Talk me through Winter feeding for the good doer?

[Fjord]

My mare has a lot of supplements for her arthritis and sweetitch, but it's all mixed into oat straw chaff, so she can get a full scoop without many calories.

 

[chestnut cob]

Hay, mineral lick....that's it.

This, pretty much. If the horse if overweight, which is what you said in your OP, I wouldn't bother with hard feed. Put a salt/ mineral lick in the stable and give hay. The only time I would bother with hard feed for a fattie is if they need a supplement for some reason - and I mean *really* need a supplement, like daily bute, not a cleverly marketed supplement that actually doesn't do anything and is just jam packed with filler and no active ingredient. Then I would feed the supplement in something like Safe & Sound, a tiny amount of.

 

[Carrots&Mints]

My section d is on average qualifty haylage at the moment (its not the best at the momemtn using end of last years up) good scoop of speedy beet, 2 cups of blue chip and and mollichop calmer, hes lost a lot of condition over the past few months as the grass has nothing in it so feeding him up and working him at the moment and then once hes at the correct condition will be lowering what Im feeding. Going to be switching over to Saracen feed over the next week though.

 

[Deseado]

In winter my good doers get hay (soaked). That's it.

 

[Annagain]

My two won't eat chaff on its own so their token feed for this time of year is a hanful of happy hoof/healthy hooves/safe and sound (whichever's on offer!) Neither have ever had lami but it seems to be a good feed for good doers - enough little nibbly bits to keep them interested but low sugar and low cal.

Once winter comes if they need a bit extra (one still just got a hanful of happy hoof last winter), they get fast fibre, molasses free chaff (more for bulk than anything so they take a while to get through their feed when they're in - one will even leave it half way through and go back to it later if he's full) and 1/2 scoop of cool mix.

I assume at 3 you're not riding yet? If so, I'd leave him unrugged at least at first. It's much easier to add a rug if he starts to lose a bit than to take one away once he's wearing one (emotionally for you anyway!)

 

[sparkeyhorse02]

Unfortunately I don't have access to grazing in winter so mine are in a lot longer than I'd like, I feed haylege (would prefer to feed hay but I have more than 4 and it works out cheaper)

If he's only in at night you could mix his night hay net with some straw as this won't promote weight gain (check your supplier though as some straw might) then this will last him longer and keep him warm.

I give mine a minimal amount of hard feed just to boost vitamin intake etc, they come out of the winter safe to go back on grazing and then come into winter ready to tackle the cold nights with a little bit of extra fat

 

[JoClark]

Balancer, Saracen and Top spec do good balancer, or baileys lo cal.

 

[GinaGeo]

When my welsh D x TB was a three year old, he was stabled overnight and we didn't rug him at all over winter. He had half the recommended amount of Spillers Lite with a handful of chaff, just because my other two got feeds. He got ad-lib hay but as a non greedy horse he never ate that much.

He's in full work now and whilst a good doer, doesn't live off fresh air, and is a really easy horse to keep in the right condition.