What To Feed My Mare ?

J

jess_ruby

Well-Known Member
Joined
1 October 2011
Messages
83
Visit site
Hello everyone !

Right well I have a 4 year old New Forest X Thoroughbred, I'm just wondering what feed I should give her this winter ? Last winter she was on baileys number 14 (Lo-Cal) , Hi-Fi Good Doer, Garlic and Linseed Oil. But last year she wasn't in work and this will be her first winter in work. She will be hacking and doing some schooling. She will also be clipped if that makes a difference. I was thinking maybe Baileys number 2 ? And Poss sugar beet ? Any suggestions would be great she comes in at night as she is not the best doer living out and I want to give her some sort of feed so she will also have the energy during work sessions.

Thank in advance for the replies ! :)
 
Broke_But_Happy said:
I'd just add in some H&P nuts to start with, and then sugar beet if you still need extra. Ad lib hay/haylage.
Click to expand...

Ok so horse and pony nuts sounds good , shall I stick with the garlic and linseed oil too seeing as she is only 4 and still doing some growing ? should I also use any chaff /alpha a with the feed ? Thanks
 
blucanoo1990 said:
Pure feeds.
Excellent, balanced and simple to feed.
Try the easy to start for light work good doer.
You can always change to the working if needed.
Click to expand...

The pure feed looks nice it seems to have everything in it , so should I add sugar beet to this too ? And stick with the garlic and linseed oil ? Thanks
 
I wouldn't personally feed the garlic over winter unless you have a really specific reason to do so. I'd change the linseed oil to micronised linseed as much cheaper and more beneficial to the horse.

I wouldn't add any alpha a unless you feel you need to, no point changing things too much if she's basically doing well on it.
 
wellsat said:
I wouldn't personally feed the garlic over winter unless you have a really specific reason to do so. I'd change the linseed oil to micronised linseed as much cheaper and more beneficial to the horse.

I wouldn't add any alpha a unless you feel you need to, no point changing things too much if she's basically doing well on it.
Click to expand...

The micronised linseed looks good as she does need something to promote healthy hooves to , do you know where I can get some ? So what would you say is best to feed her ? H&P nuts and sugarbeet ? or something else ? as she is still bum high so I want something that can keep her energy levels up to grow as well as to be in work, she will be coming in every night and will be having hay then if that helps at all ? Thanks for you help already :)
 
These people will deliver at a very good price if you can't get it locally. It doesn't work out expensive to feed as you only need a mugful each day. Its good for condition so I'd start here and then see if you need to add anything else once she's been on it for a little while.

http://www.charnwood-milling.co.uk/horse_specs/micronized whole linseed.htm

Personally I wouldn't feed sugarbeet as its high in sugar which might give you problems with her feet or make her fizzy. If you want to add a beet I'd go for Fast Fibre or Speedibeet.

If the Baileys LoCal is working for you I wouldn't change that for the sake of change, you might find its still a good option.

Do you feed ad lib hay? Keeping a full tummy is a good way to keep weight on through winter.
 
wellsat said:
These people will deliver at a very good price if you can't get it locally. It doesn't work out expensive to feed as you only need a mugful each day. Its good for condition so I'd start here and then see if you need to add anything else once she's been on it for a little while.

http://www.charnwood-milling.co.uk/horse_specs/micronized whole linseed.htm

Personally I wouldn't feed sugarbeet as its high in sugar which might give you problems with her feet or make her fizzy. If you want to add a beet I'd go for Fast Fibre or Speedibeet.

Oh and when she is in the stable she has a huge haynet with plenty of hay which she never finishes :)

If the Baileys LoCal is working for you I wouldn't change that for the sake of change, you might find its still a good option.

Do you feed ad lib hay? Keeping a full tummy is a good way to keep weight on through winter.
Click to expand...

Ok that's great thanks ! :) The LoCal was fine but she wasn't in work last winter and when I did lunge her which wasn't that often as she was turned away to mature she was very lazy and had no energy so i'm not sure it would be the right thing to feed her this year ? Baileys No.2 Horse And Pony Cubes looks ok or shall i feed h&p nuts ? I'm not sure about a beet I have just heard good reviews from it and heard it's good for growing youngster over the winter ? :S

I'm still confused what to give her lol I know what ever she has she will definately be having the mircronized linseed with her feed :) Thanks !
 
Last edited:
Speedibeet is good, I'd prob start with that if its the want you want to go. Added advantage that you only need to soak for 15-20 mins rather than 24 hours.

