Track systems & hard feed

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heth1986

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Evening,
Sorry if this has been discussed previously, I have done a search but can’t find my answers!
I have 2 ponies (Welsh A’s) who live on a track system at my home. It is unsurfaced and relatively, although not entirely, grass free. There is a good length of hedging, mainly hawthorn, hazel, elder, brambles and nettles that they enjoy foraging in and they are fed ad-lib meadow hay.
They both seem happy, healthy and relaxed, they are ridden 3(ish) times per week and have good (bare)feet.
My question is about hard feed, should I be supplementing their diet / adding a balanced at all?
I was attempting to give some “calm healthy horses” supplements last year but one of them is so fussy he just wouldn’t accept it and I ended up adding all sorts just to try and get it down him. I gave up before winter and they’ve just had hay and a salt lick ever since.
I’ve recently been looking at thunder tools muesli as an option, it sounds tasty and might be a good compromise but I’ve also read very mixed reviews.
I’d be really interested to know what others feed on their track systems / if at all?
 
They are really, I’m just worried that they might not be getting all the vitamins and minerals they need, especially through the winter when the grass is completely gone and the hedges are bare… I don’t want to be fixing problems in a couple of years that could have been prevented today.
the track system has been brilliant for their feet and as an anti lami tool, I love it, I’m just very aware of how limited their diet is.
I am a worrier though 🙈
 
If you're concerned about vitamins and minerals, I'd say look at adding a pelleted balancer in winter, or a powdered balancer with a low calorie mash to carry it, otherwise I wouldn't worry about it. From the sounds of it they have a wonderful life on their track system, so I'd keep doing what you're doing :) x

Edited to add - I've used Thunderbrooks Healthy Herbal Muesli and whilst it is a lovely smelling feed - the bag doesn't last very long at all and it is rather expensive to feed at their rates. If you were wanting to give them a token feed to get vitamins and minerals in them come winter, Honeychop Lite & Healthy would be a good option - got some lovely smelling ingredients but designed for good do-ers with no nasty ingredients! x
 
AppyLover1996 said:
If you're concerned about vitamins and minerals, I'd say look at adding a pelleted balancer in winter, or a powdered balancer with a low calorie mash to carry it, otherwise I wouldn't worry about it. From the sounds of it they have a wonderful life on their track system, so I'd keep doing what you're doing :) x

Edited to add - I've used Thunderbrooks Healthy Herbal Muesli and whilst it is a lovely smelling feed - the bag doesn't last very long at all and it is rather expensive to feed at their rates. If you were wanting to give them a token feed to get vitamins and minerals in them come winter, Honeychop Lite & Healthy would be a good option - got some lovely smelling ingredients but designed for good do-ers with no nasty ingredients! x
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Honeychop L&H made our horses very silly.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
Honeychop L&H made our horses very silly.
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Oh wow - I've never heard of that before - then again each horse is an individual - my lads got absolutely nutty on TopSpec TopChop Zero which is totally barmy as it's literally just mega low calorie chop with a little bit of mint flavouring 🤣
 
Having the hedgerow is a great thing in terms of additional phytocompounds/minerals etc. The gold standard for supplementation would be a forage analysis (of your hay as that's the main component of the diet) but the problem with that can be getting minerals down a fussy feeder. Having had some very strange analyses over the years I'm always interested to know what's going into them. Neutral to slightly alkaline clays and loams ('base-rich' soils) seem usually to have the best outcomes, but on peats, sands and glacial drift particularly some minerals can be incredibly out of whack. I try also to buy my hay from a different soil type to my grass to ensure the broadest range of minerals are available and try to balance up my own crazy grass.
 
I would leave well enough alone.

I imagine in Spring, there are particularly tasty things in the hedgerow, stuff you might not be aware of. If they are looking well and feeling good, that is great. If you add something just because it is available on the market, it might upset the natural balance of things.
 
I’m a big fan of this feed - heard about it on Mark Johnson’s podcast, started my mare on it (mainly to save time making feeds and so I could stop feeling like a chemist puttting a scoop each of this that and the other into her feeds to try and make sure her diet was balanced and varied!). It’s fairly expensive, but worked out about the same or cheaper than all my bloomin’ supplements etc… and for your little ponies they’d only need a bit so it would last. It smells divine! Here’s the link to the website: https://www.flourishhorsehealth.com/

And the link to the podcast I mentioned - interesting stuff!
 
ponyparty said:
I’m a big fan of this feed - heard about it on Mark Johnson’s podcast, started my mare on it (mainly to save time making feeds and so I could stop feeling like a chemist puttting a scoop each of this that and the other into her feeds to try and make sure her diet was balanced and varied!). It’s fairly expensive, but worked out about the same or cheaper than all my bloomin’ supplements etc… and for your little ponies they’d only need a bit so it would last. It smells divine! Here’s the link to the website: https://www.flourishhorsehealth.com/

And the link to the podcast I mentioned - interesting stuff!
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Its pretty high sugar / starch for fat ponies.

I think a small mash of hay cobs with some mint or other herbs to hide any balancer would be far cheaper.
 
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