Should I introduce hard feed?

[BeBopTalulah]

My 4 year old cob mare (15.1) is just starting light work. By light, I mean about 40 minutes of lunging split into 2 sessions every day (some days it's only 1 session if I'm at work), and perhaps a half mile walk down the road in hand. I try to work her every day, with one day off. She is definately a good doer and has never had any hard feed. She is also overweight. I want to know if I should be giving her some hard feed or supplements? Perhaps keeping her off the grass during the day and turning her out at night? I've read a couple of dubious articles, mostly from supplement manufacturers stating that grazing provides sufficient calories, but not enough vitamins and minerals. Is this the case? I wonder then how wild horses manage! All I want is for her to lose weight, become fitter and be healthy. I also don't really want to increase her lunging work because I think it's quite mentally challenging for her if not physically, and she's still learning.

N.B This may seem like a very elementary question, but I've had hardy natives all my life, and have only ever supplemented with hard feed during old age or illness, or when they've been in hard work.

 

[Echo Bravo]

If she were mine, I wouldn't both with the hard feed as she's doing more than well, weightwise. you could try stripgrazing, if you want to monitor her grazing.

 

[BeBopTalulah]

Haha, yes, she has no problems keeping weight on!

Yeah, I thought about getting an electric fence kit and keeping her in a small section. I also have a 'grazing muzzle', although I really hate to use it. I think it's like showing someone chocolate cake, but not letting them eat it! I'd rather keep her in and let her graze free for a few hours.

 

[Miss L Toe]

Wild horses manage, well they do, but it can be the survival of the fittest, but also they are free to range, and will cover many miles in a day to browse the plains, where they are able to get wild herbs and native grasses, while our horses are usually in restricted man-managed grazing: the grass species are less varied, and there may be less herbs.
Now manufacturers may over promote many products, however they have used a scientific basis to cover all essential vitamins and minerals which horses need for maintenance and growth plus exercise, as owners, we are artificially managing our horses, and asking them to do more than just wander the plains, also we want youngsters to grow at a steady rate so that we can put them in to work at a certain calender age, in your case four years old.
In the wild few horses would be overweight because they would be ranging and browsing as they go. so it may be in the horses interest to be restricted in its grazing time if we cannot replicate its natural environment and control its weight that way.
My horse is coming back in to work after six months off, he is a bit overweight as he has had 24/7 access to grass! He is now in his stable four hours per day with a small [soaked] haynet and has a feed of one pound of Molasses free chaff [oat straw, hay, alfalfa , and herbs] with a supplement of seaweed [mins and vits] and cooked linseed [oils] and magnesium calmer [minerals, and herbs ], this may seem excessive for the work he is doing [40 minutes light work], but in his case, I am feeding for healthy hoof growth, perhaps I could have avoided these supplements, but I will have to wait four months to see if the hoof quality is good enough for barefoot riding, so I don't take the risk.
so in answer to you question, "should I introduce hard feed, well it depends [:lol:], as he is overweight to me this is number one priority, number two is to give him a small feed of chaff with a regular supply of vitamins and minerals, if he is obviously in tip top condition [skin and coat] then it is not essential as he is only doing 40 minutes light work, but once he is asked to do more, he will need more. some horses are so full of energy and are good doers they only need the vits and minerals [can be provided in a lick] no need for hard feed as such.
Re the content of grass [the green stuff], the sugars are the main problem for horses, they love the taste and eat too much, tbh the sugar content is highest during the day, so given the option, I would stable during the day, leave with a medium haynet of soaked hay [sugar reduced].
I don't lunge very much, it can place stains on the joints, I prefer long reining, which means we both get fitter, and get out and about to see new things, the shared experience helps when you come to back your horse, as you know her better, and she you, use voice commands and you have another aid!

 

[unbalanced]

If I were you I would either muzzle or go with the suggestion about strip grazing to help your horse to lose weight.

Personally I feed a balancer to make sure that my horse is getting her vitamins and minerals. I feed Blue Chip Lami Lite because mine is a laminitic so I like that there is a good hoof supplement in it but there are lots of cheaper options out there. Most of the feed companies do them - for example Spillers do a diet balancer which is about 7.50 a month I think or alternatively you could give a handful of hi fi lite with a broad spectrum supplement like Equivite in it. Just make sure that anything that you feed is diet and keep it simple. I think the key is to think of supplementing rather than feeding when you have a fatty native

Also as you are trying to get your horse to lose weight it might be an idea to soak your hay for 24 hours prior to feeding. Just be aware that this removes the vitamins as well as the calories so it is even more important to supplement.

 

[BeBopTalulah]

Thank you, yeah I think I will keep her in during the day for a while and turn her out at night. She was turned away for about a year there on some moorland near our stables. During that time she had miles and miles to roam, and lots of different vegetation, whereas now she's in the paddocks where the grazing is more limited.

 

[Jesstickle]

You could just chuck her a mineral lick in the field and carry on as you are. That way she has a choice over her intake. I have two TB types and neither get hard feed or supplements as such. I am off to get them a lick when the shops open as they are both licking the soil! I am not terribly precioius about them, Im sure they think thyre mistreated. Neither have seen a bucket for months.

 

[BeBopTalulah]

Im sure they think thyre mistreated. Neither have seen a bucket for months.

Haha! Well Lu hasn't seen a bucket for a very long time either. We also have a strict 'no bucket near the fields' policy after a girl rattled one in a field of 8 horses while catching up her gelding. Needless to say, they were all very surprised and delighted to see one! The bucket is not always your friend.

 

[TBB]

You could just chuck her a mineral lick in the field and carry on as you are. That way she has a choice over her intake. I have two TB types and neither get hard feed or supplements as such. I am off to get them a lick when the shops open as they are both licking the soil! I am not terribly precioius about them, Im sure they think thyre mistreated. Neither have seen a bucket for months.

All the ones we have are out 24/7 on good grazing with ad lib access to a bucket lick ( it is taken out when the cows go in as they will clean it in an hour) and they are all in good condition. This is the way they are always treated at this time of the year and they are all Tbs. One a 3yo is coming in during the day and doing a bit on the lunge and getting a bit of education ( breaking gear and bits etc.) nothing too strenous and as a reward she gets a handful of chaff and a handful of Alfa A (just because I had a bag in the feed shed!) she looks great on it and is just happy to be getting a feed!!

 

[Jesstickle]

TBB, maybe I'm not as mean as I think I am then My 3yo comes in to be lunged occasionally. Do you know what she gets for her efforts? 2 spillers meadow herb treats lobbed onto the floor of her box! Because I don't like to feed by hand. She seems happy with that though