| Author |
Message |
    
Karen Blair-Imrie
| | Posted on Thursday, 19 July, 2007 - 9:29 am: | |
So...if Bella is out at grass from 5 pm to 8 am, that's 15 hours. The D&H people say she should be getting about 8 or 9 kgs of forage. If I estimate 1 hr at grass = 1 kg of grass (thank you Patti for that info), she's getting twice as much grass as she should. Our grass has always been rather poor, the soil being very sandy and lots of horses using the field, but this year it's lush. And Bella's waistline reflects that unusual fact.
David, you're right. Digestible energy is the thing to look at when formulating a horse diet (or a people diet, but we won't go there!) The D&H site shows the nutrient amounts for each of their feeds, and their recommendations incorporate that information. For example, their performance concentrate contains 12/5 MJ/Kg of digestible energy and 16.5 of protein. Latest research indicates that protein isn't as important as once thought, however.
We make our own hay, but, since we have 16 livery horses in addition to my own 2, we have to buy in more. This year, we made haylage, as the grass just wasn't going to dry out long enough to cut and cure. It actually looks to be of pretty good quality.
Today it's raining. Again. Another soggy drive :-) |
Guest
| | Posted on Wednesday, 18 July, 2007 - 8:08 am: | |
Karen I am sure you are aware but just note about the dry matter content of feeds coarse mix i guess is 85% dry 15%water, beet is probably the reverse of this so watch out when working out rations on weight alone you really need the DM of each feed to be accurate
David |
Janet Pilling
| | Posted on Tuesday, 17 July, 2007 - 5:02 pm: | |
Yes, I'm a bit concerned about hay/haylage - we buy haylage locally and the farmer (who makes great stuff!) has got some in but the bulk of it isn't cut yet. We feed it ad-lib in winter (hence our cuddies are bull-fat!) but things may change this coming winter if it is in short supply. We have managed to rent an additional ten acres til Christmas though so hopefully they will be out a lot more. Generally they go out at around 8am and come in about 3pm, weather and ground conditions permitting. We don't turn ours away in winter - we keep them going, hacking and hunting and hopefully this year a bit of ridden dressage if we can get round to it. |
Emma Burton
| | Posted on Tuesday, 17 July, 2007 - 3:05 pm: | |
I think the major thing here is every horse is different, some need little to maintain their waistlines and have enough stamina, whereas others seem to be permanently shovelling food down their throats just to keep them above neglect level! I've show jumped upto a decent level on a horse living at grass, yes the droppings were a little, ahem, green during the spring, but he worked well so I couldn't see the point in bringing him in just because it's normal!
Is anyone else out there concerned about hay this year? There's a lot around here that hasn't been dropped, and is going to be of poor quality, although the haylage was brought in earlier as they were expecting a second crop. Farmers are already scaremongering, we don't feed a lot during the race season, but even so I intend to fill the barn as soon as I get chance! |
Patti Atkinson
| | Posted on Tuesday, 17 July, 2007 - 1:10 pm: | |
Quantity ( and quality) of grass is always a problem. Badminton Horse feeds quote a weight that horses can eat when out at grass. - I quote "One thin section of hay weighs approximately 1kg. One hour of grazing is approximately 1kg dry matter of forage."
My beasts (which have ranged from ClydedaleX to Dutch warmblood with other things in between) are out as much as possible.
Currently, a pair of KWPN's, are out overnight, stand in 6am till 7 pm. They get a feed when they come in - Handfull Hi Fi Lite and a 1/2 pint mug of Triple crown base feed and they get the same at night plus garlic, electro salts and respiraze. Mid day they get about 2 kilos of haylage - mind they are on a diet!
They are being ridden every day (medium to hard - 1hr) and longed or driven most days as well. They are full of energy and have a superb gleam on their coats.
Nothing changes at an event except there is no turnout so they get loads more haylage.... I swear my trotterX Tom used to put on weight at an event!
Later in the year I think one of the pair will need more than the other but until they start to need it they dont get it. |
Karen Blair-Imrie
| | Posted on Tuesday, 17 July, 2007 - 6:45 am: | |
I went to the Dodson & Horrell site yesterday to see what they say about feeding.
For a 550 kg horse in medium work (by which I mean driving 6 days a week for at least one hour, plus ridden hacks or dressage schooling 5-6 days a week), D&H recommend feeding 11 kgs, to be split 25% concentrates and 75% grass/hay. That works out to 2.75 kgs, or 5.5 lbs, of hard feed a day. It doesn't include chaff, just concentrates.
Scoops are convenient but I need to weigh each filled scoop to find out how much each type of feed weighs. A scoop of soaked sugar beet weighs much more than a scoop of competition mix, while chaff weighs almost nothing at all.
