Food Glorious Food, How Do You Feed Yours?

newforest

Well-Known Member
Mar 15, 2008
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Ok i know i'm not the only one this time of year with a bald spot from the head itching!
There have been new complete mixes and supplements come out since i went to the feed store.

I went to get something basic for the Cob, when the assistant said what they didn't have (what i'd researched!) and what they did, i'd not heard of!

All i need is a something to maintain weight. She's probably only going to be doing something a few times a week groundwork.

So for us, Speedi beet and cool fibre nuts, apple and linseed. (small portion)

So what are you feeding yours and why?
When did you last change or is your horse on the same as they've always been on?
Who would not touch chaff with a barge pole, My hand goes firmly up! It is possibly what caused Jack's colic. Tilley does not want chaff and leaves it, speaks volumes.
 
This is my first year with Rosie, in fact its my first year being the one who decides what to feed.. which obviously means I have changed my mind about 7000 times!

I'm still not sure but I *think* its going to be D&H Safe and Sound, apple chaff (why the barge pole? should I not be using it?!?!) Rosehip and seaweed supps and tumeric..

Although this might change rapidly depending on what other people post!

Rosie is a 16.1 ID x who could do with losing a bit of weight and will be in light irregular work, weather dependant.
 
I'm feeding S the same as she was getting when I got her...speedi beet, dengie healthy hoof, a handful of pegasus cubes (because she likes them) an apple and a carrot both morning and night...she gets brewers yeast in it from Feb for her SI.

Too scared to change it as it seems to work for her :smile:
 
I have started feeding mine hard feed for the first time in more than a year simply because the summer (or lack of it) has left us with paddy fields and no nutrition in the (submerged) grass. My bunch were practically starving! They are currently on three feeds of hay a day equivalent to the amount they were getting when it was -8 degrees last winter, and also two bucket feeds daily. I've got them on Allen and Page Calm and Condition, and also their Weight Gain, and mix it with Readigrass. I really am in trouble for the rest of winter at this rate! I chose Weight Gain after seeing the difference it made to a veteran pony on the brink of skeletal at a rescue centre recently, it was incredible. I used to use alfalfa but stopped on the advice of my barefoot farrier and finally my old boy has lost the crest in his neck, which I can't complain about! I also dollop in sunflower oil, and various supplement powders such as Pink Powder, SuperFlex and magnesium.
 
I have always fed my overweight cobs a handful of Good Doer chaff with there various supplements.

Now that Major and moet aren't overweight I have changed their feed a little:

Major - perfect weight cob - gets scoop of Good Doer, half scoop of pony nuts, clarity supplement and pink powder

Rosie - tubby cob - gets scoop good doer with joint supplement and pink powder

Moet - underweight cob (can see ribs, not happy want her putting on some weight) - gets scoop Good Doer and 3 mugs of Lo-Cal balancer, with Restore supplement and Pink Powder. (have only just started on the Balancer yesterday after speaking to the Baileys feed line)
 
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I'm happy to offer a token feed of Good Doer chaff as a vehicle for their supplements. They get that all year round. Did try swapping to fibre beet once but Joy actually wouldn't eat it, I couldn't believe it! With my 2 they shouldn't need anything else for energy as we have loads of grass left. However with the little man getting on in years I'm ready to get him some spillers senior maintenance if needs be or hay. Trouble is he needs so little and everything comes in massive bags.
 
Harvey is a bit underweight (ribs starting to show) so is getting 2 scoops Hi-Fi Lite (Lite because i want less sugar) twice a day, 1/4 scoop spillers horse & pony cubes (again low starch and sugar) twice a day and 100grams Topspec Comprehensive balancer twice a day mixed with 1/4 scoop speedibeet twice a day.

When it starts to get colder i will add more speedibeet and/or swap the spillers cubes for higher energy Topspec condition cubes (mainly oil)

He is in at night with a huge haynet and out during the day and is hunter clipped

Piccolo - good doer dartmoor pony, she will be getting a 1/2 scoop hi-fi lite and 1/2 scoop speedibeet once a day with lo-cal balancer. In at night and out during the day.
 
My two are now going onto fast fibre and ruff stuff with the top spec all in one powder (just ran out of the complete 365 and although they did well on this i did notice behaviour changes in Sully) also got them on brewers yeast and will be introducing turmeric.

Stopped the skratch plus as made no difference to either of them and when i was poo picking there were still flies about and both pones itched so not going to waste my time anymore.
 
If they are over weight they don't get fed, full stop. IN January we re assess the situation and if they are looking thin we feed them haylage.

Pregnant mares (if they are of respectable weight) get some Greengold or chaff and a fibre or grass nut. Youngsters get a bit of chaff with a fibre nut mixed in.

If the weather is hellish they get a bit of sugar been to keep them going.

read this,
http://www.animavet.com/MetabolicSyndrome.pdf
 
Mine are all going into winter tubby, so not feeding hard feed as such.
Those working get a snack after work of donkey chaff
http://www.horsehage.co.uk/mc-donkey.html with any supps they need
If the winter gets bad (they all live out) they will get some fastfibre and ponynuts. Oh and hay too.
When I have had ponys needing a boost Ive used
Winergy products
http://www.winergy.com/
I use a vitiamin treat for the non grub requiring gang.
http://www.dodsonandhorrell.com/products/horse-ranges/tailor-made/equi-bites.html
I have sheeties, fjords and a welshie by the way
These have been brilliant.
 
