What feed to give?

[CJess]

Hello, I'm a first time owner and I've just bought a chesnut irish sports horse gelding 15hh. Hes not currently on any feed but he does need to put a little weight on
He will be ridden 2-3 times a week once hes settled. What feed and supplements is best?
Kind regards.

 

[NocturneNoel]

Is he getting any turn out? If so, whats the grazing like? How much forage is he getting?
I'd start with ad lib hay/lage and maybe a balancer like equimins. If he still need more then add something like speedibeet with a mug of micronised linseed if he needs a bit of extra condition.
Good luck, a first horse is very exciting

 

[Griffin]

Is he getting any turn out? If so, whats the grazing like? How much forage is he getting?
I'd start with ad lib hay/lage and maybe a balancer like equimins. If he still need more then add something like speedibeet with a mug of micronised linseed if he needs a bit of extra condition.
Good luck, a first horse is very exciting

I agree. If he is not on anything at the moment, I would be looking to feed him a balancer and chaff. I like either Equimins Advance Complete or the Spillers range are good too. You can't go wrong with speedibeet and micronised linseed either. I always add a pinch of salt to feeds as well.

In terms of chaff, there are loads but if he needs condition, a grass chaff is probably going to be better than a straw based one.

I always feed lots of good quality hay too.

 

[CJess]

Thank you both for replying, yeah he will be on turnout for about 8 hours a day and be having hay nets too. He is a healthy weight just his hip bones are a little prominent and would want him to be on feed. I am very excited just nervous too haha bit overwhelmed with all the feeds.

 

[NocturneNoel]

Understandable, its easy to get overwhelmed by all the shiny marketing! Its usually best to keep it simple though. Horses have evolved to eat fibre, so try not to get sucked in by all the flashy looking mixes. And remember, its no good feeding hard feed if he's not getting enough hay.

A balancer is good to ensure he's getting all the minerals he needs. Speedibeet is a useful form of fibre that's low in sugar and starch, and easily digestible for horses, and relatively high DE (digestible energy), but there are other fibre based feeds available which do a good job too. To add extra energy if needed, oils are better than starchy cereal based feeds. Micronised linseed would provide energy in the form of oils, but there are other options too of course. Changing feeds around is best avoided, so find something that works for your horse and try to stick to it, and avoid the temptation to switch around to different feeds too often.

 

[CJess]

Thank you so much, I'll have a look at getting them and introduce it slowly to him as hes just on hay at the minute.