what do you give your ponies over summer?

[jay]

At the moment Jay's out pretty much all the time, but comes in when its raining (he asks to come in...the big wuss! ;D) with a hay net. However our grazing's not particularly good quality and there isn't loads of it. I was riding with a friend yesterday and she was saying she's still giving her welsh x bucket feed...and she's got a lot more grass than we do.

So its got me thinking....should I really be giving Jay something to make sure he's getting all the nutrients etc he needs? Over winter he had plenty of hay and Dengie Fibremix Easy mixed with a little hifi to further bulk it out, plus a tiny bit of speedibeet to moisten it. I think if I was to give him the RDA of fibremix now he would turn into a whale! ;D. Also, she says she gives hers salt in his food after a ride when he's sweated.

I think he's in pretty good condition. His coat shines...well it does when he's been groomed and is clean ;D . Do you think I'm worrying about nothing? Or is there something I could give him that would give him that extra 'sparkle' without piling on the lbs?

Thanks for your help

[harleydales]

Harley gets a titchy bit of pasture mix and sugar beet for his garlic. And that's it. Grass grass and more grass. He's got a pleasure ride in 4 weeks, and he'll get a bit of feed and oil before that, and depending when the next ones are, he might stay on that level. Only about 1.5 lb per day though, nothing much. More as a carrier for the oil.
The little ponies get nothing at all.
Apollo gets a fair bit as he's a bit lean, but he's fizzing up now so I'm dropping his feed back. He gets 1/2 lb sugar beet, 2lb 16+ and a big handful of chop. He's a big lad though, 16.2 and very long, lots to fill!

They have a yellow rockie block in the field so they can help themselves to vits/mins when they need them.

I think you are worrying about nothing! If he's shiny and happy and willing to work, he's doing OK.

[lancslass]

ours are out during the day and in at night. our grass isn't what i would call high in nutrition..........more hill than meadow..........only daniel gets hi fibre nuts as he is working every day, the others get simply hay, thats all.

[akehurstannabel]

Holly gets four slices of hay soaked to within an inch of it's life and a handful of happy hoof to put her meds with. Jo x

[harveydales]

Mine are living out on very poor, sparse grazing which suits them fine but I am putting out hay and giving them a small feed of high fibre nuts with a supplement. I have those big rockies mineral blocks out in the field shelter and they certainly use them.

[JoM]

Dancer the bloater thinks his throat has been cut! He has been a prisoner of the fat pad since probably April!! ;D

There is now NOTHING left but dust in the pad, so I have relented to letting him out into the field for an hour and a half on an evening a couple of times a week. He has a couple of flaps a hay on a night, a handful of chop, half a scoop of nuts and some suppliment for horses that are on restricted grazing (benevit advance)

I dont think he looks bad on it!!!!

[akehurstannabel]

I don't know how holly keeps her weight really. although originally she was only allowed 2 slices of hay a day (nasty oliver!) once she had lost the weight i increased the hay slightly because i felt she had got too thin, she looked a bit gaunt. i think she was too thin because she is much better tempered now ( although her feet don't hurt now either!) jo x

[dalesponyrider]

D is an extemely good doer and only has to look at a blade of grass to put on weight! I've had her in a restricted paddock since last summer and she a better shape now than she has been. She is in more work now too. She still has a bit of a crest though and I don't know if she will ever lose it. I have just started give her a couple of handfuls of dengie hi fi light in order to feed her a joint supplement. However, after her running out of petrol as it were at Bakewell, I am going to start giving her a little bit of soya oil as well. Just a bit to get her system used to it then I can up it before a show or heavy work. Does anyone else do this?

[alisonduke]

Bill is having a scoop of Safe and Sound at night with a couple of apples or carrots and that's it. The grass in his field is starting to look really yellow and scorched but there is plenty to pick at and he has another field with better grass in to transfer to at some point. He has dropped a bit of weight but still looks good and shiny.
I never know whether to feed extra vits and mins or not but I still plan to get the rockies licks so Bill can decide.

[dalesponyrider]

I'm still wanting Rockies licks too Alison. We really must sort it out sometime. Pam, are you going to wherever you get yours from in the near future? Or Gill, does anyone sell them near you as I am coming over to you soon. I can't get them in Lincoln.

[jay]

Thanks for this everyone....its really useful to know what everyone else feeds their beasties. I think I might get some of the mineral blocks for peace of mind. Knowing Jay though he'll probably gorge himself on them because his nasty mummy doesn't feed him!!! lol

I was thinking about starting him on some oil. When we did the hunter trail a week or so ago I felt as though he needed an extra bit of 'fuel', despite being pretty fit at the moment. This should help with this shouldn't it? Is it ok to give a little bit every day with just a handful of hifi, then just increase it before any heavier work? Would you recommend soya oil?

[juliansteve]

We give Cobweb and Zoey Spillers High Fibre cubes because they are on rough grazing. They had a red Rockies until one of them somehow managed to get it in the water trough .....

[alisonduke]

Linda, our nearest supplier (I think) is CWG and their nearest store is Market Rasen. We could have stopped there on our way to Pam's but I forgot to say anthing
I will definitely get you some when I manage to get over there.

[harleydales]

Jay I have Harley on soya oil when he's competing regularly - I start him on 1/3 of a mug 3 weeks before the event, build it up to between 1/2 and 3/4 of a mug a week before the event, and if he's competing again within a fortnight I leave him on that level. If he's not competing for a while, I drop it down.

Problem is, if you're not feeding them much, it can make their feed rather oily (obviously) and not particularly palatable , and Harley doesn't particularly want it after an event when he's tired.

Get it from Tesco not Dodson & Horrell - it's cheaper!! I go and buy 10 bottles at a time, the checkout people look at me like I'm doolally!!

[harveydales]

Linda, CWG at Rasen do sell them but not a huge selection and not the big ones. I get mine from the feed shop a mile from my home so could get you one if you like - Andy goes there every Saturday with my feed order.