Fussy Eater

[Bertie]

My mare is a fussy eater, don't get me wrong she is a good doer and puts on and holds her weight easily and is actually a very greedy pony :rolleyes: However, she is a very fussy eater :mad: since I've been sharing her, her owner has changed her feed from: -

14.1h arab x welsh 17year mare, prone to laminitis and sweet itch

Feed 1: - handful of of spillers economy mix twice a day - more a token than anything else for coming in or doing a bit of work, at this point she was out all night and in during the day with 1-slice of hay. This was because she was in minimal work (1 or 2 rodes every 2-months)

Feed 2: - handful of of spillers economy mix with a full round scoop of happy hoof, twice a day. At this point she was still out all night and in during the day with 1-slice of hay but in more regular work 4-5days per week.

Feed 3: - Fibre beet - a good 3/4 of a scoop of soaked fibre beet, with approximately 2x8lb hay-nets per day, no turnout so no grass etc, work load ridden twice per week for anything from 45mins to 2.5hours for each ride.

Feed 4: - Approximately, 3/4 of a large round scoop of happy hoof twice a day, with approximately 2x8lb hay-nets per day, no turnout so no grass etc, work load ridden twice per week for anything from 45mins to 2.5hours for each ride.

Now the change between feeds 1 and 2 was due to the increase in work load but as her work load decreased due to weather and dark nights her appetite changed, after a couple of weeks of a feed she stops eating it and I mean just doesn't eat it, leaves the bucket with feed still in it, you change and she'll start to eat again for a few weeks and then gets bored and stops eating it :mad: :confused:

I am at a loss what to do with her, I'm hopefully getting her on full loan in the next couple of weeks so her feeding routine will be completely up to me and I want to start increasing the workload with nights getting lighter and taking part in some long pleasure rides, possibly do a x-country competition etc but don't know what to do with her. Hopefully come the next few weeks she'll be turned out again and getting at least grass, although due to her being prone to lami I will have to be careful with spring grass and she may even have to go into the starvation paddock like last year :(

She will always eat her hayledge or hay, she loves it - I'm stuck as what to do for the best because changing her feed all the time cannot be good her digestive system - any advice most welcome :)

[puzzles]

since she is a good doer and prone to laminitis, is the hard feed really necessary anyway?

considering her workload, lifestiyle and health issues, your hors ewould benefit best from a high fibre, forage-based diet. she can thrive healthily and happliy on a diet of good quality forage alone (and plenty of it - hay preferably as it is higher in fibre and has a lower moisture content and also a lower nutritional value compared to haylage, especially when soaked or steamed) fed alongside a feed balancer (such as Baileys Lo-Cal or Blue Chip Original /Lami-Light) and/or a vitamin and mineral supplement (such as Global Herbs Globalvite or Dengie optinum).
This can be fed with a high fibre, forage-based feed for energy: either a source of high-energy, high starch oats (fed literally by the handful) so as to give her sparkle when needed (i.e. phasing a few days in and out before and after a competition or day huinting) without adding to her weight gain (becasue the enrgy if used immediately, being 'heating').
on the other hand, you can use the forage-based energy feed, containing slow-release energy for longer periods of calm energy. This includes the Dengie fibre range, such as Hi-Fi Lite (the most suitable), Good Do-er (the next most suitable) or Healthy Hooves (the next, next suitable!), fed as needed (contact Dengie via their website on Google for more information and advice).
however i very much doubt your horse will even need the forage-based feed, except in winter/harder work, etc, as she is currently still in light work and the feed will only be used to put on pounds rather than for energy.
make sure she is fit and not overweight, as these can make good doers in particluar lethergic and therefore even more likely to put on weight, raising the risk of laminitis.
also make sure that she is nopt receiving any less that 1.5% of her bodyweight in forage each day in the peak spring/autumn andsummer months. any less than this and she will be at far more serious health risks.
rather tha decreasing her forage amounts, decrease or even better vut out ehr 'hard feed' ration (with the exception of the daily balancer - usually fed at a rate of 100g/100kg of bodyweuight each day - or vitamin and mineral supplement - usually fed at 10g/100kg bodyweight each day).
if you still have any questions, i'm only a PM away :-)

good luck!
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this means that your horse will have a balanced diet, yet you can alter the amounts of 'hard' feed fed throughout the year (e.g. according to her weight/time of year/workload, etc) without disturbing the balance.

[puzzles]

make feeds as regular as possible - 3 or even 4 small ones spread out through the day are always far more appetising than one or two big meals.
add plenty of variety, including fruit, vegetables and treats (could it work changing the treats regularly, rather than the actual feed/s?)

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[eventerbabe]

feeding her a generic mix is really playing with fire considering she's a laminitic. If she needs energy to increasing workload, pop her onto a chaff such as alfa-a like. still ok for laminitics but with a bit more fizz. Happy hoof is nasty stuff, loaded with sugar and belies it's 'laminitis approved' status. Don't just go for a feed because it's laminitis approved, means nothing. Physically check and compare the ingredients and nutrition yourself.

If she were mine, i'd be looking at alfa-a lite, possibly combining with one of dengies fibre mixes. I find mint can tempt even a fussy feeder. My welsh D can be a real pain, but he woolfs down anything with mint in it :rolleyes:

the veg idea puzzles suggests is a great idea too. Mine always get an apple, carrot, parsnip and some turnip sliced into their feed every night, just for added interest.

[Bertie]

Thanks, up until now I have only been sharing her and I am in the process (**fingers crossed**) of taking on full loan now, so her dietry requirements and feed has been out of my control up until now, so I'm keen to get her on a good feeding plan.

Now with regard to possibly increasing hayledge/hay rations, at the moment that isn't a possibility as yard rules dictate that we each have 2nets per day only and 1 in the summer of hayledge but I could move to hay and buy it by the bale and then could dictate the amounts myself.

I will contact the feed companies for some advice, many thanks :0

[puzzles]

hope it goes ok.
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