Would you feed: 2 year old traditional cob

[Poing]

Looking for opinions on my current set up please. Two year old cob, on the property 2 weeks today and a real sweety.
Current routine set by yard owner is bucket feed morning and evening, and slice of hay put out 3 times a day if last one finished.
My boy is currently in a dry lot as double dosed with wormer on Sunday and we are seeing dead ascarides. Poopost did an egg count previously which was low (100) but recommended doing double dose of Strongid P, based on his history.
He will go back out with two geldings tomorrow, and their big field is mostly reeds with patches of grass. The whole yard is on sand. The dry lot is about an acre and is just sand and scraggly weeds/ moss, hence the hay.
Whole yard is prone to mites and bad for ticks, but that’s another story..

His bucket feed is more about improving handling / catching, and he is fine already. I didn’t plan to feed through summer, but the other horses are all fed something. Currently he just gets a big handful of Mollichaff, half a scoop of wet speedibeet and linseed oil.
Considering the poor grazing and his age, should I add something better? I have toyed with putting him on Youngstock livery about an hour away, just so he has similar aged company and decent grass.
Photo taken yesterday.

 

[Elno]

Is the field analysed? Young horses need protein, vitamins and minerals in correct amounts, even more so than adults.

 

[SEL]

I would pop him on a young stock balancer. A pellet one would be easy for your YO if you don't mix the feeds for them.

You'll also need to keep an eye on sand levels in his poo and I'd be doing a regular course of psyllium

 

[Patterdale]

Absolutely not, just grate a carrot into a bucket and make sure he has adequate forage.

You do not want this pony to enter its 3 and 4 year old years fat. Much better to be a bit poor, unless you actually starve him he will grow regardless.

 

[Poing]

Is the field analysed? Young horses need protein, vitamins and minerals in correct amounts, even more so than adults.

No, and no chance it will be. All the grazing has been left to turn to reed fields due to blocked drainage ( flood plain). Retired owner winding down.

 

[Needtoretire]

Absolutely not, just grate a carrot into a bucket and make sure he has adequate forage.

You do not want this pony to enter its 3 and 4 year old years fat. Much better to be a bit poor, unless you actually starve him he will grow regardless.

He still needs a balanced vit and min intake which a carrot won't provide. I rear big youngstock and keep them lean in the hope of avoiding joint issues, but I do feed at optimum level gram to KG bodyweight, Dodson and Horrell Suregrow alongside forage.

 

[ycbm]

Absolutely not, just grate a carrot into a bucket and make sure he has adequate forage.

You do not want this pony to enter its 3 and 4 year old years fat. Much better to be a bit poor, unless you actually starve him he will grow regardless.

I agree with this, but only if you know he's getting his pick of a good quantity of mixed meadow hay or haylage well-made from old established meadows full of grass and herb species. Otherwise I'd use a youngstock balancer.

Also, the trouble with only feeding more when they've finished the last scrap is that it doesn't allow him to pick out what he needs and self balance.
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[ycbm]

Given his type I don't think I'd want to see him on what most people would describe as "decent grass". He's a pretty perfect weight for a 2 year old, looking at the one photo.
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