When is the best time to stop feeding hard feed and hay?

[KAB]

Hi there. I am new to all this and have only had my horse 5 months. He was extremely fat when i bought him, however, i am well impressed with myself because i have managed to get his weight down. I feed him chaff, cubes and carrots twice a day and he has 4 slices of hay a day. Can anyone advice me on when i should stop feeding him all the above once the grass starts growing. I`m concerned he will get fat again because he is so greedy! He lives out 24/7 and is a 15.2hh 7yr old cob. Thanks.

[Bobbin]

I am interested in this one also as I have a cob who gets fat in the summer but dropped loads of weight in the winter.
I have noticed she seems to have her head down right up untill I get her in from the field now so that would indicate there is something coming through and I have noticed her being a little more fizzy.
I have cut down the hard feed to once a day starting from today but continue to give ad lib hay when in.
I'd be interested to know what others say though as this is my first spring really of having to deal with this.

[KAB]

Yes i`ve noticed Taz`s head is down when i arrived too, and when i was mucking out yesterday i could see it was growing. I am that concerned, i have bought a muzzle in readiness... just in case. I dont wont to use it if i can help it because thats something else i`m not too up on, but i cant afford for him to be so fat again.

[Joyscarer]

Joy has lost interest in her feed over the last 3 weeks or so and so going on her lead I have gradually over that time reduced her rations to 1/3 so there is still enough to add the seaweed to so she gets her vits and mins. :)

Joy is also quick to lose and gain weight so I am keen to read diet advice to prevent her getting weight problems.

[KAB]

Joy has lost interest in her feed over the last 3 weeks or so and so going on her lead I have gradually over that time reduced her rations to 1/3 so there is still enough to add the seaweed to so she gets her vits and mins. :)

Joy is also quick to lose and gain weight so I am keen to read diet advice to prevent her getting weight problems.

my horse just doesnt know when to stop eating and thats why i`m concerned now the weather is picking up and the grass is growing.

[puzzles]

well i think you should start cutting down his feed now before it is too late - over a period of at least 7-10 days to allow his digestive system to adjust and remain healthy - and as you reduce the hard feed (reducing the forage isn't really necessary yet and it's only really hard feed you need to be worrying about considering that he isn't overweight yet).
however when doing this you need to add either a feed balancer or a vitamin and mineral supplement, to make up for the ever-reduced nnutrients in his hard feed that is being lessened and hopefully cut out completely. this means that he will be receiving a low-energy diet which is balanced.
your horse can live out happily and healthily 24/7, on a balanced yet low-energy fibre-based diet, all of which will minimise the chance of him developing laminitis this spring/summer/autumn.
remember that if and when you feel the need to reduce his forage levels, be careful as he should be eating a minimum of 1.5% of his bodyweight in forage alone. and there is no point in reducing his forage if you continue to feed concentrates and hard feed.
good luck, and if you're still in any doubt or worry at all, don't hesitate to contact a qualied nutritionist for more details and advice (its free!)
and prevention is always better than cure.
x

[H & Bailey]

I have started to turn my boys into the spring field for a few hours and have halved their haylage and started to kncok down the feeds and will wen them off this gradually

[puzzles]

hay - preferably soaked or steamed for 20-30 mins before feeding to reduce its nutritional value even further - is less nutritious than hay, yet bulkier due to its higher dry content. so it's very useful for good doers/overweight horses.

[KAB]

hay - preferably soaked or steamed for 20-30 mins before feeding to reduce its nutritional value even further - is less nutritious than hay, yet bulkier due to its higher dry content. so it's very useful for good doers/overweight horses.



Thanks for everyones advice, its been really helpful!!

[puzzles]

No problem, it's what we're here for! :-D

[KAB]

No problem, it's what we're here for! :-D

Hi - when you suggest giving him vitamins and minerals would this be just as a salt lick or is there a product i can put in with this chaff. He has had salt licks but he is so greedy, the size he has should last a month but its gone within a week sometimes!

