What to feed?

[amystevee]

Hi,
I have a 14.2 21 yr old pony. At the moment I feed him oats and dengie healthy hoof chaff. He has no problems with his weight but I was just wondering if there was something more beneficial I could feed him? The thing is I'm reluctant to feed any 16+ feed as he is still in medium work and competing/hunting/and taking part in pony club activities, so I want something with extra energy just so he can keep going! He's perfectly healthy but maybe theres something else to feed him that I'm missing that might be helpful.
Oh and his supplements are glucosamine, biotin and garlic.
Thank you

 

[Revena]

I would say 'if it aint broke, don't fix it'.
If he does start to look like a diet change would be good then you could try something with higher protein as veterans tend to need more. You could also give him a veteran supplement. Spillers senior maintenance mix has good protein levels, contains all the minerals he would need and also has glucosamine in so you wouldn't have to add more. If you wanted to feed something alongside oats then I would change the chaff to Alfa a there is a molasses free one which is good. Alfa a is a good source of protein and calcium and is good for working horses.
Having said all this he is 21 which is nothing for a pony of his size. Try not to worry too much, his body will tell you when he's feeling the strain!
)

 

[TGM]

If his weight is correct and his energy levels good, then you can't be doing much wrong! The only thing I would say that he is that unless you are feeding the recommended amount of Healthy Hooves (which would probably be about three Stubbs scoops a day for a 14.2) then he won't be receiving his full dose of vit/mins in his bucket feed. So you could think about adding a vit/min supplement or balancer to top up, particularly if he doesn't have access to good grazing. If you are already feeding the full amount of Healthy Hooves then you really don't need to give biotin and garlic, because it is already in the feed.

 

[amystevee]

Great thank you! My friend just worried me the other day when she said she had all this feed advice at badminton for her horse and I suddenly thought maybe what I was feeding wasn't best for him but to be honest he isnt particularly fussy! I'll definately take the advice about the extra protein and vitamins. Some people don't find his age and workload combination shocking, whereas others are surprised I still ride him quite as much! he's such a trooper