When should I feed my mare

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joanna4

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My 16.1hh, 20 year old, Irish draught x thoroughbred mare lives out 24/7 on 8 acres with 1 other pony. Grazing is very good and I haven't fed her any hard feed all summer. She looks very well but does drop off easily & once looses weight it's very hard to get it back on.

When should I start feeding her hard feed?
 
introduce slowly but i would give her a half scp of alpha and half scoop on nuts after exercise, increasing to every day when the grass dies back and the weather turns. judge by visable condition and energy levels and what work is required.
 
I would weigh tape her once a week - this will make it easier for you to spot when she is starting to lose a little weight than judging by eye alone. When she does start to drop weight I would start giving extra forage (hay/haylage) before you start giving proper hard feed, althoug a vit/min supplement or balancer might be a good idea.
 
I would be starting now as the grass is not as nutritious as it was, assuming you are going to keep her in work, increase by end of month to a kilo of veteran mix, per day, best to keep a bit of condition on in case of chilly nights or any setback.
Take a look at the field licks, and see if they would provide her vits and mins, there will be plenty of fibre for her to eat over the winter if the ground is not covered in snow, have hay on standby, but I would see how she does and start providing forage if it is really cold/wet, or if any signs of weight loss.
Don't forget to have teeth checked, they really need those gnashers to work hard.
 
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If the mare is already 'very well' in condition, and we then have an autumn flush of grass, I would be concerned about feeding standard veteran mix as well. Most veteran mixes are high in cereals and starch, and this combined with an autumn flush of grass could lead to laminitis - older horses are particularly prone to this because many start to develop Cushings at this age. Often laminitis is the first sign of the problem before any physical signs (such as curly coat, odd coat shedding etc) are apparent. If you do want to use a veteran feed, then I would suggest something like Allen & Page's Veteran Vitality which is designed to be low in starch and cereals.

Contrary to the poster above, a supply of hay/haylage through the winter is very important - a big, older horse may not be able to consume enough fibre on winter grazing unless your grazing is absolutely exceptional. A good supply of hay/haylage will help keep your horse warm from the inside and will help keep the weight on and reduce the amount of hard feed you need - which is better in terms of health for the horse and also more cost-effective.
 
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Yes, I would normally agree with hay provided late autumn onwards,, but there are eight acres, so there should be loads of grass, herbs and so on, therefore I would want my horse to keep grazing as much as possible, supplementing with a lick and a small feed, to make sure you have time to check them over thoroughly, OP will know what is best.
 
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