Wintering Out - Part 3 - Feeding

chickeninabun

chickeninabun

Well-Known Member
Joined
4 July 2007
Messages
2,001
Location
Yorkshire
www.wix.com
My cob is very fat at the moment (14.3hh h/w=585kg) and on restricted grazing but I don't plan on getting her really lean so she can winter out comfortably.
But what feed should she be having if wintered out, if any? I'd prefer to not give her any, but what do other people do? She would only be ridden at weekends through winter, as no light to ride by and work/have small children all day. Was thinking of trying to just give her hay overnight, as if she were stabled and just grass by day.
 
Just hay is fine although you may want to give her a paddock lick of some sort to provide vits and minerals or a small feed with some in.
The idea is that she has ad lib forage whether that be grass and hay or just hay or just grass depending on your setup.
 
You could feed a balancer like equilibria with a small handful of hi-fi lite to wash it down. That way she is getting all the vits and minerals she needs on the poorer grass of winter.
 
The amount of hay you feed will have to be governed by the amount of grass that is or isn't available. At the worst of winter last year, ours had access to ad lib haylage.

It might be worth you getting a check done on the quality of nutruients that are in your soil/grass to see what if anything is missing - but remember it will be less nutritious over winter, so as others suggest something with a broad spectrum of vits & minerals would be a good idea.

I'd get a weigh tape if you haven't already got one, and weigh your horse weekly over winter - then you have something to go by if she/he needs more forage and/or feed, rather than just looking, which can be difficult when you see them every day!
 
I'd feed her lo-cal balancer and some hifi in the evenings, and if she starts dropping off too much then give her some hay as well.It's handy to feed them every evening when they live out because they get into the habit of running over when they see you which is an ideal opportunity to check all legs are intact and functioning
wink.gif
.
 
Ours don't get anything unless they are likely to loose condition too much and become too ribby, then they get blue chip or conditioning mix only.
 
depends on how the ground is going and how green we still are but ours get ab-lib haylage, then feed 'if' needed, they then just get the normal, mix, chaff, sugar beet.

Mine all also have access to a lick in the field.

They also tend to get at least a sack a carrots a day also (there is about 7 horses/ponies out)
 
My lad ( a Welsh D on restricted grazing) has ad lib hay all winter and a couple of handfuls of hi fi lite to put all all round vit/min supplement into. Nothing else at all and he is hacked at the weekends only due to lack of daylight and facilities.
To add - he lives on this diet in the summer too and can manage 15 mile pleasure rides with no problem!
 
Mine gets ad-lib hay in the winter, and a few carrots when I bring him in to ride (bribery!). I asked the vet if he needed supplements for potentially-missing nutrients, and she said no.

He is ridden at least an hour daily in the winter. He still looks pregnant.
 
all i would give his hay when your grass falls short and hi fi lite for feed with a general all round vit/min supplement and he will do just fine!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top