This might sound an odd question but does she need something crunchy in her feed? I used to have a horse who would only eat feed if it had some type of nut in it. If not you don't nec need to add H&P nuts or the Baileys, the Speedibeet and ML would be enough as a base. The advantage of the Baileys is that if you are feeding the recommended amount she'll be getting her vits and mins. If you decide to stop feeding it you'll need to add in a good vit and min supplement.
 
wellsat said:
Speedibeet is good, I'd prob start with that if its the want you want to go. Added advantage that you only need to soak for 15-20 mins rather than 24 hours.

This might sound an odd question but does she need something crunchy in her feed? I used to have a horse who would only eat feed if it had some type of nut in it. If not you don't nec need to add H&P nuts or the Baileys, the Speedibeet and ML would be enough as a base. The advantage of the Baileys is that if you are feeding the recommended amount she'll be getting her vits and mins. If you decide to stop feeding it you'll need to add in a good vit and min supplement.
Click to expand...

To be honest yeah I think something crunchy would be best in there as when she just had chaff with a bit of water in it she didnt like it and also it slow her eating down to if she had no crunchy stuff or chaff type of feed she would just eat it far to quickly which I don't really want her to do ! so speedibeet the ML and what else would you reccomend ? As I obviously want her getting all the vits and min so she has enough of the good stuff in her to carry on growing ! :)
 
jess_ruby said:
The micronised linseed looks good as she does need something to promote healthy hooves to , do you know where I can get some ? So what would you say is best to feed her ? H&P nuts and sugarbeet ? or something else ? as she is still bum high so I want something that can keep her energy levels up to grow as well as to be in work, she will be coming in every night and will be having hay then if that helps at all ? Thanks for you help already :)
Click to expand...

She sound like a good cross as to my mind NF are TB in minature, I fed my 2 yo NF as I would a TB, and he looked fantastic.
I am a barefooter these days so my diet is hi fibre lo sugar with vits mins and oil.
eg for my 14.3 boy, the summer [on moorland grass] diet is
summer
500gms Fast Fibre
25gms Equimins Advance/Laminator
25gms salt
50gms Micronised Linseed Meal

winter
as above plus 500gms non molassed sugar beet pulp
50gms more MLM
Double handfull non molassed Dengie chaff lo-alfa

ad lib good hay, loads of very light exercise, no "work"
I buy 10kgs MLM from Equimins and I like their Advance mins and vits.
With this type you can consider barefoot riding, once converted you will never look back.
I have a bag of D&H mare and youngstock which lasts about 6 months, good for bribery.
I also feed 12.5gms Feedmark Steady up to boost magnesium, I have used this with all my youngsters and it does work.
 
Last edited:
Up to you! Prob cheaper to feed hi fibre nuts and a vit supplement rather than baileys but both can be as good.
 
Miss L Toe said:
She sound like a good cross as to my mind NF are TB in minature, I fed my 2 yo NF as I would a TB, and he looked fantastic.
I am a barefooter these days so my diet is hi fibre lo sugar with vits mins and oil.
eg for my 14.3 boy, the summer [on moorland grass] diet is
summer
500gms Fast Fibre
25gms Equimins Advance/Laminator
25gms salt
50gms Micronised Linseed Meal

winter
as above plus 500gms non molassed sugar beet pulp
50gms more MLM
Double handfull non molassed Dengie chaff lo-alfa

ad lib good hay, loads of very light exercise, no "work"
I buy 10kgs MLM from Equimins and I like their Advance mins and vits.
With this type you can consider barefoot riding, once converted you will never look back.
I have a bag of D&H mare and youngstock which lasts about 6 months, good for bribery.
I also feed 12.5gms Feedmark Steady up to boost magnesium, I have used this with all my youngsters and it does work.
Click to expand...

Wow you feed alot of different types of feed , I almost got confused reading all that ! I don't tend to feed her in the summer so what would reccomend would work for my girl ? As isn't fast fibre and bit like sugar beet ? I mean i don't want her being to fizzy off of sugar so would speedi beet be any better ? Your feeding plan looks good can you come up with one for me ? LOL ! I'm thinking for her feed at the moment Horse And Pony Nuts of some sort, speedi beet , Micronised Linseed Meal and the Equimins Advanced Vit And Mins ? What Else Would You Add To That Any Chaff Etc ? Or Magnesium ? I think i'm getting there to understand it lol just want to make sure I get her feed right ! I will give her as much hay as she can eat when she is in the stable at night she never finishes it all anyway :) Thanks for typing all that out too by the way
 
