What to feed my new horse

[Myma81]

So my horse will hopefully arrive at the weekend and I'm not sure what food to start her on.

She's a 14.3 welsh x TB and looks slightly underweight to me. She hasn't been ridden frequently so I think she needs to fatten up a little and build muscle. She's currently only eating grass and hay.

With me she will be grazing by day and stabled during the night.

I plan to ride 3-4 days per week. Starting off schooling and short hacks to see how she goes.

Any suggestions on a good brand of feed that won't cost the earth?

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Nothing, just nothing in a bucket.
Keep her on grass (and hay when stabled) until you get to know her better.

You can then add feed in a month or so time if you feel she needs more condition.

If you start off not feeding and you find she has issues at all, then you can look for something else to look at, such as tack, teeth etc.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

To add to the above, stand her up when she arrives and take a good side on photo from each side. Do this again each week for the following 4 weeks and then objectively look to see how much she has changed in muscle and condition.
Steady regular work will be your friend with the fittening process

 

[AmyMay]

How good is your grazing?

 

[Shay]

You would be best to keep her on the same fed she is already on for now - so in this case grass and hay. If she hasn't done much you will need to start by getting her fit. You don't seem to be looking for a high level of work so it is quite possible she will be able to continue on grass and hay - which is exactly how horses evolved to be!

If you get into winter and she is begining to drop condition you can look again then.

 

[Frumpoon]

Grass, hay and maybe chaff with a vitamin or 2 if you must

 

[Lintel]

As others have said.
Plenty of forage and at a push a vit/min or a balancer?

Thats all I would be giving until you can truly gauge character and how she copes on hard feed ?

 

[Equi]

As said, nothing. One mistake many new owners make is thinking they need to immediately start feeding up a new horse who then turns into a beast and owner thinks they’ve been missold a monster. We’ve seen this many many times. Good grass and hay should put condition on just fine.

 

[Myma81]

Thank you. I will take your advice starting with no extra feed and see how she goes.

 

[Muddywellies]

Liking what others have suggested about keeping it simple. Just one point, if you decide to feed a chaff, be careful of alfalfa, even in minescule amounts (also called lucerne) as my Welshie goes bonkers on it.
I would simply ask previous owners what they fed.

 

[stormox]

Nothing extra - just hay and grass
.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Another nothing reply!
Ive currently got my daughters clown on a TB on as much hay as he can eat, grass and he has a handful of super low cal chaff, purely because my laminitic pony and fat others get supplements added to a handful so he gets some too!
He’s looking fine on that.