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Post by NFK Dumpling on Aug 1, 2006 11:37:56 GMT -1
Think he's now got fat pads over the fat pads that were preventing me feeling his ribs before I had been giving James a little hay as the strip where he was had become a yellow dustbowl. He is an extremely good doer and I had no worries - he was getting quite trim but he still had enough energy to buck! Then it rained.  The grass is now growing after about a month with no rain and it is coming through very sweet. My farrier and riding instructor have told me I'm not to feed him as he is too fat as a result his droppings have more than halved. The strip he is on is less than half an acre but he can get up to a canter quite happily, especially if I ride alongside the fence on my bicycle to turn the energiser off and on. He still gets his unmolassed multivitamins and I have given him a little straw for bulk as I'm concerned that he isn't getting enough fibre. Any comments would be welcome. |
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Post by harveydales on Aug 1, 2006 12:32:06 GMT -1
I'm the same at the moment. Can't decide whether to keep mine in their dust bowl or risk some of the newly sprouting grass. I was also worried they weren't getting enough fibre so have been supplementing with some of last year's hay. Dales seem to be able to live on fresh air but I still think it is important to have some fibre going through the gut and they weren't getting any on my dust patch.
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Post by harleydales on Aug 1, 2006 18:58:34 GMT -1
Harley is still in the dust bowl. He is NOT impressed and leaning over the fence to eat the slightly less yellow dust!! He has about an acre and also getting a bit of sugar beet and some pasture mix to keep the energy up.
Apollo has 6 acres and isn't fat but looks very good on it!!
It's so hard to know what to do for the best but I would be tempted to keep him short, and if you think he's lacking in fibre give him a bit of last years hay or some safe & sound chop.
Make sure he has access to minerals too if he's on poor grasss.
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