Miss L Toe said:
She sound like a good cross as to my mind NF are TB in minature, I fed my 2 yo NF as I would a TB, and he looked fantastic.
I am a barefooter these days so my diet is hi fibre lo sugar with vits mins and oil.
eg for my 14.3 boy, the summer [on moorland grass] diet is
summer
500gms Fast Fibre
25gms Equimins Advance/Laminator
25gms salt
50gms Micronised Linseed Meal

winter
as above plus 500gms non molassed sugar beet pulp
50gms more MLM
Double handfull non molassed Dengie chaff lo-alfa

ad lib good hay, loads of very light exercise, no "work"
I buy 10kgs MLM from Equimins and I like their Advance mins and vits.
With this type you can consider barefoot riding, once converted you will never look back.
I have a bag of D&H mare and youngstock which lasts about 6 months, good for bribery.
I also feed 12.5gms Feedmark Steady up to boost magnesium, I have used this with all my youngsters and it does work.
Click to expand...

And also by salt do you mean a salt lick ? and what does gms stand for ? sorry if I sound a bit stupid lol Feed is probably my weakest catergory to do with equines ! :(
 
jess_ruby said:
Wow you feed alot of different types of feed , I almost got confused reading all that ! I don't tend to feed her in the summer so what would reccomend would work for my girl ? As isn't fast fibre and bit like sugar beet ? I mean i don't want her being to fizzy off of sugar so would speedi beet be any better ? Your feeding plan looks good can you come up with one for me ? LOL ! I'm thinking for her feed at the moment Horse And Pony Nuts of some sort, speedi beet , Micronised Linseed Meal and the Equimins Advanced Vit And Mins ? What Else Would You Add To That Any Chaff Etc ? Or Magnesium ? I think i'm getting there to understand it lol just want to make sure I get her feed right ! I will give her as much hay as she can eat when she is in the stable at night she never finishes it all anyway :) Thanks for typing all that out too by the way
Click to expand...
Nope easy peasy,
I basically have three feeds on the go, Fast Fibre is cheap and contains base minerals, it is very low in sugars and high in fibre.
MLM is bought in a bag so it lasts for three months, it keeps his coat a good colour, skin less itchy and hooves have to be fed for growth six months on!
I like to have a variety of fibre sources, and the chaff added to winter feed has oat straw, no molassess.
I buy a bag of n-m-spb to add another fibre source in winter, cheap and bulky
OK chaff is a luxury, but if any feed runs out, I can substitute.
Mare and Youngstock because he likes oats and it is only a sprinkle!

I do not feed pony cubes because I want to be sure he is not getting any processed feeds, which often have molasses and other rubbish.

I never used to feed in summer, but I now do [coat is better and skin not so itchy], he needs bribery to come in to his stable, and he gets a small feed of FF if he is going out to the field so he does not stuff himself full of lush grass.

Sugar beet has all the sugar extracted [when it goes to the sugar extracting factory] so it is low in sugar and high in fibre [a bit like eating porridgew with no sugar], but standard SB nuts have molasses added, so are high in sugar, and not recommended [by me]
 
500gms /grams = half a kilgram
You can buy cheap kitchen scales, but a milk jug is about right. I use a petscoop from Tesco.
50gms micronised linseed meal is a large coffee mug, it is a powder so you need to mix in a feed of chaff or Fast Fibre.
for 25gms/ml, the manufacturer will provide a tiny scoop.
Be wary of feeding cheap chaff, it is rubbish and full of molasses, yes I feed several feeds, but not much of them.

If you feed pony nuts the manufactures will often be selecting food for profit and palatablity, you lose control of what you are feeding.

I add mins and vits to my MLM [100 days supply], as this is how long the m/linseed meal lasts me, so I only have an hour of mixing stuff, and after that I put a coffee cup in to the feed every day, as I say I feed all summer as it is important that he gets mins and vits every day esp when young and growing.
Salt is fed out of the a bag [any source] as it can't be mixed with feed because it attracts dampness. A tiny scoop.

So summer [one meal]
one petscoop of Fast Fibre in summer
one tiny scoop of vits and mins
one tiny scoop of salt
one coffee cup MLM

So winter [each meal of two meals]
one petscoop of Fast Fibre
half tiny scoop of vits and mins
half tiny scoop of salt
coffee cup MLM
a handfull of chaff . non, molassed Dengie

so you need to buy
Fast Fibre £9.00 [20 kgs lasts 40 days fed at one petscoop per day.]
http://www.allenandpage.com/Products/Rest-and-Light-Work/Fast-Fibre-Feeding-Instructions.aspx
20 kgs Micronised linseed meal £24 [100 days if fed at 50 gms per day]
Vits and mins £24.50 [100 days supply]
In winter buy a bag of dengie non molassed chaff, very tasty.

