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Post by Kelly Marks on Jul 5, 2009 10:26:11 GMT 1
Hi I'd be really interested to know what Dgers feed their horses. Would you mind just popping down what your horse gets each day and perhaps what work he does - I'd really appreciate it. It would be good if people did NOT make any judgements about what other people are feeding or reasons why they should do something different at this stage. This is simply an observation study.
So for instance PIE ('at the moment') doing very little the odd hack but only gets more hay when he does do more work. Is out on not much grass all day Has 2 wafers of soaked 'hard' hay from 9pm to 6 am Has small bowl of Alpha Lite With Top Spec Comprehensive (Recommended amount) Cortaflex (Recommended amount) Simple Systems Total Eclipse (Recommended amount)
Some of you may wish to put things more acurately then me i.e. I know I should give weights really but I can't recall them exactly right now!
Many thanks Kelly
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Post by geeup on Jul 5, 2009 10:40:15 GMT 1
14.1hh british riding pony, muzzled on grass overnight (long lush grass), 1 small pad soaked hay and in durring day, (purely to reduce weight from lush meadow grass). ridden for 1 hour a day min, 1 day off a week, the odd show, pony club rally, 1 hours lesson a week. hacking usually involves a gallop
however we did start season with a "fat" score , I'm not even going to go into why.
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Post by marianne on Jul 5, 2009 11:01:32 GMT 1
I have six, but only one get special treatment! ;D
1 x TB, 17 yo. On Top Spec balancer all year round + rapeseed oil. Extra Top Spec Cool and Condition throughout the colder months. Also on Corta-Vet all year round. Echinacea if he seems to be struggling with anything.
5 x miscellaneous horses/ponies (all good doers) Top Spec Lite (or Baileys Lo-Cal if I'm broke) from about November - March, otherwise nothing. I add basic pony nuts to the balancer if any of them appear to be losing condition, but it's for a matter of weeks, not months.
All are out on grass with hay always available 24/7/365 unless bad weather dictates otherwise.
MTA - sorry forgot to add the work content: very little work, mostly due to me constantly doing chores like strimming (will it EVER stop raining?); but even my big ID/TB mare copes fine on her feed if she's ridden once or twice a week.
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Sam C
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Post by Sam C on Jul 5, 2009 11:21:34 GMT 1
My 3 year old section D is on grass and haylage, he stays out three nights a week and comes in the rest. He gets Alfa A and Topspec balancer at the recommended rates for most of the year, but is on a half dose from around April to August (or whenever the grass is at it's best). If I need to increase protein through the winter I'll feed a little extra alfalfa and two cups of soya meal. He isn't in work as obviously he's not backed yet, but I doubt he'll need anything extra when he is.
My 22 year old section C mare is seriously laminitic so on a paddock with very little grass. She is very slim and has as much hay (not soaked, tested for sugars etc) as she will eat. She gets speedibeet, safe & sound, alfalfa pellets and Benevit. Again if I need to increase protein if the hay is poor, I'll use soya meal, and she does get a good amount of speedibeet in winter to maintain weight. She's retired so not in work either.
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Post by whisper09 on Jul 5, 2009 11:48:12 GMT 1
I have 2 tbs and a section a. They live out 24/7. In the morning they get a scoop of pegasus pony nuts thrown at them each! In the evening the tbs get a handful of apple chaff, half scoop of nuts, full scoop of 'equine sensitive', half scoop alpha beet, 2 measures of biotin and a dash of veg oil. The section a gets a handful of applechaff, half scoop of pony nuts and half scoop of alpha beet. In the winter they get adlib haylage to suppliment the grazing and have 2 feeds a day.
I'm afraid i dont weigh the feed, naughty me :-) but if they look to lose or gain weight i just alter the feed accordingly.
They also dont do too much work as we just ride when we feel like it but i guess on average they work about 4 times a week for about an hour each time which consist of either schooling or hacking. The section a is retired do to ill health.
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Post by samwiththearabs on Jul 5, 2009 11:49:23 GMT 1
5 horses, all live out 24/7/365, all barefoot.
1. Arab 9yo gelding, doing endurance up to 50km. (Ridden - not including endurance rides - approx 3 times week for between 1/2 hour and 2 hours - fast and slow hacking, and schooling.) 2. TBXAndalusian 7yo gelding, doing unaffiliated dressage, hacking, schooling for up to 1 hour approx 3 times/week. 3. Arab 9yo gelding - currently only very light work due to lack of time. Probably 1 hour/week max. (Currently all of the above are having an extended holiday and doing no work whatsoever as I broke my leg 2 weeks ago). 4. 25 yo Anglo-Arab retired mare. 5. 29yo Arab retired mare.
