Sudden epiphany, followed by more doubt

[AutumnDays]

Evening all.

Question: how many of you feed nothing but hay and grass, with free access to a mineral lick?

To gloss over a long and boring backstory full of why's and wherefore's, the thought of "What the heck am I doing?" hit me today when mixing the usual small feed with scoops of this and that supplement added. It basically boils down to me not trusting my judgement, and going along with the advice (or pressure?) of others, and it's of no benefit to me, just another thing to over think, overspend and stress over. Sali is cool with it, she's a Welsh D, she ain't going to refuse food!

So after announcing my epiphany to another, I was met with the whole "you can't not feed and supplement her, she'll stop functioning" etc attitude, I'm now wobbling slightly, thinking I don't know what I'm on about. Will you guys share your healthy, happy, minimum effort equines with me for some reassurance?

Many thanks ❤

 

[SpotsandBays]

My shetland! She doesn’t get any form of hard feed. (Maybe a handful of chaff if I’m feeling extremely nice!)
My 16yrold (edited to add that he’s also part welsh! He gets chunky on air!) also only got hard feed as a token of thanks after riding, but I’ve started him on a balancer so he has that and some top chop zero chaff just to fill it out abit. ?

 

[Michen]

Me, in the summer

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Me all summer and even in winter they only get grassnuts, chaff and a smidge of pink mash, which they don’t really need...

 

[tiga71]

mine just get chaff, hoof supplement, salt. They didn't used to get hoof supplement but have taken them barefoot so think it is helping in the transition. Oldest one gets joint supplement as he is a bit creaky.

 

[Lipglosspukka]

None of mine have had anything but hay so far this winter.

 

[bouncing_ball]

I think if you don’t feed a fortified complete bucket feed at recommended amounts, and your grass snd hay a fairly monocrop a basic vitamin and mineral supplement is a sensible simple affordable thing to include.

 

[Iznurgle]

I feed pink mash and lucerne alfalfa, and he has access to a Gail Horse Block 24/7. He's out 8 hours a day, with haylage while in. He's currently 5yo and in light work.

 

[Mule]

I give mine a token amount of oats for their medicine. Other than that its grass or hay. They have a salt lick and that's it. They are fine.

I know vets have become increasingly wary about horses having unbalanced levels of vitamins and minerals since supplements have become so common. When I first brought my horse to the vet for headshaking, his first question was whether I was giving him supplements.

 

[JJS]

Mine are out at grass all year round and supplemented with hay in the winter. That’s it. Nothing else. They haven’t stopped functioning so far ??‍

 

[fankino04]

My Welsh x is out 24/7 with just hay added in the winter. A few years I added a few handfuls of balancer into it as she just seemed a bit lacking (different winter paddock) and she's always been fine.

 

[AutumnDays]

I think if you don’t feed a fortified complete bucket feed at recommended amounts, and your grass snd hay a fairly monocrop a basic vitamin and mineral supplement is a sensible simple affordable thing to include.

That's a good point, and something I hadn't considered, thank you. Maybe a pelleted version will be a good idea, as it's very much monoculture where she is ?

 

[Red-1]

I have had horses where they simply have hay and no bucket feed, year round. I feed a pelleted supplement (Farrier's Formula or Formula 4 Feet) as a once a day hand treat. I know they are not considered the 'best' supplements, but no need to wash a bucket so all good

Rigsby does have a bucket feed, once a day, with straw chaff and sugar beet, just to add some bulk as he is on such a strict diet of soaked hay and a lami friendly powder supplement.

 

[Lipglosspukka]

I might add that if I was keeping one on a starvation paddock. For lami risk or whatever. So they have slim to no grass and I'm soaking hay. I would then include a bucket feed of a low cal chaff (top chop zero or similar) alongside a balancer. Seems alien to restrict diet and add a bucket feed but I think under those circumstances it's important.

A pony out at grass on normal hay through winter I wouldn't worry. In fact I have one at 16hh who is doing fine on just the hay.

 

[Spotherisk]

Mine are 29 year old retired cob and 6 year old hill pony, both in good health. Until this weekend they were out 24/7 on grass, fed once a day (hill pony had scant rations just to keep h8m busy), Harley had a conditioning feed as he can drop weight quickly now he’s old. They’ve moved to a smaller paddock now, and are getting hay which they really don’t care for now they have new grass! They both look great - well the pony looks too fat tbh.

 

[teddypops]

Me. I have 6 of my 8 ponies living out on hay and grass and they are all looking good. None of them get hard feed in spring, summer or autumn.

 

[gemisastar]

Evening all.

Question: how many of you feed nothing but hay and grass, with free access to a mineral lick?

To gloss over a long and boring backstory full of why's and wherefore's, the thought of "What the heck am I doing?" hit me today when mixing the usual small feed with scoops of this and that supplement added. It basically boils down to me not trusting my judgement, and going along with the advice (or pressure?) of others, and it's of no benefit to me, just another thing to over think, overspend and stress over. Sali is cool with it, she's a Welsh D, she ain't going to refuse food!

