Suggested feed for new Welsh sec.D

Jill Crewe

Jill Crewe

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Hi All

I am just about to buy a new horse - he is Welsh Sec.D x Cob and can live out 24/7 but I will probably keep him in a bit over Winter to save the YO's field from getting too messy.

My previous pony (RIP) was also a very good doer and I never gave him any extra concentrate feed - he lived to the ripe old age of 27 on hay and grass and I struggled to keep the weight off him!

So I am not very knowledgable on feed - the chap I am buying is coming from a girl that has had him since early this year - the girl she bought him off had a baby and he was left out in the field pretty much to his own devices for approx 1 year and was in a fairly poor condition at that time - but he looks good now - despite needing a bit of work on muscle tone.

Is there any point giving him any concentrates being such a hardy native? The girl I am buying him off mentioned that she gave him 'calm and conditon' at first.

I know everyone always has different opinions on this sort of thing and I do have other people that I can ask for advice - but was just interested to know what some of you thought :)

Oh I will be using him for a bit of everything - hacking, riding club, flat work lessons and local shows - and he is 9 years old - also he seems to be a sensible laid back type but we will see how he acts when I collect him and bring him to his new home!
 
Congratulations on your new horse!

As the owner of a Welsh D, I would suggest that you probably won't need any concentrates. I only give a little chaff (to hide supplements) and a balancer to keep mine in fine fettle. I use Saracen Slim Chaff or Dengie Hi-Fi Good Doer and Baileys Lo-Cal Balancer.
 
Thanks Flummoxed - exciting times ahead :)

I suppose the thing to do would be to start him off on nothing extra (which I believe is his current status - and he will have enough change to go through for the time being) and then keep an eye on his conditon/behaviour.

I think it's just that a lot of others on the yard have a routine of bringing their horses in for a couple of hours every morning while they have their brekkie - I've never been on a shared yard before so it's easy to be influenced by others and do the same (group mentality I suppose).

Thanks for your info :)
 
If he is in good condition now, then I wouldn't give him any appreciable bucket feed at present. If you find he frets at feedtimes when the others are fed then you can just give a handful of chaff or a few carrots etc as a token feed. Then just keep an eye on his condition throughout the winter to see whether he needs extra calories. But always up the hay first, before giving more concentrates.
 
I have a Sec D x Dales and I gave her spillers lite balancer for vits and mins and if shes in work I give her a feed of topspec turbo flakes and alfalfa before a comp.

Shes on nothing at the minute as not in work and fat on grass. Being brought back into work now and shes still not getting anything as her waistline is still too plump.
 
My Welshie does more than well on hay, grass (limited) and a couple of handfuls of hi fi lite to put an all round vit/min supplement into.
 
I was told by the previous owner of my new Welshie that he has half a scoop of chaff, quarter of high fibre nuts and some kwik beet morning and evening! Thought it was a bit OTT and after reading these comments will defo be cutting him back! He'll be gutted LOL! He does look spankingly good mind you!:):):)
 
thanks for the input everyone. going to follow TGM's advice and play it by ear. starcatcherWilliam your horse will ban you from using this forum when he finds out what you're planning!!

just arranged collection so new horse is coming Sunday! -eek! bye bye disposal income, spare time and sanity! :))
 
katehemyock said:
thanks for the input everyone. going to follow TGM's advice and play it by ear. starcatcherWilliam your horse will ban you from using this forum when he finds out what you're planning!!

just arranged collection so new horse is coming Sunday! -eek! bye bye disposal income, spare time and sanity! :))
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Hehe I know, he will be furious I'm sure! It'll be difficult for me too, because I have to confess, I am a bit of a "feeder" LOL!

Enjoy your new horse! That's what disposable income is for :)
 
After trying out different feed over the years my D has never looked or been so well and she is now fed on Baileys Lo-Cal and Dengie Hi Fi Lite. I am so happy with this combination :)
 
Update on this - once horse arrived on yard we noticed straight away that he was quidding hay very badly and only doing 3-4 poos a day :(

After an extensive teeth rasping session (1.5 hours and still more to do in a few months) 14 days ago - he is still quidding hay (although vet says will take a while for mouth to settle).

So I am feeding him calm and condition (which is what PO fed him but only when she rode) with some chaff in the evenings - and soaked grass nuts with chaff for breakfast and supper. Poor sod hasn't been getting the full benefit of anything he's been eating for god knows how long. He must think he's died and gone to heaven!!! Update from YO last night when doing final yard checks found him stood in his stable holding his empty feed bucket by the handle....


Has anyone else had experience of a horse that was quidding and had bad teeth - how long did it take for them to settle / break out of the habit?
 
katehemyock said:
I suppose the thing to do would be to start him off on nothing extra (which I believe is his current status - and he will have enough change to go through for the time being) and then keep an eye on his conditon/behaviour.

I think it's just that a lot of others on the yard have a routine of bringing their horses in for a couple of hours every morning while they have their brekkie - I've never been on a shared yard before so it's easy to be influenced by others and do the same (group mentality I suppose).
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This is what I'd do - keep it simple. I'd probably feed him some chaff mainly just so I could add an all round vit & min supplement to it. Especially in winter when the grass nutrient value is pretty rubbish. Make sure he gets enough hay and he should be fine. Depends what you do with him though, if you compete and find he doesn't have enough energy then you can think about adding something else like a mix/cube etc.
 
MagicMelon said:
This is what I'd do - keep it simple. I'd probably feed him some chaff mainly just so I could add an all round vit & min supplement to it. Especially in winter when the grass nutrient value is pretty rubbish. Make sure he gets enough hay and he should be fine. Depends what you do with him though, if you compete and find he doesn't have enough energy then you can think about adding something else like a mix/cube etc.
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Thanks for the advice :) unfortunately he's not getting much from his hay at the moment as his quidding is so bad (see previous post)

Our vets are currently offering a package where they have consultations with you regarding weight/nutrition over a 12 month period - so I'm waiting for them to call me back to discuss this. He is getting the goodness from his hay because he is sucking it but he's missing out on the bulk and fibre - I want to do the best for him that I can so think the vet's package will be well suited to me. It's very reasonable at just £30 for a whole year :)
 
My welshie is on a handful of TopSpec lite to hide her cortaflex supplement!
She is prone to being barrel shaped and turbo powered so doesn't need anything else! :)
 
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