Feed supplement
I feed magnesium to youngsters as I want them quiet, and use Feedmark Steady up at half recommended dose. There are others which are cheaper but as I save £500 on farriers fees [barefoot], I don't mind!
PS as long as the horse is croup high he is in growth mode, and will be unbalanced, so do not ask too much of him.
 
Last edited:
Miss L Toe said:
500gms /grams = half a kilgram
You can buy cheap kitchen scales, but a milk jug is about right. I use a petscoop from Tesco.
50gms micronised linseed meal is a large coffee mug, it is a powder so you need to mix in a feed of chaff or Fast Fibre.
for 25gms/ml, the manufacturer will provide a tiny scoop.
Be wary of feeding cheap chaff, it is rubbish and full of molasses, yes I feed several feeds, but not much of them.

If you feed pony nuts the manufactures will often be selecting food for profit and palatablity, you lose control of what you are feeding.

I add mins and vits to my MLM [100 days supply], as this is how long the m/linseed meal lasts me, so I only have an hour of mixing stuff, and after that I put a coffee cup in to the feed every day, as I say I feed all summer as it is important that he gets mins and vits every day esp when young and growing.
Salt is fed out of the a bag [any source] as it can't be mixed with feed because it attracts dampness. A tiny scoop.

So summer [one meal]
one petscoop of Fast Fibre in summer
one tiny scoop of vits and mins
one tiny scoop of salt
one coffee cup MLM

So winter [each meal of two meals]
one petscoop of Fast Fibre
half tiny scoop of vits and mins
half tiny scoop of salt
coffee cup MLM
a handfull of chaff . non, molassed Dengie

so you need to buy
Fast Fibre £9.00 [20 kgs lasts 40 days fed at one petscoop per day.]
http://www.allenandpage.com/Products/Rest-and-Light-Work/Fast-Fibre-Feeding-Instructions.aspx
20 kgs Micronised linseed meal £24 [100 days if fed at 50 gms per day]
Vits and mins £24.50 [100 days supply]
In winter buy a bag of dengie non molassed chaff, very tasty.

Feed supplement
I feed magnesium to youngsters as I want them quiet, and use Feedmark Steady up at half recommended dose. There are others which are cheaper but as I save £500 on farriers fees [barefoot], I don't mind!
PS as long as the horse is croup high he is in growth mode, and will be unbalanced, so do not ask too much of him.
Click to expand...

Hi where do you get the feedmark steady up from ? Is it like a calmer then ? I'm thinking of also adding biotin ? Or do I not need to ? It's just she has pretty weak hooves ! :(

Thanks for all your help !
 
Miss L Toe said:
500gms /grams = half a kilgram
You can buy cheap kitchen scales, but a milk jug is about right. I use a petscoop from Tesco.
50gms micronised linseed meal is a large coffee mug, it is a powder so you need to mix in a feed of chaff or Fast Fibre.
for 25gms/ml, the manufacturer will provide a tiny scoop.
Be wary of feeding cheap chaff, it is rubbish and full of molasses, yes I feed several feeds, but not much of them.

If you feed pony nuts the manufactures will often be selecting food for profit and palatablity, you lose control of what you are feeding.

I add mins and vits to my MLM [100 days supply], as this is how long the m/linseed meal lasts me, so I only have an hour of mixing stuff, and after that I put a coffee cup in to the feed every day, as I say I feed all summer as it is important that he gets mins and vits every day esp when young and growing.
Salt is fed out of the a bag [any source] as it can't be mixed with feed because it attracts dampness. A tiny scoop.

So summer [one meal]
one petscoop of Fast Fibre in summer
one tiny scoop of vits and mins
one tiny scoop of salt
one coffee cup MLM

So winter [each meal of two meals]
one petscoop of Fast Fibre
half tiny scoop of vits and mins
half tiny scoop of salt
coffee cup MLM
a handfull of chaff . non, molassed Dengie

so you need to buy
Fast Fibre £9.00 [20 kgs lasts 40 days fed at one petscoop per day.]
http://www.allenandpage.com/Products/Rest-and-Light-Work/Fast-Fibre-Feeding-Instructions.aspx
20 kgs Micronised linseed meal £24 [100 days if fed at 50 gms per day]
Vits and mins £24.50 [100 days supply]
In winter buy a bag of dengie non molassed chaff, very tasty.

Feed supplement
I feed magnesium to youngsters as I want them quiet, and use Feedmark Steady up at half recommended dose. There are others which are cheaper but as I save £500 on farriers fees [barefoot], I don't mind!
PS as long as the horse is croup high he is in growth mode, and will be unbalanced, so do not ask too much of him.
Click to expand...

