No Hard Feed

[NoviceNic]

Am I mean? I am not hard feeding Captain yet.:confused: His weight is holding with 2 haynets a day and 7 hours grazing. His coat is shiny.. And his energy levels havent dropped. So am I doing ok or should I maybe give him a token feed??? My plan is to feed him on beet, chaff and pasture mix. I know he doesnt get fizzy on this. Are there any essential vits or oils I should be giving him now or in his feed??

Many Thanks..:)

[Shadowlark]

I know a lot of people who almost never hard feed.. myself included and that includes my performance horses. If his condition is good, he is healthy and happy - a forage only diet is totaly apropriate and what a horse is "desgined" to live on. There are of course situations such as with the elderly where it is completly apropriate. Myself if weight goes down, the first thing I do is up hay and 9 times out of 10 that's worked for me
I find most owners hard feed because "everyone else does" or wether they admit it or not because it makes THEM feel good. There is also sneaking them supplements.. but I don't supplement either so also a non issue ;)

[CurlyWurlyRach]

curly gets a general supplement in a bowl of HiFi every day purely as the grazing isnt great and she wintered badly last year.

i wouldnt worry about hard feed until YOU think he needs it :) you know him best.

[Alfies-slave]

No you are not mean! Most horses don't NEED hard feed. Most do just fine on hay and grass. If you want to make sure he is getting all his vitamins and minerals that are lacking in hay/winter grass you could get him a mineral lick or give a bit of feed balancer. Feed balancer can be used to balance a forage diet as well as a hard feed one.

I think that a lot of people feed hard feed because everyone else does. There is a lot of pressure from the feed companied. Horses are happier and healthier if they can be given enough quality turn out and hay. It upsets me when you hear of horses and ponies that are given a load of hard feed they don't need and then have their hay & turnout rationed.

There is a lot to be said for the hay/grass feeding. The horses are not nutters, they are less likely to colic, ulcerate, founder. Their manners are better, they are less likely to have food "issues". Feeding a horse on a forage diet keeps it warmer as the hay/grass produces heat in the large intestines. All good stuff and nice and cheap!

[Portia]

Why should you think you're being mean? Sounds to me like you're being a responsible and sensible owner; you say Captain looks well, is able to do the work you ask of him with ease. He's well, you're responding to HIS needs - that's what matters, not pressure from peers/advertising etc. How many horse I wonder might benefit more from a forage based diet as opposed to a high carb cereal diet?

I dont give hard feed, have considered it but dont feel the mare needs it (and suspect we'd get more naughtiness if we did). She holds her weight and looks well on what she gets, which is 2/3 scoop chaff, some veg, a vit supplement (and I added that recently as I can feel a ??sarcoid starting), and simple systems balancer.

[NoviceNic]

I feel guilty. A lot of people on NR are talking about what they are hard feeding. Yet only the oldie at our yard is getting any feed. I will pop out to our tack shop tomorrow and get a mineral lick and see if Captain would like it. He didnt like the hanging on a rope one and the lick just went mouldy as it hung for weeks. Maybe I can get through the Winter without hardfeed?? Worth a try. Although I have bought in a bag of each feed for him in readiness.:rolleyes: Thanks everyone. You have eased my mind. :)

[emlybob]

Nic i think most people overfeed. My 3 year old is still living out, no rug, no feed and no hay and he looks fab. Play it by ear and if you think he needs it then feed him but to be honest they get most of whay they need through hay/haylage rations

[Forever Fern]

My friends horse is not on hard feed, and he is fine and at the end of the day youknow your horses so you will know best when you think he needs it. So dont worry.
xXx

[Bay Mare]

Not mean at all, forage is better for his digestive system so you're being positively kind :)

Saffy hasn't had any hard feed at all for well over a year now and is looking great. She's barely changed weight wise and her coat is fabby. She's also got MORE than enough energy!

[puzzles]

goosd for you hun; you may not need hard feed at all - why feed i jut because evryone else is, you feel you should, or because it's winter?
with ad-lib quality forage and a vitamin/mineral lick in his stable, he could thrive very well!
dtry ad-lib forage and onlt add hard feed if he's not doinf well on this diet.

[chickflick1066]

I'm with the others, just up his forage rations should you think he needs it :)

[Whatanejit]

You EVIL WITCH!!!!!

:p :p :p :p

Hee hee - he doesn't need hard feed Nic - he's a good doer.

I am an evil witch too as Coops doesn't get any.

Alpha oil and speedibeet with carrots and his supplements.

Isn't pasture mix a hard feed? It can send some horses loopy loo!

