlands grazing and feeding

Topaz Tiger

Topaz Tiger

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Hi ok a bit of background.
Last weekend I brought a 2 & 3 year old pair of Standard Shetland fillies. They are primarily to keep my 2 mares company, but I also thought I would break them to drive when they're older, for a bit of fun, plus the work would obviously be good for them.
They were quite slim when they came to me and are on approx 1 1/4 acres of poorish grazing. Which i will prob reduce at the w/e as i am mindful the grass is starting to grow. I am keeping an eye on their dropping and there doesnt seem to be much grass coming through yet. When my 2 mares come home, they will eventually all go in together.
I just wanted to pick people's brains about what to feed them, the breeder says all they need is a salt lick, but I am aware they're still growing, so wondered if they needed something more, but don't want to overdo it.
Also grazing wise, I don't want to have them on a tiny postage stamp overgrazed area, but how strict do I need to be?
Any advice experiences would be much appreciated, so I know how tough I need to be, before they get huge....! :D
 
Just a mineral lick old block type will be fine! Thin, perhaps worm them? Always worm my horse before I move him or when I have had a new horse arrive.

Good idea to chop the grazing in half if they start to get fat etc. I always think if the head of horse is down they are eating something! They will search out a blade of grass(& its good exercise). Horses foraging is normal, I had a problem with good doer spending the day nimbly picking leaves off the Hawthorn hedge!
 
A great shopping place for all things mini is Dinky Rugs - tackandturnout.co.uk
They do fab grazing muzzles should the need arise, but also training equipment for little horses (I have their roller and side reins etc), plus everything else you could need.
As for what to feed, in the spring, summer, as suggested a salt/mineral lick (don't get Lickits, my Shetland will eat a while one if given the chance)
In the winter my Shetland used to get a handful of Dodson and Horrell Safe and sound, and a bit of sugarbeat, but all he's had are carrots this year as he's on Hayledge due to a dust allergy.
Have to add, mine is stabled at night all year round as per our horse so your regime / feeding will differ to mine
 
Our Shetland has been turned out with the big boys over winter when they have been stabled at night she has been on the yard so she is not on her own - she's had a bit of hat each night & a tiny bit of happy hoof - that is now getting even smaller - I did try & keep her separate last summer but she wasnt happy ... And she can go under the electric fencing - did put a grazing mask on but she takes that off as well !!
 
My shetties never had hard feed, just a lick. They were out in a 4 acre field 24/7 and had a grazing muzzle on if they started to get porky.

Loved my boys, looking forward to having my own land so I can have more. My current rental agreement states no shetlands!
 
Hi indie999, thanks for that, don't think they're wormy, as they were wormed in January, plus breeder says she let's them get lean over the winter, so they don't get too fat over summer. Don't have wormy looking bellies either, but will obviously worm count them etc :)
 
I have 2 little monkeys and love them!

They have a well fenced 1 acre paddock that I never split/rotate, so the grazing is always kept 'poor'. This does them fine and gives them plenty of space to forage, and re-inact the shetland grand national when the mood takes them!

In the summer they get no feed or supplements.

In the winter they get a handful of chaff once a day and any hay/haylage scraps from the stabled horses.

They seem fine on this.
 
Be very, very careful with them. Shetlands can survive on thin air and once they get fat, it's really hard to get it off them. I am trying to resist the urge to go to the shetland auction at Reading next week. My husband says I can't have another one !
 
As a stud, we always advise that people do feed their shetlands, even if they are plump - all grazing is deficient in something, and we feel it is important that they get all their vits & mins. All you need at this point tho, is a good vit/min supplement with a handful of straw chaff - not much in calorie terms, but good for their health.

While agreeing that shetlands do need their grazing restricted, do be careful how restricted - especially while they're still growing. But even for adults, restricting too far can be dangerous, leading to a risk of ulcers & other gut problems, as there isn't enough food going through. Keep an eye on how many droppings they do - if it starts to drop, either give them a little more grazing, or give them some hay which has been half soaked to death! That will give them something for the gut to work on, without adding too many calories.
 
varkie said:
As a stud, we always advise that people do feed their shetlands, even if they are plump - all grazing is deficient in something, and we feel it is important that they get all their vits & mins. All you need at this point tho, is a good vit/min supplement with a handful of straw chaff - not much in calorie terms, but good for their health.

While agreeing that shetlands do need their grazing restricted, do be careful how restricted - especially while they're still growing. But even for adults, restricting too far can be dangerous, leading to a risk of ulcers & other gut problems, as there isn't enough food going through. Keep an eye on how many droppings they do - if it starts to drop, either give them a little more grazing, or give them some hay which has been half soaked to death! That will give them something for the gut to work on, without adding too many calories.
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Ditto. Mine are off grass and yarded and fed soaked hay much of the time as one is laminitic. Minerals are very important to all horses and often blocks and licks don't cut it.They need enough roughage going through them.

Re droppings apart from monitoring amount I don't find they change much in consistency in Shetlands like they do in bigger horses, no matter what they eat. The only time I've seen splatty poo from a Shetland was when one was sick.
 
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Thanks varkie and amandap. Did wonder about whether their droppings would change. Got them an old fashioned mineral block, plus a salt lick, but their not too interested in the mineral lick. Will get a supplement and some straw chaff tomorrow. Have just moved their electic fencing, to create a track system around the edge of the field, so they have plenty of space to move around. They're are doing plenty of droppings at the moment, grass is poorish, and i am not planning to fertilise it for the time being, so hopefully it is the right size area, but will monitor things. :)
 
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