What to feed my New Forest pony?

[pinkiepie]

I haven't been on here in a long time - hello!

I'm just looking for some advice please. I have a 14hh New Forest pony, 10 yrs old. We moved to a new yard back in Feb, there's about 10 acres... with 10 horses so zero room for rotation therefore we are still in our "winter" paddocks. With the lack of rain we've had as well, it means our fields have simply not recovered and as we are the most recent liveries were given the worst fields as well. The YO is now giving us grief over the ponies chewing the fencing, which I suspect is out of bordem/hunger although we are still supplementing with hay where we can. My gelding usually lives off fresh air but isn't looking well for this time of year so I've decided to put him on some hard feed as I'm conscious he's not going to be getting his vits and mins.

I've been looking at the Blue Chip Original Native - has anyone fed this to their ponies? Experiences? Do you mix it with anything else? Alternatively any other recommendations would be most welcome! He's never needed hard feed before but am at a loss this year and also his workload has increased so I thought it may be wise.

Thank you!
x

 

[Shay]

No experience with that specific make but the thing that jumps out at me is how expensive it is! That is going to cost you just over £2 per day. As a very rough comparison - A&P Fast Fiber is 1/3 the price. The only thing it doesn't have that the balancer does is linseed - that's about £1 per Kg if you get the basic stuff, so you per day cost would be approx 60p -70p per day depending on the animal's weight? A basic pasture mix will come in about the same.

I'm not adverse to balancers - I have used them in the past when there is an imbalance to be corrected. But as a main feed source it is very expensive. I don't like the really cheap feedstuffs - they tend to be full of stuff you don't want. But I also don;t want to pay significantly over the odds without very good reason.

 

[horselady77]

Hi there , i have a 14 hand new forest also,opposite problem as he is looking too well despite everything im doing,but feed wise he gets a low calorie chaff,molasses free always as doesnt need the sugar and a low cal balancer, i like the hpd one and he loves it,they do various ones so worth looking at but there is plenty of options out there... topspec/spillers etc for a reasonable amount to spend,never tried the blue chip just to add,price always puts me off..i would rather be in your shoes than mine as i cant work mine very hard so really struggle with his weight and he is on restricted grazing/soaked hay in at night etc.
Hope that helps and arent new forests great,love mine to bits x

 

[honetpot]

Usually not a lot.
NF are a breed that are used to living on poor grazing and if they are too well fed they will get all the associated problems of laminitis, EMS. I had one that was one of natures hoovers, no manky straw was bad enough not to eat, even when walking past the muck heap and she was never ever fed hard feed even when 7 day a week PC camp.
If you think it needs anything D&H Suregrow at reduced rates,( the feed line will give you the amounts per kg) is cheap and will provide vits and some old rough hay or soak hay.
I know its difficult at livery, everyone thinks you are starving them but the are literally bred to survive on little, my NF got laminitis when she was out on loan and the other liveries meddled, even though she was being ridden and competed five days a week.
Weigh tape and feed what you see, no ribs, no extra food.

 

[pinkiepie]

Thank you! I'd looked briefly at D&H Suregrow but wasn't sure if it was suitable. Do you feed it with anything else?

 

[Snow Falcon]

Avoid sugars. I'd personally give an unmolassed chaff with micronised linseed and maybe soaked grass nuts. Salt lick in the field to tempt away from the wood. With the grass now starting to grow I'd be careful of supplementing grazing too much (even if it is poor). Most foresters can look at grass and bloom!!!