chestnut cob
Well-Known Member
I'm just pondering what I'm feeding my horse and wondering what others would be feeding in my situation...
I have a 17hh IDxTB gelding, 15yo this year. He is a good doer but, apart from a bit of a pot belly ATM (which I think is due to the layoff in the early part of the year and should go now the nights are getting lighter and I can hack more often), his weight is more or less where it should be though he needs to be fitter overall. He is currently fed one large scoop (large round scoop) of chaff and 1/4 scoop of high fibre nuts (possibly Dengie, though might be Baileys, can't remember off the top of my head) split between 2 feeds. I've cut out sugar beet, though he wasn't getting a lot anyway, because he only has to look at it to get fat. I was also feeding D&H Ultimate Balancer but put on a horrendous amount of weight on that, despite regular work, which I suspect is due to the amount of soya protein in it.
Work wise, I'm trying to get him fit for HT and hopefully some small ODEs over summer. He's schooling x2 per week, hacking x 2 (1 hour and up to 2 hours, plus he sometimes gets a 30 min hack to cool off after schooling), 1 x canter work in fields, 1 x long reining or lunging, and 1 x jumping. Also have access to a walker when required.
I don't particularly need him to have any more energy, he feels well and is going really well. Bit of a stress-head at times but nothing I can't manage and just gets distracted and/or tense. He has shivers so I have to avoid any feeds that are full of starch such as competition mix (hence why he's on high fibre nuts, they're the only thing he can really have without seizing up). I've tried the high oil diet but he just gets fat on it and I struggle to get the right amount of oil into him, so that's a no go. I guess I'm really wondering whether I ought to be feeding an all round vit/min supplement? Or is there anything I should be feeding to help support muscle function (instructor suggested a pure magnesium supplement would help this)? He has a mixture of hay and haylage, probably 70:30, and always has a bit left in the morning so he's getting enough long fibre.
Any suggestions welcome, thanks
I have a 17hh IDxTB gelding, 15yo this year. He is a good doer but, apart from a bit of a pot belly ATM (which I think is due to the layoff in the early part of the year and should go now the nights are getting lighter and I can hack more often), his weight is more or less where it should be though he needs to be fitter overall. He is currently fed one large scoop (large round scoop) of chaff and 1/4 scoop of high fibre nuts (possibly Dengie, though might be Baileys, can't remember off the top of my head) split between 2 feeds. I've cut out sugar beet, though he wasn't getting a lot anyway, because he only has to look at it to get fat. I was also feeding D&H Ultimate Balancer but put on a horrendous amount of weight on that, despite regular work, which I suspect is due to the amount of soya protein in it.
Work wise, I'm trying to get him fit for HT and hopefully some small ODEs over summer. He's schooling x2 per week, hacking x 2 (1 hour and up to 2 hours, plus he sometimes gets a 30 min hack to cool off after schooling), 1 x canter work in fields, 1 x long reining or lunging, and 1 x jumping. Also have access to a walker when required.
I don't particularly need him to have any more energy, he feels well and is going really well. Bit of a stress-head at times but nothing I can't manage and just gets distracted and/or tense. He has shivers so I have to avoid any feeds that are full of starch such as competition mix (hence why he's on high fibre nuts, they're the only thing he can really have without seizing up). I've tried the high oil diet but he just gets fat on it and I struggle to get the right amount of oil into him, so that's a no go. I guess I'm really wondering whether I ought to be feeding an all round vit/min supplement? Or is there anything I should be feeding to help support muscle function (instructor suggested a pure magnesium supplement would help this)? He has a mixture of hay and haylage, probably 70:30, and always has a bit left in the morning so he's getting enough long fibre.
Any suggestions welcome, thanks
