Supplementary feeds for Shetlands

M

mulberrymill

Well-Known Member
Joined
10 May 2012
Messages
239
Location
suffolk
Visit site
My four Shetlands are all very well covered, 2 of them a tad too well. They are out most days but their paddock is getting very boggy so they are now spending a fair bit of time in an open barn. They only have hay at the moment but feel they need something more, if only for the boredom factor. They really don't need any mixes or anything with molasses, any recommendations or ideas as to what to give them that won't disappear in seconds. Oh they have Himalayan salt licks all the time..

Many thanks
 
To be honest, if they are all healthy adults and you are providing them with good hay and access to grazing I doubt they need anything else! If you are really worried about them being bored I suppose you could give them a few whole swedes to gnaw on!
 
Halleys brix would be about my only suggestion but Id rather triple net hay and slow them down rather than feed extra if theyre fat.
 
Tigertail you are probably right. I just feel so guilty as I give all the big ones their buckets and the shetlands just get a kiss and a cuddle.
The carrot man has started delivering now, so maybe a few chopped carrots as well as slowing down the hay intake. Ive been feeding the hay loose on the ground for them, haynets would be better I think
 
No, haynets would not be better. I should imagine that Shetlands could easily strangle themselves or otherwise get caught up in haynets. Carrots are also a bad idea as they have a high sugar content and will put more weight onto the ponies. Try feeding them plain chopped straw chaff if you feel that they need to be eating more of the time.
 
Buy some decent straw and mix it well into the hay. Cut down the amount of hay (so they loose some weight!) and give as much straw as they will eat. They will spend a significant amount of time picking through the straw for the hay then eventually resign themselves to eating the straw too. ;) You just need to make sure they have plenty of water easily available (i.e buckets right beside them)
 
Stop feeling guilty - there's your answer!!

They don't need anything else - except the fat ones needs some exercise.

Loose hay on the ground in a barn sounds perfect - indoor foraging!
 
Mine gets a slice of hay when grass goes with literally a handful of fibre nuts on top to pick at...albeit briefly.
 
Shetlands don't need extra food especially if they are already well covered. Give them a multi mineral block to lick.

Horses don't get bored in the way we do, they only live for the moment they are in. Give them some toys to play with if you are concerned for their mental state.
 
My mini is out for 12 hrs a day with others - but wearing grazing muzzle then.
At night she is in a tiny paddock (40 x 30 or so) without muzzle, with a field shelter in - there is NO grass to speak of in there - a few leaves & weeds tho....
She is having half a waterbucket of hay tipped into the back of the shelter each night (lasts about 20mins) and 2 buckets of grub a day ;)........

.......consisting of a pinch (I mean a pinch - fits on a desert spoon) of chop & the same again of hi-fi lite - with a thin slice of carrot or apple to garnish & damped with a spritz of water.

She feels like one of the others - we call it 'rubbish-in-a-bucket' for her but it keeps her amused for 10 mins or so in licking it all up :)

She looks like a shaggy rotund yak, tho if I feel under the coat, she is almost the right shape under it all :)
 
My mini gets a small handful of hi-fi lite and a small amount of Spillers lite balancer twice a day and when in has a shetland size haynet.
Out during the day for around 10-12 hours with a muzzle.
 
I'd continue with hay on the floor, mixed with straw to bulk it out. With small ponies who don't need feeds, but are surrounded by others getting bucket feeds, I've always given a spoonful of hifi lite in a bucket so they don't feel left out. And by spoonful, I mean literally that. Daughter has an old garlic supplement scoop as a feed scoop for her 11.1.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top