Tell me about oats please..

[Angelbones]

Are they the devil's work or worth a go?...

We've just finished 4 days at pc camp with my daughter's pony and he really needed more energy (he was certainly fit enough for the job).

He is a lovely well mannered pony who doesn't take advantage and isn't a fizzy type, and certainly doesn't need to add condition or weight but does seem to need more 'oomph'. A couple of people at camp suggested feeding oats. I was told by his previous owners (hunting yard) that they fed him oats or whatever they had in the feed room. He has a soya allergy so it is difficult to find him nuts / mixes but he is currently on Alpha A Lite and Spillers Horse & Pony nuts. I could just up his intake but he isn't really a food oriented pony and leaves his feed if I give him much more than half a scoop of feed in total.

Thanks guys x

 

[Chico Mio]

I feed oats. Just ordinary oats. I do soak them for 36 hours before I feed them usually, as I want nutrition but not ooomph. If I require a bit more whizz I substitute about half a scoop of straight-out- the -sack dry oats. Put it this way, I forgot to put any in to soak the other day and they had to have just dry oats in their feed. Yesterday MoM (22 yo) was unaturally full of beans and ran off round the village when being turned out and a neighbour commented that she had plenty of energy for an old mare!

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

AB, I'd give one of the reputable feed advice lines a ring. Some neds are just mega laid back - it's often what makes them such safe, well mannered rides. Just stuffing more calories into your ponio won't necessarily give him more oomph at all and depending on a host of other things, could at best make him edgy and unhappy and at worst could bring on a laminitis attack.

 

[Madasmaz]

I use Dengie naked oats for added ping, but only in very small amounts...you need to start feeding them a couple of days before you think you will need them and start off low..there is not much effect with my pony in the first 24 hours, but after 48 hours it seems to kick in.

 

[PapaFrita]

We feed straight oats and alfalfa. The whole yard is on them, and do fantastically well on them. I don't think they ARE particularly heating. Certainly PF, who is very buzzy, is no hotter than he was on mixes in the UK. I don't think I'll ever feed anything else. Love oats

 

[Angelbones]

BoF: thanks for that advice - I'll call someone tomorrow. I hadn't thought about laminitis, and that would be a concern for this pony who does carry weight easily. x

 

[dwi]

Daisy is on oats and I certainly think they have helped her get a teeny bit of extra oomph. She's a very good doer but I haven't found they have put weight on her at all.