Vits and mins for pony who doesn't have feed?!

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Summer pudding

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My 14.2 Connie cross is unused to short feed and definitely doesn't need it, but I am concerned he isn't getting enough vits and mins. How can I give them to him without feed...he doesn't have anything other than his haylage net...which is working well as he doesn't mug me for treats/extras. He looks fab, the grass is still quite good and he is a very good doer in 'leisure' work!
 
I think feedmark do a vits and mins suppliment for good doers that can be fed by hand.....though, for the life of me I cant remember the name....slim something.... might be worth a look.
 
I am trying to avoid giving him anything from my hand which he will think are treats..I have made this mistake before and ended up with an insistent, rather bargy, nippy chap! He isn't having any short/bucket feed so I can't put it in there. He LOVES his salt lick and I could really do with an equivalent that isn't full of mollasses! I might have to relent and put vit/min pellets on the floor I guess. Btw Lurchelu - which vits/mins are you feeding?
 
A multi mineral block will be fine - its not that long ago that our horses and ponies never saw additives except for Limestone Flour and Codliver Oil. They lived, looked good, worked well and lived to be a good age.
 
If ur after a block why not look at the Rockie range, 5* Rockie should be fine.
Personally I wouldn't feed the bagged balancers, fillers fillers and molasses spring to mind and expensive for what they are.
 
My horse is a really good doer and he too probably does not need hard feed - not for weight anyway. So I use a balancer , it just gives him his vits and mins without any weight gain! I use TopSpec light balancer :D
 
Summer pudding said:
My 14.2 Connie cross is unused to short feed and definitely doesn't need it, but I am concerned he isn't getting enough vits and mins. How can I give them to him without feed...he doesn't have anything other than his haylage net...which is working well as he doesn't mug me for treats/extras. He looks fab, the grass is still quite good and he is a very good doer in 'leisure' work!
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Pink mineral brick best one IMO
 
Dodson and horrel sell equibites, these are vitamin and mineral biscuits that can be fed as a treat or in a bucket and each biscuit contains the correct levels per 50kg.
 
As a matter of interest has long does a 10 kg sack of Equibites last? According the the d&H website I would need to feed my cobs 10 each per day to get the necessary vits and mins, and at £22 per sack, might work out cheaper to give a powdered supplement with a handful of chaff?
 
Equibites or Equine america Daily vits and min can both easily be fed by hand/small bucket.
If you prefer field lick, Briniconbe Hebilix original is non mollassed and low sugar. It also holds up very well outside in the rain.
 
Tnavas said:
A multi mineral block will be fine - its not that long ago that our horses and ponies never saw additives except for Limestone Flour and Codliver Oil. They lived, looked good, worked well and lived to be a good age.
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I have always wondered about the logic behind feeding cod liver oil to a horse, though I know many do it.
Would a horse eat fish in any form naturally.?
How can it benefit a herbivore?.
How does a body designed to eat vegetation extract any nutrients, vitamins or minerals from fish ?.

Just always seemed an odd thing to do when I thought about it.

A bit like feeding dogs dry food composed mainly of cereals.
Meat and cereals contain protein but a dogs system is designed to extract protein from meat and struggles to use the protein in cereal, hence the horrid poo's. most of the food passes through largely unused.

I'm guessing cod liver oil does the same in a horse. No harm done, but no use either.

Sorry, wandered off topic.
 
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