[puzzles]

Hi - when you suggest giving him vitamins and minerals would this be just as a salt lick or is there a product i can put in with this chaff. He has had salt licks but he is so greedy, the size he has should last a month but its gone within a week sometimes!

A salt lick won't provide all the vitamins and minerals your horse needs, so you can either give him a a balancer or supplement to your horse's chaff like you said. (ps - have you tried putting the salt lick into a specialised lick container, to make it last for longer? you can try the Ride Away, Derby House or robinsons websites or catalogues for some.)
You can get some in lick form for the paddock or field, such as Dengie Stable or Field lick, or the Horselyx Respiratory, Mobility or Original.
some of the best quality balancers (usually feed at 100g/100kg bodyweight but check the individual bag) include Baileys Lo-Cal, Topspec Balancer and Blue Chip Original or lami-Light.
Quality vitamin and mineral supplements (usually feed at 10g/100kg bodyweight) include Global herbs Globalvite or Dengie Optinum or Classic (you can google them for more information on the products).

using a balancer, supplement or balanced lick (as well as the salt lick if it is needed) means you can alter the amount of chaff fed without upsetting the balance of nutrients, keeping your horse healthy if and when you need to change the amount of the feed according to your horse's temprement/weight/time of year/workload, etc.

good luck hun!
:-)

[Joyscarer]

I use seaweed for Joy's vits and mins. Is this not enough then :confused:

[Shadowlark]

I stop when the grass truly starts growing. Cutting it down gradualy

I don't actually supplement any of my horses with more then a salt lick/lose salt. I am not sure that I am convinced horses need all these extra's that marketing would like us to buy them. When fit my horses glow with health, shiny coats etc.. and I always get "what do you feed them" uhhh Grass :D

Maybe your grass isn't as good over there.. I don't really know - I know if I went into a tack store and asked I would leave with armloads of stuff. But if I ask my vet she just says they look great I wouldnt change a thing.

[capalldubh]

Maybe your grass isn't as good over there.. I don't really know - I know if I went into a tack store and asked I would leave with armloads of stuff. But if I ask my vet she just says they look great I wouldnt change a thing.

Or maybe we're just easy to sell to :D

Mine tend to be happy, healthy and have lovely coats. With whatever they eat in the field - and it isn't even supplemented with hay/haylage in the winter. The wee boyo is getting magnesium for his feet just now, so he gets a little bit of speedibeet to put it in, that's all.

The salt lick thing has me confused - horses are very good at managing their sodium appetite - it's the one thing they will never eat too much of - when you say salt lick, do you mean lickits, which are basically sugar with vitamins added, or a white block of salt? I'm not convinced likits add anything to a horse's diet that they can't get through their regular diet...

[Shadowlark]

Mine is Purple :D It has some add minerals or something.. HA I should know what it has.

When my horses are in heavy work I will leave a bucket of loose salts out for them to pick thru it's a mixture of easily available from the grocery store salt. They don't tend to touch it when they are out of work so I don't bother in the winter and early spring, but when they are working they go for it. It replaces what they loose thru sweat without stuffing them full of Electrolytes. They pick what they want and how much and I gladly let them ;) Total cost is like 5$

[puzzles]

While Seaweed is high in essential minerals, it is not a balancer and cannot provide all your horse needs - glossy your horses may be, but they will still be deficient in something dietry.

x

[Joyscarer]

While Seaweed is high in essential minerals, it is not a balancer and cannot provide all your horse needs - glossy your horses may be, but they will still be deficient in something dietry.

x

So what would you recommend then? Joy is out 24/7 and at her old yard she had nothing else except grass during the growing season :confused:

Aas it is it is all I can do to get 1/3 sccop of speedy beet, 1/3 scoop of alpha a, 1/3 scoop of pasture nuts down her. She used to be on a full scoop of each but gradually started leaving more and more so this has been cut back over time.