Right so i'm thinking

Fast Fibre
Vits And Mins
Non Molased Chaff from Dengie or poss Hi-Fi Good Doer which would you say is better ?
I want to add a small amount of some sort of horse and pony nuts so what do you think of these ? http://www.dodsonandhorrell.com/our-feeds/restlight-work/hackinglight-schooling/high-fibre-nuts.html They seem to be full of fibre which is what she needs right ? Or shall I just go for basic horse and pony nuts from my local feed store ?
Biotin ? Your view on that ?
And what type of salt is it like epsom salts for horses ? Or just ordanairy salt we buy ?
And what is this feed up steady mark is it a calmer ? where do you get it ?

Thanks and sorry this has dragged on !
 
OP you are trying too hard IMO. The ration you proposed in the beginning would be fine. As would the ration you've decided on in the post above.

I want to point out that Allen & Page Fast Fibre, Dengie Good Do-er and Dodson & Horrell High Fibre Cubes all contain vitamins/minerals. If you don't feed sufficient quantity for the pony to get all the vitamins and minerals she needs from this combined feed ration, then add in a vitamin/mineral supplement but I would only use a half dose. You could stick with the Bailey's Low Cal, its a balancer which means one small pot (the full dose) contains all the vitamins/minerals she needs. So you could use this if you need to, but cut it down to a half dose to take into account the vitamins/minerals contained in the rest of the feed.

You asked about sugar beet. It comes in two types. Molassed and unmolassed. Molasses is basically a treacle like substance. So unmolassed sugar beet (eg speedibeet and kwik beet) is therefore healthier as it contains less sugar and is also lower in calories. Sugar beet of either type can be used alongside chaff or instead of.

If you wanted to increase the calorie content of the ration, you could either feed more of it, add in sugar beet, change Hi Fi chaff to Alfa A or change Dodson & Horrell High Fibre Cubes to Bailey's No. 2 Working Horse Cubes (or whatever they call it these days).

Google Feedmark, you can buy Steady Up (which is a calmer) online or by phone or by post. They also sell a hoof supplement which doesn't contain the everyday vitamins and minerals, ie you can feed it alongside a general vitamin/mineral supplement without overdosing.

Salt for feeds is normal human table salt. Epsom salts is what goes in a bran mash to make it have a laxative effect, an old fashioned treatment for impaction colic. Most people these days would call the vet in case it was a different type of colic.

Hope this helps.
 
I don't have any advice, but I would like to see a photo of your horse as I have been told my gelding looks like a nf x tb and want to see if there are any similarities!
 
Sugar_and_Spice said:
OP you are trying too hard IMO. The ration you proposed in the beginning would be fine. As would the ration you've decided on in the post above.

I want to point out that Allen & Page Fast Fibre, Dengie Good Do-er and Dodson & Horrell High Fibre Cubes all contain vitamins/minerals. If you don't feed sufficient quantity for the pony to get all the vitamins and minerals she needs from this combined feed ration, then add in a vitamin/mineral supplement but I would only use a half dose. You could stick with the Bailey's Low Cal, its a balancer which means one small pot (the full dose) contains all the vitamins/minerals she needs. So you could use this if you need to, but cut it down to a half dose to take into account the vitamins/minerals contained in the rest of the feed.

You asked about sugar beet. It comes in two types. Molassed and unmolassed. Molasses is basically a treacle like substance. So unmolassed sugar beet (eg speedibeet and kwik beet) is therefore healthier as it contains less sugar and is also lower in calories. Sugar beet of either type can be used alongside chaff or instead of.

If you wanted to increase the calorie content of the ration, you could either feed more of it, add in sugar beet, change Hi Fi chaff to Alfa A or change Dodson & Horrell High Fibre Cubes to Bailey's No. 2 Working Horse Cubes (or whatever they call it these days).

Google Feedmark, you can buy Steady Up (which is a calmer) online or by phone or by post. They also sell a hoof supplement which doesn't contain the everyday vitamins and minerals, ie you can feed it alongside a general vitamin/mineral supplement without overdosing.

Salt for feeds is normal human table salt. Epsom salts is what goes in a bran mash to make it have a laxative effect, an old fashioned treatment for impaction colic. Most people these days would call the vet in case it was a different type of colic.

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

So You Think

Fast Fibre
Vits And Mins
Micronized Linseed
Non Molased Chaff from Dengie or poss Hi-Fi Good Doer which would you say is better ?
Some Horse And Pony Nuts and some Biotin ?
And a little bit of salt ?
Or shall I go for;
The same as above but swap Fast Fibre for Speedibeet ?
Or do you think something else ? If so please post :)

Thanks for your help so far
she wasn't doing great on the Lo-Cal so that's why I wanted to change :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top