how much feed???

[Casper]

i always get it wrong:( for a 13' pony in light work (an hour every other day some jumping) how much oats and pony mix should he get???? he has a quite temperment and is gettin around 2 to 3 lb of 2:1 ratio oats: cool'n'easy pony mix throughout the day is this right/wrong?????? he is on about an acre of bare grass during the day and in at night with a free supply of hay! any thoughts, please!!!

got to got now to see other horses in the ice cold weather..............nice!!!!

[ros]

I assume that's 13 hands and not 13 feet, Caspar :eek: ?

One or two of us would probably say none, actually :) A pony in light work didn't really ought to need hard feed at all, unless it's old, or inclined to lose condition for some other reason. Personally I'd have said that goes for the majority of horses and ponies who like mine do b----r all - plenty of hay, and a bit of something nice to get the vitamins down them. It's just that women love to feed things - men, dogs, horses, birds...

[DebO]

There are 2 ways you can work out how much food your pony should have:

Estimate by height - 13hh would need about 18lbs food or by weight (use a weighbridge or weightape) his food would then be 2 or 2.5% of bodyweight. 1% if he needs to loose weight. This could be either all fibre or concentrates and fibre depending on the work the pony is doing.

Light work would be 4-6 hrs light hacking or schooling your food would be 25% concentrates and 75% bulk (fibre)

Light medium work would be 6-12 hrs hacking, schooling and a little jumping. Food would be 30% concentrates 70% bulk.

Lots of factors to consider though:

Build, health, age, environment weight, temperament. You need to adjust amount according to these factors, eg if already plump then amount of food should be cut down.

People spend too much money on supplements etc, when most horse feed already have these already incoprated into feed. The only time when you need to add supplements is if you alter the manufacturers recommended amount of feed given to your pony.

Concentrates (hard feed) provide heat and energy and roughage (fibre, grass, hay, alfalfa etc) provides bulk allowing the digestive system to work effeciently.

Ponies are very susceptible to laminitis and are usually quite hardy and therefore don't need too much food.

The horses stomach is the size of a rugby ball and concentrates should never be over 4 to 6lbs in any one feed.


It is better to underfeed than overfeed. You will have to see what suits your pony and if you change his feed you must do it gradually.

If he sweats a lot make sure he gets enough salt or electrolytes if he works really hard. Always plent of fresh water available


Hope this helps

[lizzy]

I can confirm that it should be 2.5% of a horses bodywieght. I'll never forget it because in my horsekeepers certificate exam I put down that it was 25% of a horses bodywiehgt:rolleyes: :rolleyes:
:rolleyes:

I don't know if I have passed yet???????

[AJB]

must agree with previous post-most ponies need nothing more than hay. People are too hung up on feeding them and then worrying about weight etc. For example I have a well built 16.2 irish draught x thoroughbred. Hes 6 rising 7 and does 20 mins schooling 4-5 times a week and at least 2 hacks, one of which is usually 2 hours or more. He is on a scoop of non molassed chaff and a half scoop of leisure mix with carrots and apples twice a day and lots of hay. He looks great and people in the yard admire his coat and condition etc. I know I am lucky as he is obviously a good doer but lots of the yard are into supplements and extra feeds etc. The best thing with feed is to keep it simple. Hope this helps :D

[DebO]

Yes it is 2.5 as a general rule and that's the answer they expect in your BHS exams too. However, I was referring to the information contained in Practical Horse and Pony Nutrition by Gillian McCarthy.

The varying %'s applies to bodily condition of course, as I said earlier if they are overweight then it would be 1%. Generally though it is 2.5, but with a pony I think it could be less knowing how ponies can easily put on weight.

The other thing I would suggest to the person asking about her pony's food ration, if you are using a particular brand and usually stick with it, give them a call and speak to their nutrionalist they will be very helpful.