So after announcing my epiphany to another, I was met with the whole "you can't not feed and supplement her, she'll stop functioning" etc attitude, I'm now wobbling slightly, thinking I don't know what I'm on about. Will you guys share your healthy, happy, minimum effort equines with me for some reassurance?

Many thanks ❤

Question is (unless there's a back story on another post that I've missed!) how much work is your horse doing, how is she kept, is she a good doer?

Ours live out, in winter they have adlib hay and 1 feed a day. Naff all after about April until October except a lick. We try to keep it simple feed wise, they get a scoop of alfa a oil, a cup of balancer and a cup of linseed. They are in medium work and look great.

 

[Antw23uk]

I joined an interesting zoom call the other night on equine obesity and laminitis, it was really interesting. Once i've run these feeds down my horse will get a balancer and i will save money by not buying anything else other than hay when stabled.

 

[Trouper]

Unless you know your pasture and hay are good (unlikely in all areas of UK), then I would feed a balancer to ensure the right vits and mins. And access to a salt lick if they want it. Other than that I would only feed more if they were doing a lot of work or my eye told me they needed it.

 

[Bernster]

I think your title is very common across lots of horse related things! I’d always feed a vit and min supplement and probably a joint one too. But yes as for hard feed I suspect a lot of it isn’t needed. On livery yards it’s more common though as horses all get fed together. Mine would be v unhappy not to have a bucket feed but his is lo cal chaff to give him something to eat with his supps.

 

[southerncomfort]

Mine get a handful of a low calorie feed balancer all year round.

Thats for a 20 year old welsh cob X, a 4 year old Fell pony and a 14 year old mini shetland.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

My Welsh d youngster gets a balancer year round. Summer he’s out to grass so just the balancer measure soaked with a handful of grassnuts.

in winter he gets roughly 18/20kg of hay ad-lib over the day and two feeds of the balancer measure, grassnuts/alfafa nuts/sugarbeet mixed together and soaked, measure of linseed for coat health and readigrass. Daily He is either in hardstand turnout with his mate or in the field if the ground is hard enough.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Ours have Agrobs haycobs and salt. We stopped feeding cereals years ago because we found that one of our mares was seriously allergic to them and refined sugar. We have used Speedibeet in the past for elderly horses and have fed linseed but one of the current horses seems to be sensitive to it.

 

[Polos Mum]

I haven't bought hard feed in 10 years - since I lost an oldie with no teeth. Four horses - all of which still look like horses to me. Low level riding club completing and long hacks, regularly placed unaffiliated.

I've dabbled with balancers over the years but actually have never seen any difference in coat condition, feet, behaviour (other than one really nervous one who responds well to magnesium oxide) so I've never really persisted.

I had a nutritionist tell me to bring them all in twice a day for a bucket feed of power supplements - it feels like a massive amount of effort for no benefit to me or them so I've not done that.

The thread on here on old photos was really eye opening - so many nicely proportioned ponies when us middle aged folk were kids when hard feed / balancers/ vitamin supplements weren't really invented!

 

[Berpisc]

Mine are on old mixed pasture but are now not ridden. The younger ones do not get feed or vit/mineral balancer the older girls get a senior feed (one is 25 the other is30 ). I base my judgement on their condition and individual needs as well; this autumn they all piled on weight as the grass kept growing late. This winter I am managing steady weight loss.

 

[Widgeon]

My 15.1 cob type lives off hay and grass, and he's out 24/7 save for a few weeks over winter when he's in at night. He gets a handful of alfaA in the morning for his joint supplement (he has arthritis) but if it wasn't for the supplement he wouldn't have that.

 

[Sprig]

Me. They are out all year round. Adlib haylage when the grass runs out in winter. It's what I have done w5all my horses, from TBs to hairy ponies.

 

[huskydamage]

When my horse had good grazing I literally fed her nothing, except a bit of hay in the winter which she generally left in favour of digging holes in the snow for grass! Without that grazing I have to add loads of stuff.

 

[AutumnDays]

Thank you all so much for your replies. To answer some of the questions, she is a good doer, in at night and out in the day on a very sparse paddock at the moment. Being brought back into more work (faffed about with over this miserable season, not really what youd call work as such). Not rugged, apron clipped, fed approx 300g (weighed the scoop capacity) of honeychop L&H, with stroppy mare, mag ox and ACV. Steady weight loss since purchase in March 2020, lost approx 100kg now at ideal body condition score. I was thinking ahead going into spring, as I don't want the learning curve and results of the last year being undone. I guess when you have so many people telling you what you're doing is wrong, and you're at a low ebb, you start to believe it. Thank you all for sharing and giving me a bit of confidence in my decision, it's much appreciated xx

 

[Littlewills]

The thread on here on old photos was really eye opening - so many nicely proportioned ponies when us middle aged folk were kids when hard feed / balancers/ vitamin supplements weren't really invented!

I bet none of those horses were on monoculture tiny grazing paddocks though as is now the norm. Even as litle as 30yrs ago mine were out on 50 acres of old meadow and that wasnt unusual.