Summer: 1,2 and 3. All working well and in good health, maintaining but not increasing weight on grass only diet. Endurance horse I would put at ideal condition score. The other two unfortunately slightly on the plump side (6 ex 10). 4 and 5. Grass, plus 1 scoop D&H Pasture Nuts, 1 scoop Speedibeet + pink powder used as broad spectrum balancer. The younger of the two (no. 4) I would say ideal condition score, the older one (no. 5), as she has very few teeth, therefore eats very slowly and is difficult to keep weight on I would put at score 3.5 to 4 ex 10.
Winter: All 5, hay ad lib. 1,2 and 3 - 1 scoop of D&H pasture nuts, plus broad spectrum balancer (Top Spec or similar) 4 & 5 - same as summer diet, but doubled.
All also have a splash of sunflower oil in their feed in the winter months.
Mineral salt lick is available at all times.
I am a strong believer in keeping things simple, and also prefer them all to have a high fibre diet.
Sam
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Post by jill on Jul 5, 2009 14:19:37 GMT 1
As a general rule all of mine are on minimal grass - 5 mares of varying shapes sizes and states of health are on the Paddock Paradise tracks, with just enough grass to keep them in good body condition. Two summer itchers who are also very good doers are on a small bareish paddock and have the equivalent of a decent size net of 23 hour soaked hay daily each. Those that need supplements (for specifics, not as a general thing) get half a scoop of beet pulp with a tny sprinkle of barley as a carrier for the supplements, and 30 year old cushingoid Sabria, who doesn't do so well, gets a small daily feed (i.e. a mugful prior to soaking) of Calm & Condition (donated) and the same amount of speedybeet with her Pergolide. In winter it is pretty much the same except the grass is replaced by home grown haylage which forms the mainstay of their diet. Again, only supplement carrier feeds. I'm afraid no fancy feed company is going to make a big profit out of me and mine!!!
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Post by cinnypony on Jul 5, 2009 16:16:23 GMT 1
Cinny is a 14h arab mare, 345kg and 9 years old and barefoot - lives out 24/7/365
We are doing novice endurance season. We moved yards at the beginning of May and she spent most of the winter probably about a 2 condition score. She is now a score of 3.
Last winter:
Ad lib hayledge, plus 2 meals a day each of - 1 scoop molli, 1/2 scoop conditioning cubes, 1/3 scoop barley and 1/2 scoop when dry of easibeet, plus linseed oil
Since we moved yards as it's summer and her condition has got to where I want it her food has been reduced. Also changed from moli to Alfa A lite.
Depending whether she's competing her exercise varies. Non-competition week, 4x 2hr hacks out.
Her grass is pre-mowed by a 30yr old horse that only likes sweet lush stuff - so Cinny gets the rougher remains.
If it is a non-work day no extra feed.
A work day - 1 feed - 1/3 scoop of Easibeet, 1 scoop Alfa A Lite, handful of conditioning cubes and electrolytes if v hot.
Competition day - same as above (work day) but 1 for breakfast, without electrolytes but add linseed oil and meal after, exactly same as above for work day.
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laura
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Post by laura on Jul 5, 2009 16:44:38 GMT 1
both neds out 24 /7 on paddock paradise type system on fairly poor grass grazing but with loads hedging / trees they snack on. Taz 14 year old welsh cob gets 1 scoop ( or double handful ) herbal / mint chop with 1 measure wintershine herbal mix and 1 measure biotin 1 measure magnesium if she is at her optimum weight and doing the longer distances she gets variable amount of coarse mix added to that depending on the distance and amount of faster paces / steep hills gets hacked out 3 -4 times a week from 1 - 3 hours each time , sometimes more ( up to 15 miles distance in one day) . Bonney 19 year old 1/2 shire gets 1 scoop herbal / mint chop with 1 measure wintershine herbal mix and 1 measure biotin and 1 measure magnesium and 1 measure of vitex she does gentle ( mostly walking) hacks out for about 1 hour 2 -3 times a week
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Post by jes on Jul 5, 2009 16:56:16 GMT 1
15.1, 15 year old Welsh Section D. In light work, including hacking, schooling and longreining for about half an hour to 1 hour per day.
Currently on a 2 handfuls of HiFi half recommended amount of TopSpec Senior (just started him on it so building it up gradually) 15g(ish) of MagOx recommended amount of Equimins Hoofmender (will reduce this when he starts getting recommended amount of TopSpec) Small scoop of Spearmint Small scoop of Rosehips
He is out for about 8 hours a day on good grass so is muzzled for half of that (just started muzzling him so this will increase as he gets used to it) He comes in every night and gets around 6-7 kg of haylage.
