what will i feed my pony?

[jolene83]

i am going to buy a pony soon, will be no bigger than about 12.2 for my daughter

it will be lightly worked,(lead rein mostly at 1st) stabled at night and in a paddock during the day

thanx for advice :)

[*Sez*]

Depends on the pony ;)
There's loads of factors to take into consideration: if the pony is prone to lami; good doer; poor doer; over weight; under weight; behavioural (i.e. too fizzy, too ploddy); what the grass and hay are like and their nutritional value...
When you buy the pony, ask the owner what they feed (if anything) and why and take it from there. Don't make any changes to the diet too quickly (around 7-10 days to change).

[Joyscarer]

It really depends on the pony and the time of year. :)

I would ask the present owners what they feed and see if the pony carries enough or too much condition based on that.

Any changes would need to be made gradually.

In many cases ponies don't need extra bucket feeds for energy requirements as grass and good hay tend to surfice.

However many owners like to give their ponies a low cal chaff such as hi fi lite and then add their chosen suppliments to that.

[fishiz3434]

i'd ask the people who are selling it to you what they feed it and if it drops weight give it a bit more hay or reduce feed if it gains weight, or if it's coat/eyes/hoofs don't look too great maybe consider vitamin and mineral supplements which could be as simple as a mineral block in the stable or require a vet's opinion. The first thing you should do is defiantly find out what it is already fed and start with that and go by vets advise for furthur changes