aes
New Member
Posts: 188 
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Post by aes on Apr 1, 2015 14:52:58 GMT
I recently moved barns. They are two minutes apart and the hay looks very similar and good. This is Alberta where I know the hay is pretty nutritious overall though I've heard it can sometimes lack selenium.
At my old barn they had big salt/mineral blocks in the paddocks for the horses. Some people fed grain if their horse was in poor weight. At my new barn everyone grains their horse even though the paddocks are pretty small and a lot of the horses aren't ridden very hard. Everyone adds mineral to their grain.
In my opinion almost all of the horses are cresty and fat.
My horse is an easy keeper with a shiny coat and very small feet (QH). No major hoof or behavioural issues but I certainly don't want her getting fat on those little hooves. She is definitely not skinny. At this new barn she gets fed the good hay twice a day and I've never seen her feeder empty. At the old barn she grazed on a round bale or forked hay all day and was kicked off to a dry lot at night.
No pasture at either barn.
My question is - do I really need to be feeding her grain and/or minerals? I only ever used to grain her in the winter and I just fed her step 3 (Viterra) as mainly a treat.
Please advise.
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Post by mustangsavvy on Apr 1, 2015 15:22:39 GMT
You could send out a sample of hay to check to make sure it is good.
A recent study cited that most horses are missing out on vitamins or minerals. Are you noticing any signs? I don't think it could hurt. B is on a vitamin/mineral supplement and very little grain basically just enough to get the supplements in.
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mistersmom
Junior Member
Abita Springs, LA
Posts: 3,749
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Post by mistersmom on Apr 1, 2015 15:50:28 GMT
If the hay is of a good quality (I agree you might want to test it just to see) and she was doing fine at the other barn with no grain, I wouldn't change things up. Or perhaps, just a handful of straight oats so she has something to munch on while the others are eating.
So since there is no pasture, I'm assuming they get this hay year round?
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Post by lorddaxter on Apr 1, 2015 15:56:47 GMT
I like giving mine some farriers formula, good on so many levels, I also have a probiotic I feed with a tiny bit of sweet mix and I mean tiny at certain times of the year, I wouldnt feed her much either, as long as hay is good and there are mineral blocks out I wouldnt worry:)
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aes
New Member
Posts: 188
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Post by aes on Apr 1, 2015 16:32:47 GMT
Yes they get hay year round and that was the case at both barns. I'd worry about her on pasture full time with those little feet of hers.
How would I know if she's having a deficiency, short of getting the hay tested? Her coat is shiny, her eyes are clear, she is lazy in general but will definitely run if you ask her to. That's her normal personality. She's a little spooky in the new arena but I think that's just getting settled in. She is fine in her paddock.
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Post by horselover4life on Apr 1, 2015 16:49:39 GMT
If she is of good weight, shiny coat and energetic I would not be feeding her "grain/feed"....
She sounds like she is doing just fine nutrition wise on her quality hay she receives enough of.
If you are concerned about her having enough daily minerals and vitamins...start looking around for a pelleted or large granular supplement for her.
Sometimes in our quest to do what is best for our horses we overdo it though and throw their natural balance off....
Unless your barn orders 50 - 60 TONS of hay at a time...that hay analysis is a waste I feel.
Every load can be different for many reasons even though from the same supplier and fields in general. If it came from the north slope versus the southern tip of the field it could be slightly different nutrient quantities.
Horses are grazers, not meant to eat grain/feed like many owners/barns feed.
The bulk of the diet should be "grazing" material...hay, grass.
If she loses the shine and sparkle she has when you start to really ride her and work her harder then look for a additional feed source..
Otherwise...honestly, I would leave her alone.
Me...the saying, "if it ain't broke leave it alone" comes to mind.
Your horse though should always have access to a salt lick. In her stall in a holder or in the field....salt is a necessity.
Personally, my horses have a white {plain} salt lick and a brown {mineral} lick available to them whenever they want. Mine are kept in the stall in a wall hanger out of the pounding rains we get that would dissolve the product. My horses freely come and go from the barn and their stalls.
Personally, I don't put salt of any kind in "feed" buckets... saliva many times makes that block crumble then you have a animal who won't eat it nor if you feed supplements won't eat them either as everything is so salty...yuck!!
jmo...
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aes
New Member
Posts: 188
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Post by aes on Apr 1, 2015 16:53:24 GMT
Ok thank you HL4L that is exactly what my gut is telling me to do. I will make sure she has a mineral lick with selenium in her paddock and I'll continue to give her a couple of handfuls of sweet feed (Step 3) after a ride basically as a treat and so that she doesn't feel left out when the other horses are getting grained.
What do you guys think of feeding her Hoffman's horse ration instead of the sweet feed?
Keep in mind she doesn't get grained every day, only after I ride and I don't give her much?
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Post by horselover4life on Apr 1, 2015 16:56:22 GMT
aes....a blood study or chemistry can tell some deficiencies but not all.
Unless you are seeing something that concerns you, truly concerns you....stop fretting.
Do what your horse needs and is best for her.
If others push the grains/feeds...let them. Let then inherit the problems that can come with to rich a diet.
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aes
New Member
Posts: 188
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Post by aes on Apr 1, 2015 16:59:46 GMT
Yeah you're right. It's just weird coming to a new barn where people do things differently.
For instance, when people ride their horses in the indoor arena in the winter and they get sweaty they blow dry them at my new barn. There are honestly a line of blow driers. I have never seen or heard of anything like it.
I choose to blanket so she doesn't get too fluffy as was the common practice at my old barn and man I get some disparaging looks and passive aggressive remarks for blanketing. I understand it's a hot debate, and to each their own, but I've just never seen blow drying!!! I don't even have time to blow dry my own hair!! I have a two year old kid!!
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Post by horselover4life on Apr 1, 2015 17:09:24 GMT
aes...my vet just left a few minutes ago from doing teeth, vaccinations, worming, "the works"..... not discussing the bill!
So, each of my boys gets 1/2 pound of grain, true grain {yup, sweet feed light in molasses though} fortified with vitamins & minerals 2x a day.
Vet looked at them, looked at me and told me cut it in half...they don't need even that much between the hay I feed and now the beginning of good grass.
When he asked me why they get any.... well honestly... it is much easier for them to come to me than me go chase them on 5 acres of field to get them.
Now I call their names and they come at a run because they know something good awaits them.
Now, it will be less of that treat for them but they will still get some.
A very thorough exam and going over...verdict from the vet. "Healthy!! Leave them alone. Regardless of what others have been telling you, they are more than good!!"
So a handful often to keep their metabolic levels pretty even....I would say is fine.
I've never done Hoffman's but have heard and read nice things about it...
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aes
New Member
Posts: 188
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Post by aes on Apr 1, 2015 17:15:45 GMT
Ha ha so do as you say not as you do? ;-) Fair enough. I shouldn't worry. My kid doesn't eat much and I don't tend to worry about her!
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