I give 2 feeds a day, each one about 1 1/2 lbs in weight, of 1/4 mixed chaff, 1/2 D&H competition country mix, with a measure of Blue Chip D in the morning feed. Not nearly what D&H recommends. (Having said that, I'm upping Bella's feed this week, as we're doing more work now in preparation for Castle Kennedy.)
I also wonder how much grass she gets, out in a field with 3 other horses from 5 pm to 8 am? Is there any way to make even a wild guess? The grass has been pretty lush lately, what with all of the rain. Hottest summer in history, yeah right. :-)
k |
Helen Hunter
| | Posted on Monday, 16 July, 2007 - 4:19 pm: | |
I feed very simply too - Alfalfa, top line cubes and outshine, with a broad spectrum vitamin supplement purely because the part of Aberdeenshire I'm based in is lacking in some elements. I also add electrolyes as and when required, after hard exercise and before and after long distance travelling (which we have do lots of!!!). I feed at events as I feed at home, nothing different. I agree, if it's nae bust, dinna try tae sort it!!! |
Emma Burton
| | Posted on Monday, 16 July, 2007 - 3:05 pm: | |
I've got racehorses too, and we feed a mix designed for that purpose as well as beet,garlic and codlivine (for the shiny coat!), where as plenty of other race yards add countless supplements and superduper additives. Our horses run at least as well as those others, so i'm convinced that is more down to fitness itself rather than the feed you use. Feed enough to replace the energy the horse is expending, rather than to give it more energy. One thing i do believe though, we give our racers no haylage or feed after their breakfast, even if they don't run until late in the afternoon. I find it strange that some horses are left eating haynets until it's time to harness up. I was taught that an extra feed and so called energy boost within 24 hours of the event was a complete waste of time. Replacing lost fluids and salts is important though, and most horses would benefit from electroyltes after completion in warm weather. There are so many different feeds out there, and they all do a job. If your horse is working well on your feed, then it's a success, if not, look at alternatives. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, regardless of what 'im next door recommends!! |
Naomi Harbach
| | Posted on Monday, 16 July, 2007 - 1:59 pm: | |
I feed my driving pony Primero Equine, (and obviously grass and hay).It is an all in one feed, and contains everything your horse needs, such as garlick, chaff, oil, ye sac, probiotic etc. It doesn't fizz them up and it keeps her in great condition. I only feed her 1/2 scoop twice a day and she has enough energy to work 6 days a week and compete in 1 and 2 day driving trials events. I do add electrolytes but thats it. I also have a veteran horse of 29 (still in work) on the same feed only difference is he has 2 1/2 scoops of this a day and he loooks in great condition too! You can't get this feed at your local feed merchant but you can go onto the website, speak to a distributer and get it delivered to your door, saving you time running around when you could be out driving!! |
Janet Pilling
| | Posted on Monday, 16 July, 2007 - 12:43 pm: | |
Play nice now!
We all have an equal right to use this forum and people should be careful of the tone taken on some of the threads. Personal attacks on some threads is not in keeping with the sportsmanlike boasts of carriage drivers and we should try to be more tolerant.
We have waited a long time for a forum like this on the BHDTA website and it should be a useful tool to learn about other drivers, for making and keeping up friendships, passing on information and advice. Please look after it and don't use it for bashing those who may 'get your goat' :o)
Karen, I feed exactly the same at events as I do at home - Hi-fibre cubes, Alfa-A and Speedibeet for energy and no cereals. I also feed Topspec Anti-lam as a supplement as it has magnesium which is widely used in calmers. I feel it has helped my little fizz-bomb to settle to his work a bit better and he is looking great. I have seen some endurance people giving their horses glucose tablets but have no idea whether there would be any benefit for a quick burst of energy in sec E! |
Dawn Emmerson
| | Posted on Monday, 16 July, 2007 - 10:59 am: | |
I feed on a day to day basis pending on the workload. I never highly increase feed to try and create more energy. I also don't add supplements except for Garlic and Corteflex. My boy was doing really well this year until I ended up in hosptial with a collasped lung then again after my accident.(which I am still recovering from) His fitness was excellent and his condition was superb, just a pity I can't compete now until my injuries heal. |
Karen Blair-Imrie
| | Posted on Monday, 16 July, 2007 - 8:47 am: | |
Hi, all,
I thought that an interesting topic for us to discuss might be "What do you feed your horse or pony so that he/she has the right balance of energy and manageability?"
At events, I've noticed that other competitors put a wide range of supplements into complete feeds, including glucose powder, vitamins & minerals, oil, alfalfa, limestone powder, seaweed powder - you name it, someone is feeding it to their horse. Yet the feed companies claim that adding stuff to their complete feed mixes is unnecessary, a waste of money, and even harmful.
Also, does using a sustained release type of feed make a big difference to the energy the horse has available by the time it reaches the hazards? I learned that the stomach clears in about 20 minutes, and the intestines in about 4 hours. Should we therefore be feeding a high-energy feed an hour before setting off on the marathon?
What do you guys think? |
|