Feeding a good doer over winter

[Bobbin]

Just a quick feed question.

Bryony is fed once a day on hi-fi lite and a few added bits and bobs. She gets one full scoop. She also gets a haynet at night which she rarely finishes.

She is worked 6 days a week including a couple of longer hacks at the weekend.

She certainly doesn't lack in energy but she is at a nice weight now and I don't want her to lose anymore.

I know she is a good doer but she's not actually that chunky and was, in my opinion, a little underweight when I bought her in the spring. I just don't want to fall into the trap of thinking that she'll hold her weight easily and I'm feeding her enough just because she's a bit cobby. Does that make sense.

My TBXID put weight on and kept it on beautifully and then overnight his weight dropped and I spent the rest of the winter trying to put it back on.

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

xx

[Bay Mare]

Mine's a good doer and since going on a forage based diet with no molasses she has maintained her weight beautifully. She barely changes weight now no matter what the season.

I would probably give two bucket feeds, forage based, there doesn't seem to be a need to add hard feed which is an energy feed anyway.

I would also do regular weight tape measurings and increase hay/forage if she starts to drop weight. Maybe adding some unmolassed sugar beet and a slug of oil (vegetable or soya) would be a useful addition.

I've had good results with feeding linseed as has my friend, it also has an excellent effect on their coats!

Also make sure that if you rug you keep an eye on how warm she is and consider stabling overnight if weight loss does become an issue.

[Bobbin]

I already feed soya oil and she is stabled at night now anyway.

Will up her feeds though.

xx

[puzzles]

you should continue feeding the Hi-Fi, but as that one scoop she is fed weighs 400g (according to Dengie) i think you need to gradually incresae the amount by about a handful each feed time over a period of 7 days or so, until you are feeding about 2.5 scoops worth (1kg) in that feed which can be changed according to how your horse's condition is and what work she is doing.
make sure she keeps getting ad-lib (constant) forage and make sure she is arm, as if she is cold she will use the energy in her feed to keep warm rather than to maintain weight and use it for her ridden work.
to make sure she is warm, the base of her ears should feel warm - not hot not cool - to the touch, and if you rug her then the same applies beneath the rug at her shoulder.
if she begins to lose condition - and you can easily keep this at bay by using a weight tape, availiable from most feed manfactorers or major catalogues (such as robinsond; google it) every 2 weeks then you can add a laminitis trust-approved additon such as speedibeet (an excellent product), with a handful to half a scoop in each feed.
if you are still in doubt or worried, pelase PM me and i'll try my best to help personally, or you can contact Dengie online (www.dengie.com) where they will personally (and helpfully!) reply to your query.
good luck!

[puzzles]

i agree that oil is one of the best ways to maintain condition on a good doer, as it contains 2-3 times the energy supply of an average hard feed, yet in small doses of about 2-3 tablespoons each day.
the highest quality oils are soya and linseed.

is the Hi-Fi all the hard fed you give your horse? if so, then a vitamin and mineral supplement or feed balancer is essential to make sure that your horse gets everything she needs to stay healthy and at a good weight.
i recommend Blue Chip Original or lami-light or Baileys LO-CAL feed balancers (all three designed specially for good doers), or Global Herbs Globalvite / NAF Pink Powder mineral and vitamin supplements.
:-)
please keep me updated on how you get on with your mare!

[Bobbin]

Thanks Puzzle that has been really helpful.

Do you think 2 feeds would be better or one larger one? I'm concerned that 2.5 large scoops of hi-fi might be quite alot. Sorry I know HI-FI is just forrage and won't make her fizzy but I just look at the amount and think:eek:

She has a vitamin lick in her stable but I will look at a feed balancer to add to her feed.
She's rugged up well and isn't to cold, don't worry I'm keeping an eye on that, it was just the feed I was a bit concerned about, I want to give her enough but believe me she needs no more energy.

Thanks for your help

[puzzles]

i'm glad to have helped - sprry it was so long, i do tend to go on, er, more than a bit!

2 feeds is definately better than one large one - the horse's stomach is only about the size of a rugby ball, and with smaller feeds she'll be able to digestive her food more efficiently.

about the 2.5 scoops thing; you could be right. if you do decide to do this, increase the feed to 1.5 - 2 scoops and see how she goes. that's the good thing about hi-fi, you can feed 'a lot' but in terms of weight, it's hardly anything we, as horse owners, think it is. horses in light work need about 7-9 MJ (megajoules) per/kg concentrates (hard feed). horses in moderate-medium work need 9-11 MJ per/kg of concentrates and those in hard work 11-13 MJ per/kg of hard feed.
considering that hay (one of the lowest-energy forages) usually contains about 6/7-10MJ per/kg and Dengie Senior provides about 8MJ per/kg, the senior is low in energy so although you can feed anout 2 scoops of the approximately 7 MJ per/kg hi-fi lite (which could be an alternative for the senior), your mare won't be receiving as much energy as you may think.
try it; the dengie forage feeds are also useful in that ou can change the amount fed withiout upsetting the balance of minerals/vitamins (so long as you feed a balancer/min and vit supplement too).
good luck, i hope this isn't too confusing!
:-)

[nelle]

My good doer has one scoopful of hi-fi light in the morning with a handful of baileys low cal balancer, a couple of carrots and an apple and when he comes in mid afternoon he has two scoopfuls of hi-fi light, two handfuls of balancer, carrots and an apple!

He has plenty of hay, but is such a greedy guts that he eats it very quickly so I'm going to have to start giving him a haynet instead of using a rack to slow him down as he's getting through a nights ration in a couple of hours!

He's holding his weight very well, but is only being exercised 3-4 times a week.

[Jessey]

I would stick with what she is on just add a vitamin supplement to make sure she is getting her trace elements, start weight taping weekly and get a calander or something to jot it down on. Horses only loose weight gradually/stedily but often we owners don't notice until there has been a dramatic change, a few pounds here and there under that wooley coat get missed very easily, by weight taping you can keep an accurate record of what happening and act on it before it goes to far in the wrong direction, it sounds like thats what happened with Grady :p Also taking pictures from the same angle and int he same place once a month is really good, you can then compare them and keep them as a good record :D

2 feeds is better if you are having to give alot of feed, but if you are only giving a little then giving just 1 feed a day (pointless giving breakfast if you don't have to, just slows you up on those cold mornings ;)) is fine.

Do also bear in mind that horses can (and do in the wilds) loose a little weight over winter so that come spring they can afford to gain a little on all that spring grass :D but if you do find Briony is loosing too much weight I would get some speedy beet (or another unmolassed beet) and start giving her a cup full at a time, its all fibre, will help her stay warm and hold her weight, without much extra energy :D Oil is great for weight, but it does provide lots of energy too, normally slow release and not fizzy but none the less energy ;)

J x

[Bobbin]

Thanks Jessey,

I have started to give her two feeds, a scoop in the morning and one in the evening and with that feed add all her suppliments.

I'll keep a record of her weight, thats a good idea. Will start tonight.

She got far to fat this summer but then she spent most of it off ridden work anyway. I'm glad she's dropped the weight she has but I don't think she should lose anymore as she's meant to have a bit of meat on her bones...bit like me:rolleyes:

xx

[puzzles]

lol hun, hope ti goes ok
:-)