What are you feeding your retired seniors this winter?

[lizziebell]

Looking ahead to winter and how to maintain my retired seniors weight. A really good doer on grass (too good that in spring he has to have a muzzle), but despite good quality (analysed) hay tends to come out of winter looking a bit of a hat rack. It’s a fine balance of maintaining a healthy weight without tipping over the scales into spring. I like to keep feed simple (when grass is growing he just gets basic vit/min supp and high fibre cubes). Good teeth so doesn’t particularly need a mash/ soaked feed.

So what is everyone else feeding their retired seniors for weight maintenance through winter? Thanks

 

[MNMyShiningStars]

After asking a nutritionist friend, mine gets baileys performance balancer, veteran vitality (half RDA) scoop of dengie cool condition and shine and a cup full of pony nuts for texture as he likes a crunchy feed x

 

[lizziebell]

After asking a nutritionist friend, mine gets baileys performance balancer, veteran vitality (half RDA) scoop of dengie cool condition and shine and a cup full of pony nuts for texture as he likes a crunchy feed x

That’s interesting as my competition horse gets Baileys Performance Balancer so it’s something I always have in the feed room. Thanks

 

[conniegirl]

Mine is a good dooer he is on adlib quality hay, topchop lite and topspec lite balancer. Thats it.
He is super shiny healthy. Ive found for the most part hard feed wont help much with weight but loads and loads of hay will.

 

[Katieg123]

Equerry conditioning mash is great - if they're dropping weight badly I feed prep n condition mix also (I'm in Ireland so don't know how available these are here). Also throwing in some linseed oil always helps!

 

[JBM]

I feed turmash

 

[meleeka]

My poor doer is currently looking far too well on teeny bit of Cushcare and Veteran Lite. She also has a partial hay replacer of Happy Hoof and Speedibeet.

 

[MNMyShiningStars]

That’s interesting as my competition horse gets Baileys Performance Balancer so it’s something I always have in the feed room. Thanks

My whole herd are on it as it's one of the higher spec balancers. They all look great, have shiny coats etc. I just swap from veteran vitality lite to the veteran vitality for winter for additional condition. Haven't fed it at full ration as haven't needed to yet.

 

[Highmileagecob]

This happened to my old boy, and unfortunately, was the start of the dental challenge! Eighteen months down the line he has lost four chewing teeth so we are bulking up on damp Graze On or similar, mixed with soaked sugar beet. soaked haycobs and veteran haylage chop. Keep an eye on his teeth, he may look as if he is coping but if he isn't chewing sufficiently before swallowing this leads to incomplete digestion in the hindgut and a big dip in the amount of nutrients he is absorbing. Check his poo - is there any visible grass clipping type material? If there is, maybe introduce a soaked mash.

 

[Icedance]

My very good doer retired has veteran light and anti lam balancer. 12 hours turnout per day and ad lib soaked hay when stabled

 

[Titchy Reindeer]

My Old Lady gets a 1L of soaked grass nuts, 1/2L crushed barley, a handful of oats, oily herbs, salt and 100ml of sunflower oil. If she has to come in (not often), she's on ad lib hay - no point in the field as the Little Madam eats most of it or they both ignore it. As it gets colder, I'll double her feed to twice a day and up the hay in the field.

 

[teddy_]

My mothers 23YO Welsh cob gets Allen & Page Veteran Vitality and she looks superb!

 

[Burnttoast]

Emerald Green grass nuts, linseed, oily herbs and after Christmas Equijewel