Advice please!!

[Deleted]

Hi all

Im need some advice on whether I should be given hard feed still? My mare is out at night and I bring her in daytimes as the grass shes on is very good and she started to pile the pounds on in a couple of weeks. I give her a few handfuls of hay when she comes into the stable. Should i still be giving her some sort of hard feed after riding or at all? Im really worried that she will get to fat and she was only on a handful of feed in the winter and kept her weight well.
Really not sure what to do for the best, as I was told that her digestive system will not be fully functioning if she doesnt have any hard feed??
By hard feed i mean Equilibrium low energy feed.

Any advice would be great

[olivia]

Hi,

Lots of people with native ponies avoid giving any hard feed at all, so if she's piling on the pounds don't worry about not giving her hard feed. Although horses are trickle feeders and shouldn't be left for extended periods of time without some kind of fibre (so the hay), her stomach will work just fine without any hard feed.

Having said all that - I'm the worlds biggest worrier, so my horse is on a pile of different supplements and needs some kind of hard feed to put them in. Also - I think that a lot of modern grass and hay doesn't have the variety of plants in it that old fashioned meadows did, and therefore cannot necessarily provide all the micro nutrients that horses need. For both these reasons I DO feed my mare hard feed all year round - although very rarely at the recommended level.

I used to give her Top Spec lite feed balancer, but have recently swapped to fast fibre from allen and page. Both of these feeds have high levels of nutrients with very low level of calories, so I am able to feed Tilly them without giving her too many extra calories.

Olivia

[Deleted]

Thanks Olivia, that Fast Fibre sounds good but Id rather not change her feed, not that she has alot of it anyway in winter.

Do you think I should be giving her something else just for the nutrients side of it for in the summer and to add to in the winter as she doesnt get alot?

[harveydales]

You say she's on good grass so I should think she'll be getting all the nutrients she needs. I also feed Harvey (the Dales I ride) Equilibrium but have drastically reduced the quantities now. We don't have much grass yet but I've noticed all my 4 have put on weight over the last week which is NOT what I want. Equilibrium Low is one of the safest feeds for natives and lami-prone horses so a token handful after work won't hurt.

[Deleted]

Thankyou its good to know that the feed she is on is right and reasuring that she will be getting some nutrients from the grass, yea she put on weight so quickly, i just didnt want to muck her routine up if i fed her only when i rode her, or does anyone think that she will be able to understand as i dont want her expecting her dinner every night like she did in the winter.

[cutemangurdi1]

I always think with minerals a consistent diet is best so in spring and summer a handful with vitamins (balancer or all round suppleemnt) is better each day than just feeding when riding. If you don't ride every day then her digestive system won't be settled having a meal a few times a week. You could always put a mineral block out for her if she is out on good grass and let her get her minerals that way.

Mine is on Simple System- Ruff stuff chaff and metaslim balancer, also by SS. He is fed once a day on this and its great for him as it keeps him fit, gives him the nutrients he needs but helps the fact he is insulin resistant.

[Deleted]

Thanks for the advice, i will put a mineral block in her stable then as shes in daytimes, i just dont want her losing her lovely shiny coat, but bit worried about giving her any hard feed for weight and fizzy reasons as the grass is toooo good

[greydales]

I don't give any of my natives hard feed o a regular basis at all, I do give them a very small feed after working but they don't need it and it's only a token gesture lol. They are out on good grass 24/7 and have always looked 'too good' - I don't even give them supplements and they've never had a problem!

I have put out mineral blocks but they've eaten them far too quick and the only other thing I've supplied is a salt lick.

I only have one who needs feeding up, but she isn't a Dales. Even she is looking good on the spring grass and I've reduced her extra feed drastically.

I would rather mine were on the slim side than too big as I think it's much easier to deal with a thinner horse than one that is overweight.

[Deleted]

I have given her a mineral lick, yep she ate half of it ! so I will be giving it to her once a week now and moved it into hopefully a more difficult location for her to take chunks out of it. She also has a salt lick but I didnt want to give her that all the time either.
Good to know other Dales cope on no hard feed too, she has got rather round on the grass so im desperatly trying to slim her down at the moment, therefore bringing her in daytimes, although im worried shes eating her bed (straw) to compensate but I like her to have a deep bed to rest on.

[harry11]

I only feed according to what work and how much grass there is.
I feed quarter to half a scoop of saracens shape up with quarter a scoop of happy hoof with a dash of oil and if very warm 2 or 3 scoops of electolytes about 1hr 15mins before riding.
Then when i get back i will leave to cool down treat with the odd carrot and put back out.