Feeding a 2YO

[Samantha1980]

Urgent advice needed please. I have just read on another thread that it is important to give hard feed to 2YOs. This is completly the opposite to what my vet told me. He was out to see another horse and we got chatting. He said not to feed my 2YO anything during the summer as she would get everything she needs from the grass. So I have not been feedng her anything since the start of May. http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b334/Sam1980/004.jpg
Even worse (maybe) I have been muzzleing her for a few hrs a day for the last 2 days to get her used to it but had planned on using it more to stop her getting fat.
Please can someone advise me what to do. I am having a mini panic about it.

[mogadoga]

She wont get all of her vitamins and minerals, if your worried get a bag of cheap chaff, and a vitamin and mineral supplement, one hand full and one scoop will do the trick :)

Shes a stunner :D

[eventerbabe]

hard feed is certainly not necessary for every youngster! when kezzie came to me he was on barley, conditioning cubes, youngstock mix, happy hoof and sugar beet. this did nothing to help him maintain weight during growth spurts and the barley agravated his skin. We put him onto hi-fi lite and speedi beet plus an allround supplement. i think with a baby, i'd rather restrict than muzzle, purely coz i worry about their tums. we stable during the day right now, then turn out overnight, decreases the risks with both laminitis and grass sickness.

[Samantha1980]

I did think about restricting her grazing but thought a muzzle was more natural. I dont really like her being in for hrs on her own when she can be out with her friends. She can graze when ever she wants but just in smaller mouthfuls. Why would a muzzle make you worry about tums?
Thanks for the help:)

[eventerbabe]

i would not feel comfortable restricting a growing horse in that way, and if your vet reckons she'll get everything she needs from the grass, if you then restrict her with a muzzle she may not actually be getting all the minerals, vitamins, etc. that she requires. i'm in no way anti-muzzle, used one on bonnie AND on toby for long enough. You also need to consider the potential grass sickness risk. she's in the high risk age group and it's been more than prevelant this year. may be an old wives tale but i've always been told that to ward off grass sickness they need to have their guts working and something in their tums at all times. hence why we stable (with ad lib hay) during the day, gets them out of the heat and flies and off the grass at peak laminitis and grass sickness times, then turn out in the evenings.

[Samantha1980]

What about if I muzzles her during the day, off at night and give a small feed with vitamins and minerals? As she is grazing all the time she will have something in her gut constantly and will be getting all her vits and mins. Do you think this would be OK? Im just not so keen on taking her in unless I have to. Or I could fence off part of the field and feed hay once its grazed right down but would just prefer to have her out with the others.

[eventerbabe]

i think that sounds like a good compromise :) definately muzzling during daylight hours is preferrable. can't get over how grown up she looks!

[Samantha1980]

OK I phoned up a feed adviser cause I was worried about this. She was very anti muzzle but when I pressed her about this she said it was because they caused behavior problems. I asked if it would cause any nutritional problems and she said no. Advised me to give vit and min supplement which I will.
She did suggest taking her in to limit access to the grass and I should of suggested that having a 2YO stabled on her own 12hrs a day, hearing her friends out in the field might also cause behavior problems.

I might section off a small area of the field for her. :confused:

Anyone else any views on muzzles and youngsters.

[Samantha1980]

She does look very grown up.
And to think she used to look like this
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b334/Sam1980/foal10.jpg