You are a good mummy!!

[tasha]

I have a TB (18) and a PB Arab (24) who are out at grass 24/7 at the moment. They do not get anything other than grass and the odd apple at the moment! Once they've mown the last of the grass down they'll start coming in at nights and get hay and feed. I was beginning to wonder the same as you but then realised today that they still look chubby from the summer so if anything I'm doing them a favour!

[nicolaj]

I don't give hard feed to my cob, he is out 24/7, have taken his rug off as it has gone so mild again! He is very hairy and has lots of nice grass in his new paddock and some shelter from the hedges.

They only thing I give him is some Hi-fi with Baileys lo-cal balancer just to make sure he is getting all his vits and that. He doesn't need to gain weight, or drop either, just right.

I know it is really difficult sometimes and I do feel guilty, but as long as Captain is looking well don't worry! If you're worried about him lacking vits etc then just feed a balancer or a supplement.

[mogadoga]

I only give Alex the bear minimum. Only coz he needs his vitamins. Alex gets Hi Fi. A balancer and a hand full of fibre cubes so its mushy when i soak it. And his mud guard. His feed is pathetic :D
But at least i know he is getting enough but not too much! Like many horses do :(

But if your worrying just throw in a lick, or do what i do. Bit of chaff with a balancer. :D But he sounds happy and healthy!

[teabiscuit]

only finn and sandy (my old chap) get hard feed, the others are fiber only.

depends on the horse and what you want

[Laura+Phantom]

I think it depends on the horse. This year, my 4 are porky and out 24/7 on just grass, but last year Phantom had to have 2 feeds a day of slim and healthy mix, hi-fi and sugar beet cos he was pretty lean and had no energy, but we had less grass then.

If your horse has haylage and decent grazing, he shouldn't even need a mineral supplement, and will just pee it out! Mine don't get anything other than a rock salt lick and they're fine.

Saphy gets 2 feeds a day, grass by day and haylage by night but thats her owners preference, and she does fine on that. They give her hard feed for extra 'sparkle' but i'm going to substitute 2 out of her 4 scoops of mix a day for 2 scoops of sugar beet, i'd prefer more fibre in the diet than concentrates.

[Wally]

Ours get a carrot when we walk the herd, that's it, not even any hay yet.

[chev]

I posted pics of mine the other day; out 24/7, no hay, no haylage, no hard feed, no rugs and no licks either. And do they look well on it! :eek:

Cereals are not neccessarily a vital part of a horse's diet - good for giving extra energy or calories when needed (Willow gets a hard feed, because she loses condition in winter without) but if they're getting what they need from forage, all the better for them.

Feed what's needed, when it's needed. It's not about being mean or not - it's about meeting a horse's nutritional needs, and if forage alone does that, don't worry about it. :)

[hackedoff]

hey NN I'm in the evil non-feeding mummy club too!:) mine get ad-lib hay and a pony-size bucket of chop and balancer, thats it.

[Wally]

I'm surprised the SSPCA havn't been round here rolling our lot back into the water!

There is a bit of a fashion for blubber in our herd at the moment.

[JOJOBA]

Our entire yard is not fed hard feed - except the golden oldies who need a little extra.
They get alfa a variations depending on what suits them, and sometimes some sugar beet. They get two feeds a day - a small breakfast and larger lunch. They all get some turnout each day (mine is out from about 4pm - 7am and sometimes gets turned out for the morning too if Im not there) and ad lib haylage.
My TB is on a conditioning mix because he drops weight going into winter, but Im piling weight onto my horse just using alfa a oil, veg and beet (except he wont touch his food if there's alfa a beet in it :rolleyes: ).
All our horses look and act well since the swap to fibre based feeding. If they dont need it, dont give it!


xxx

[countrybumpkin]

your horse only needs a hard feed if he cant cope with the workload on his current diet, or if he is losing weight.
I would be concerned about vitamins and minerals though. I give mine a handful of alfalfa so that I can feed a supplement, but if you dont want to give a bucket feed you could give a lick like the new HerbiLIX from Brinicombe Equine. It is low in sugar so they dont gobble it down, and it will give the extra vitamins and minerals he needs - and if he doesn't lick it, you know he doesnt need any!
www.brinicombe-equine.co.uk

[colettybetty]

None of mine have ever needed hard feed, which included a 18 year old TB, who was amazingly fit. With decent grazing/hay, we give a handful of hi fi lite to pop a general vitamin supplement and a very few succulents.Even our 6 month old TB/ISH is not given youngstock mix on vets advice, just good old fashioned grass and hay and a dash of Surelimb.