[Shadowlark]

The only way to KNOW that Puzzles, is to pull bloods and test them.

Last time I pulled bloods was on Splash last spring - he got NO supplements other then the above mentioned salt in free choice, and everything came back excellent

You really do need to be careful with supplements - you CAN over supplement a horse and make them very sick Esp if they have no choice but to eat it (aka it's mixed in thier feeds)

Marketers want you to buy.. retailers want you to buy.. advertsers want you to buy.. most information out there is put out by these groups. This is a BIG industry with little governing it in terms of regulation.

When you actually speak to nutritionist and health care providers (who are not out there selling a specific brand) they generally agree to only supplement if you NEED to - say in the case of an arthritic horse or a horse with bad feet. Or if bloods have been pulled and a deficiency such as iron has shown up.

[Shadowlark]

Just to add to that.. Here in Canada, due to the whole nutriceutical etc. debate and many serious illness cases Canadian retailers are NO LONGER legally allowed to advise you to purchase ANY supplements for your horses/dogs/cats etc.

Many retailers such as the Greenhawk Catalogue contain the warning in bold to consult your veteraniarian before adding anything to your horses diet to avoid serious illness.

[CurlyWurlyRach]

I LOVE the FeelGood 30 everyday vit and min supplement and have reccomended it highly to quite a few people who now use it.
I prefer it to may others as it has biotin added which none of the others i have tried (only one that springs to mind is the NAF one) have had and at £8.95 for a months supply its not going to break the bank.

Ive been cutting Curlys feed down recently (and she's still getting chubby already!), through summer she will probbaly get a 1/2 scoop of alfa A with her supplements in and think herself lucky ;). she doesnt need the calories or god forbid any more energy!!

[puzzles]

That's v true, Shadowlark - plus it's only really horses in medium or hard work who need extra supplementation because of loss of electrolytes, more intense use of muscles, etc.
To be honest I think a balanced lick in the field and/or stable could be sufficient - though there are areas in Britain, such as the New Forest, which is known to have soil seriously deficient in Magnesium (i think it's Magnesium ;-) ) - so the horse can eat all it needs, when it needs to.
:-)

[Joyscarer]

I think I'll stick with what I'm doing. :)

[puzzles]

whatever floats your boat :-)

[Joyscarer]

That's v true, Shadowlark - plus it's only really horses in medium or hard work who need extra supplementation because of loss of electrolytes, more intense use of muscles, etc.
To be honest I think a balanced lick in the field and/or stable could be sufficient - though there are areas in Britain, such as the New Forest, which is known to have soil seriously deficient in Magnesium (i think it's Magnesium ;-) ) - so the horse can eat all it needs, when it needs to.
:-)

That is exactly my situation. Light to medium work.

I only got all self concious and worried when I read your posts prior to this one and you seemed so well informed and wrote well.

Given that this quoted post tallys with what I am am already doing and not with your first posts I'll stick with what I am doing.

whatever floats your boat :-)

It does and it seems to float you boat too which puts my mind at rest :)

[puzzles]

Thank you very much, i'm glad you're happy about it too! :-D
You as your horse's owner know him better than I, so if he seems happy and healthy in his work then you don't really have anything to worry about.
:-)

[Joyscarer]

I know Joy is happy and the vet didn't find any problems when she was jabbed a few weeks back (Joy not the vet :D ) but I have those first horse worries whirling round in my head because nothing is going to be good enough for my girl :rolleyes:

The more I know the more I know I don't know, if that makes sense hense the addiction to NR :D

[puzzles]

I know Joy is happy and the vet didn't find any problems when she was jabbed a few weeks back (Joy not the vet :D ) but I have those first horse worries whirling round in my head because nothing is going to be good enough for my girl :rolleyes:
The more I know the more I know I don't know, if that makes sense hense the addiction to NR :D

That is so true for me, too - I couldn't have put that better myself!:D