Hi-Fi good do-er?

[CurlyWurlyRach]

Curly is a little overweight (id give her a 3.5 on the condition scale)and it looks like we might be moving yards soon where she will be stabled during the night and out at grass during the day.
Would this feeding plan be ok?
One large, small holed haynet during the night
1.5kg of Dengie Hi-Fi good do-er (split into two bucket feeds? morning and the other at night?)
at grass during the day (fatties pasture)
A general supplement (like Dengie optimum - 2 scoops)
A hoof supplement (NAF biotin?)

this feeding thing is confusing....That sounds like alot of feed...does she even need a bucket feed?
She will be lightly schooled (an hour of walk, trot, canter and some jumping) around 3/4 days a week and hacked at the weekend at trot and canter. competing about once a month.

[Jessey]

If she is round then I would reduce your bucket feed to almost nothing, my fatties get HiFi Lite just as a token and to put their supplements in, they get a double handful once a day. The supplements sound fine.

I would always offer hay adlib if you can, so if 1 net will keep her going over night then thats great, if not you might need to up it a bit. Its so important that horses can graze all the time.

If you find she then looses some weight thats good, but if she keeps loosing some weight then you may need to up the hay or bucket feed a little until you find her balance.

J x

[CurlyWurlyRach]

cheers Jessey :D
I wont give her a bucket feed but will get a cheapie coolmix or similar to carry her biotin.
I was just worried she'd need a feed for her increased level of work (shes very unfit atm) but it sounds like grass and hay should be ok.

She'll have a haynet when she comes in to her box and if need be, another before i leave her for the night.

[Jessey]

I wouldn't bother with getting a coolmix if you have the HiFi already, just use a handful of that, TBH I use it cause it 'soaks up' the powders of supplements better than a mix :D I find I have to give quite a lot of mix or it seems like all powder, plus chaff gives them a longer chewing time, so they feel like they are getting more :D
If you find later she is lacking energy or loosing weight, you can up the feed easily esp if she is already on what you would give her. Mine might get increased to about 1kg of HiFi in the coldest months.

J x

[cazrider]

I agree with Jessey. I have a good doer who's on a similar regime to yours. He has two "feeds" (morning and night) of a handful of Dengie Good Doer, which is really just to hold his supplements (in his case, Extraflex and Codlivine) few carrots/apples, a reasonable size haynet while he's in during the day and a fatties field at night.

Sennie has a similar workload to yours as well. On the above he's holding his weight without putting any on just fine.

Hope this helps

Cazx

[carrieh]

Agree with Jessey too. My Fell has a handful or two of HiFi Good Doer just so that I can get his supplements down him - Hilton Herbs Veteran Mix herbs, vitamins and minerals, cider vinegar. Otherwise at the moment it is just grass. And for 26 years old - just found out his real age!! - he looks incredibly well.

[nicolaj]

I tried to put supplements in with pony nuts, but it didn't really work. He wasn't too impressed!!!

A handful of Hi-fi lite isn't going to hurt and as others have said 'absorbs' the powder a lot better.

[CurlyWurlyRach]

Many thanks for all your help :D
I think I'll get some good doer to carry the biotin and vitamin/mineral supp.

You've all been v helpful :D

[wibble]

my mare is on good do-er because we were given a free bag however she will go back onto hi-fi lite when we run out as it's cheaper. She gets one handful per feed (2 feeds a day) with supplements as she is overweight.