Everyone from RS horses to TBs have haylage and 'Havens Slobber Mash' in various quantities as well as at least 8 hours grazing (some winter out) A few have Feedmark supplements as required, for poor coat, breathing, calming etc.
 
I have tried various different feeds - Pure Feed, SS, Pink Powder or just Happy Hoof with various supplements that all ended up costing an arm and a leg and didnt notice much difference so have decided on a simpler (and cheaper) approach!

Spillers Lite Balancer for all their vits/mins
Double handful of Spillers Cool Fibre
Small amount of Fast Fibre to mix

Neither have had adverse reactions and wolf it down and coats are gleaming and feet much improved :eek:)

My old boy just started showing signs of Cushings so have added a herbal supplement containing agnus castus to his to hopefully stave it off as heard good things about that fingers crossed its stays that way and no more lami attacks!
 
Greengold, Topnosh and purabeet with suppleeaze joint supplement. Will intorduce haylage when it gets really cold. They are out for about 12 hours on reasonable grass at the moment.

Will reasses when the grass is covered in snow/frost or gone.
 
I have tried various different feeds - Pure Feed, SS, Pink Powder or just Happy Hoof with various supplements that all ended up costing an arm and a leg and didnt notice much difference so have decided on a simpler (and cheaper) approach!

Spillers Lite Balancer for all their vits/mins
Double handful of Spillers Cool Fibre
Small amount of Fast Fibre to mix

Neither have had adverse reactions and wolf it down and coats are gleaming and feet much improved :eek:)

My old boy just started showing signs of Cushings so have added a herbal supplement containing agnus castus to his to hopefully stave it off as heard good things about that fingers crossed its stays that way and no more lami attacks!

I decided not to use the spillers balancers because their protein content is high.
 
Madam had started to refuse speedibeet so have given up on the food mission I was on (no sugar, no oil, no garlic) as she was still getting footy and her coat was iffy.

I have bought Leigh's senior chaff (lightly mollases) and they are both having equilibra 500 and she has some tumeric and Skratch plus.

I don't think the tumeric is making any difference (think she is feeling the cold rather than arthritic stiff) so will have another few weeks and stop it.

The equilibra however she has picked right up on. She is holding weight better, she isn't footy despite being out muzzled on lon grass 10-12 hrs per day (she gets footy on this usually!) and has a sparkle back in her eyes. Will be interested to see what her feet say in a few months. I will probably switch to their chaff too as its not mollases and has no soya oil in.

Very pleased! :) definitely worth switching (and the fear I had of switching!!!)
 
mine get spillers hi fibre cubes, happy hoof in summer/alfa oil in winter, sugarbeet in winter, and NAF slimline. Angel also gets Vitex 4 Equids. plus hay when they come on the yard. they live out 24/7 on very rough grazing (very little of if in winter!).
 
Izzy gets half a scoop of chaff with joint supplement in the morning and a half scoop of chaff and quarter scoop of livery mix with electrolyte in the evening. He only gets the livery mix to get him to eat the electrolyte.

He gets haylage when he is stabled.

He is fully clipped and out at night till the end of the month when he will come in at night and go out during the day.

He does quite a lot of work but am happy with his weight. Will keep a close eye on him as may need to give him a bit more food over the winter.

He also gets apples, carrots, parsnips, strawberries, bananas and any other fruit/veg treats on an adhoc basis.
 
The babies are both chubsters so get nothing..... yet. Will see how they go.

Jack has started "stream-lining" - possibly because his workload has upped but also because we've had an incredibly dry spring/summer/autumn so the grass hasn't grown much. He gets fed after work so not every day (yet) and he gets some chaff, a few pony nuts and a bit of Kwik-beet... and turmeric.
 
June gets a handful of Mollychop hoof kind and a small sprinkle of cool mix to add a bit of flavour as even though it's a complete feed it's bland or so she tells me! When winter hits she will get oils as well to help with stif joints in her leg & hip as she was turned out las night in the cold and was defo stiff this morning
 
I used to be very much of the mindset that overweight horses should get nothing, especially if they're fat on thin air, until the day I noticed Roxy eating horse poo. And not just a little accidentally, actively seeking to eat mouthfuls of it.

Did loads of research & made phone calls to various nutritionists and now feed her a very small handful of Dengie Good Doer and a half scoop of Thunderbook Essentials Base Mix for all those vits, mins & oils. If she has exercised she might get an apple or two as well.

Since feeding she seems a lot happier, no more poo eating and her coat is markedly improved. Over winter, depending on work load, this may increase depending on how she holds her weight but she does tend to drop quite a bit in the colder months - especially as this year she will be clipped.

I don't usually feed much hay but that depends on two factors; whether there is snow on the ground or if the rest of the herd have been brought in overnight, in which case she will be stabled at night with lots of it.
 
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