Time to stop feeding the ponies?

[Charla]

My 2 ponies are out in a field that is roughly 5 acres. It has plenty of grass in it. I was feeding the ponies a handful of happy hoof everyday and they were getting hay. However, one is slightly over weight and the other is just right weight wise. I get really worried about laminitis having experienced it with a previous pony. Do you think I should stop feeding the ponies now? Will they be ok on just the grass from now on?

 

[Lippyx]

You know the ponies better than any one else. If you think the spring grass is going to support them OK (which I'm sure it will) then maybe think about cutting out the extra feed. Just monitor them. If they are getting to fat then cut down, if they are loosing weight put them back on it.

Good luck!

 

[frozzy]

During this last week I have moved all my potential laminitics to their summer paddocks and stopped giving hay/haylage as the paddocks have a bite on them. I will start to supplement their diet in a week or so with hay at night. The paddocks are not large, only about a half acre or so and are only used in the summer for the too good doers. I found to my cost with one pony last year that by the time you can see the grass its too late! If your ponies are ridden and fit then the chance of getting laminitis is greatly reduced. Its the mature mares that concern me greatly, in foal as well as the not in foal ones. I have grazing muzzles which I am going to give a chance this year. All my youngstock is still getting haylage daily even tho there are six out on 23 acres. I will stop giving them haylage when they start leaving it in the feeder.

 

[lochpearl]

are they out 24/7? and do you restrict the grazing at all? I would definitely cut out any extras as 5 acres is a lot for 2 ponies. My 2 big lads 1 x ID 16.3 and one ISH 16.2 will only be going on one 1.6 acre field for the summer - the grazing is that lush!! and they will only be getting a balancer and supplements when they are turned out 24/7. At the moment they are having minimal but they are in their winter paddock which is trashed and no grass, plus coming in every night.

 

[AngieandBen]

You need to get them off 5 acres its far too much for 2 ponies and don't give them anything else apart from vit and mineral supplements. They should be able to manage on less than half an acre this time of year depending on how good the grazing is.

My two ( 14.1hh and 12.3hh ) are on a track system and strip grazed in quarter of an acre, this lasts them until October.

Imagine the size of a football pitch, that is approx 1.8 acres, even that is a quite a bit of land