Posted: 25th September 2015 | Back to news feed
Equerry Horse Feeds Senior Nutritionist, Louise Jones provides advice for a family with a number of horses and ponies to feed.
Question
As a family we have a 14hh Pony Club pony, a 16hh horse ridden by myself and my oldest son, hacking and pleasure rides; a 12.2hh Welsh Mountain pony that easily puts on weight and a 13.2hh Show Pony we compete at local level. If possible I would like to give them similar feeds rather than have endless bags in the feed room. Can you provide advice please?
Answer
All horses and ponies are different and should be fed according to their specific needs. However, when caring for several individuals, this can often mean that the feed room becomes stuffed full of endlessbags of different feeds and feeding time becomes a much more complex and time-consuming job. Every so often it’s a good idea to review what you feed your horses as simplifying their feeding regimes not only makes practical sense, but it can also save you money in the long-term.
The first thing to think about is your forage. Grass is the most economical form of forage and can make a significant contribution to your horses and ponies nutrient intakes. However, some individuals, such as your 12.2hh Welsh Mountain pony, may be prone to gaining too much weight or suffering from laminitis if their pasture intake is unrestricted during the peak growing periods. In these cases we recommend that you limit grass intake by strip-grazing a small area of the paddock.
During the winter the quality of the pasture declines and turn-out time is often reduced. This will mean that your horses and ponies require an additional source of forage. As your horses and ponies are in light work we recommend that you opt for hay, rather than haylage. A late-cut, meadow hay would be perfect and ideally should be provided ad lib. For those prone to gaining too much weight, you can soak the hay overnight, in plenty of water, to reduce its calorie and sugar content.
Forage alone will not provide your horses and ponies with all the essential micronutrients they need to stay healthy so you will need to feed them a suitable hard-feed. For good-doers, and horses in light work (e.g. hacking 1-3 times a week) that maintain weight and condition easily, we recommend Equerry High Fibre Cubes. Equerry High Fibre Cubes are specially designed to be high in fibre and low in calories, starch and sugar. This 'Non-Heating', cereal-grain free formula means that feeding them won’t exacerbate fizzy or excitable behaviour. Plus, Equerry High Fibre Cubes also contain a complete range of all the essential vitamins and minerals your horses and ponies need for a balanced diet.
In order to provide your horses and ponies with optimal levels of vitamins and minerals you should follow the feeding guidelines on the back of the bag. However, as a rough guide a small pony (e.g. Welsh Section A) would need 1-1.5kg/ day (approximately ½ - ¾ Stubbs scoop/ day), whereas a horse (e.g. Thoroughbred) would need 2.5-3kg/ day (approximately 1 ¼ - 1 ½ Stubbs scoop/ day). This daily intake should be divided into at least two feeds.
During the winter months you should monitor your horses and ponies condition carefully. If you notice any unwanted weight loss, or their workload increases significantly, then it may be necessary to replace the Equerry High Fibre Cubes with another feed from the Equerry range.
If you need simplifying your horses feeding regimes simply call the Equerry Feedline for practical, friendly advice on 01845 565640 or visit www.equerryhorsefeeds.com
The Equestrian Index newsfeed is compiled from articles submitted by advertising members and expresses the opinions of those members. Watsons Directories Ltd shall not be held liable for any inaccuracies or mis-statements therein.