He also has a handful of Badminton High Fibre nuggets in a treat ball overnight and the odd carrot.
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potto
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Post by potto on Jul 5, 2009 18:37:37 GMT 1
15.2 rising 6 yr appaloosa x light to mod work, hacking, schooling, jumping longreining 5/7
paradise paddock system in operation successfully. 1 cup baileys low cal balancer 1/2 cup alfa a oil (seems to stop scurfy skin in mane) 1 cup molichaff calmer 1 scoop seaweed and rosehips
Occasional garlic sprinkle and hay in net while grooming ad lib... mineral lick in field.
13 hh and growing, 2 year old mule in light work... being led out on hacks Unridden.. small groundwork sessions.
paradise paddock system, half cup of baileys low cal half cup of mollichaff calmer scoop of rosehips and seaweed
occasional sprinkle of garlic. Occasional sprinkle of alfa a oil hay when being groomed ad lib.. mineral lick in field.
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Bay Mare
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Post by Bay Mare on Jul 5, 2009 18:48:24 GMT 1
15.1 ISH, 10 years old.
Working in the school about 4 times a week, a variety of things including ridden, in hand, long reining and groundwork.
Out at grass from about 9am to 7pm
Stabled at night with ad-lib hay
She generally has (per day) half a scoop of Simple Systems Ruff Stuff, third of a scoop of SS Lucie Nuts (also used in clicker training), half a scoop of SS Enduro Complete. Extra Ruff Stuff/Lucie Nuts and maybe add some SS Purabeet if she loses conditioni.
Supplements are MaxOx, table salt and linseed. Have recently added nettles, clivers, dandelions and rosehips (because she self selects them). She also gets a bucket of freshly picked clivers and thistle top as she self selects these too
SS Salt Tub in her stable which she ignores!
She gets a couple of apples or carrots a day
During the summer she doesn't really eat her bucket feed so is pretty much on grass and ad lib hay
She's a good doer and can live on air. She's been a lot easier to manage weight wise since I've had her in at night.
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Post by Yann on Jul 5, 2009 20:34:07 GMT 1
Rio, 15.1 16 year old welsh x cob hacking and schooling generally 4-5 days a week, currently lives out 24/7 on well grazed pasture. Fed 1 small scoop Alfa A Lite (SS have run out of Greengold for this season, might just give up with it and carry on with the off the shelf stuff), half a mug of linseed meal and supplements. Amount (plus some additional speedibeet) is varied according to workload and the state of the grass.
Tess, 15.1 16 year old thoroughbred, currently pretty much the same workload and routine as Rio and same feed but in slightly larger amounts, again varied as necessary.
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Post by mandal on Jul 5, 2009 21:03:24 GMT 1
I x TB 16hh... no work atm 24/7 turnout on grass track with mineral lick and loose salt. 2x W. Cobs... both walks in hand x 3 per week and ground work x 4 (little work) 24/7 turnout on grass track with mineral lick and loose salt. Hay will be added when grass eaten down. 3x mini shetland... yarded in large yard with daily access to limited rough grazing access to mineral block and loose salt. Oh and they have access to approx i/2-3/4 small bale of hay between them 24 hours. 1x mini shetland who is poorly... 24/7 access to grass and free choice hay, Dodson and Horrell ultimate balancer I cup per day, AlfalfaA, speedibeet, cool and cooked mix,salt and a probiotic atm all divided between 5 feeds. Does have a variety of supplements depending on his current bloods and condition.
Oh and to add they all have access to hedge rows and some rough areas and get cut nettles,thistles,cleavers cleared from other areas when in season.
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Post by KoLaTo on Jul 5, 2009 21:30:38 GMT 1
2 Newfies and 1 Welsh, 14.1hh (still growing), 13.3hh, 12.2hh.
Out 24/7 on 4 acres of well grazed pasture with lots of weeds to chew on plus hedgerows and trees.
All worked usually daily for 1-2 hours quite fast work aside from in the heat when i drop it a little, shows and or pony club most weekends, if one has a day off from riding then they usually come out anyway ride and lead.
200-250g Baileys Lo-Cal, 8g Equi Flex, 8g Salt & 20g Ready Linseed. Ad lib hay on return from work and sometimes come in during the day to have a siesta and hay. If kept in for any length of time then hay is soaked overnight and as much as fits in the nets.
Salt is upped or Electrolytes added when the weather is way too hot and i can see they need it.
Winter regime doesn't alter much aside from hay is upped considerably and i will add Speedibeet and Hi Fi Lite if they drop too much but i like mine to come out of winter slim to combat the spring flush and this year for the first time i actually managed 3 super slim fit ponios - woohoo!
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