Posted by PaulineW on Dec. 14, 2001

I feel like every time I feed Lucy she's saying to herself, "Oh God, not this old boring thing again"  She gets a scoop of Hi-Fi, some apples and carrots and her supplements, but it just seems so boring.

Is there anything that I can add to it?  She normally loses a lot of weight around this time of year but she was fatter than ever this summer and at the moment is probably how I would like her to stay.  She's also quite a wimp and feels the cold a lot.

She is 12 and is ridden about once or twice a week but is quite hyper so anything that would just add flavour, and bulk it out a bit but not add energy or fat!  Does such a feed exist?

Thanks

Posted by DunPony on Dec. 14, 2001

Have you tried sugar beet?  You can get it unmollassed so would not add extra sugar, but is a good warming, bulky feed

Posted by TF1 on Dec. 14, 2001

Don't forget that they're horses, not people, doubt they care what it is. They don't need variety to keep them interested (unless they're going off their food). Bit like dogs who you feed the same day in day out!

Posted by Cookie on Dec. 14, 2001

I'd experiment with some other fruit and vegetables - they'll add bulk, flavour and interest, especially if you change them around fairly frequently.

Don't use sugar beet myself, but I have heard that some horses can "fizz up" on it.

Posted by lmt on Dec. 14, 2001

I have got a TB mare.

Have never been able to feed her sugar-beet as it made her hyperactive - I never tried the unmollassed version.

I have the problem that she often loses weight in the winter. For the past few years we have fed her on Dengi hi-fi and a couple of handfuls of topline nuts and numerous supplements as I worry that she doesn't get enough nutrients!! This has worked well and she has kept the weight on with a controllable amount of energy.

Posted by ammatthews on Dec. 14, 2001

This autumn has been very warm so the grass has continued to grow a lot longer than usual. If she's out a lot, she may find dinner not as palatable as lush green grass - oh and will probably not lose weight to the extend she normally does.

Is she eating hay ok? If not - is there anything wrong with her teeth?

Posted by PaulineW on Dec. 14, 2001

She's on haylage and gets one big net a night and eats it all.  Her teeth are ok as they were just done a couple of months ago.

Posted by Ally Sole on Dec. 14, 2001

Can't you just give her a bit more haylage.  She obviously enjoys that if the net is always empty in the morning.

Posted by les on Dec. 14, 2001

Don't forget the formula of 8lbs eaten in 2 hours - so she may need a fresh or a second net for the night - Good Doer with unmollassed sugar beet is also a good filling, warming high fibre feed that takes a while to eat and carrots are filling as are other vegetables (but not cabbage/sprouts or potatoes )- none of these are heavy in calories

Posted by Sharon H on Dec. 15, 2001

Both my ponies give me very strange looks when I give them hi-fi lite. They obviously consider that expecting them to eat some chopped up hay is NOT acceptable and they would like some PROPER food please! I sprinkle some pasture mix in with it to make it a bit more interesting and the Shetland then proceeds to blow heavily into the bowl until the nasty hay stuff has disappeared all over the yard and he can get at the proper food. I've never used it before and it was a bit of a shock when I realised how much you get in a bag. As they only get a handful of the stuff at a time, we shall still be using the same bag this time next year at this rate. 

Posted by cloudnine on Dec. 15, 2001

Our riding club had a talk by Spillers and the lady said that people worry a lot more than horses about what they eat. Most mixes sell well because owners think they look nice so think the horse will like them. If you think when they are in the wild they had a diet that consisted of the same thing everyday. We do buy caterer's treacle from the cash and carry as it comes in a squeezy bottle and they have a drizzle of that over their tea as it is good for coughs but also I think makes it look nicer. Just alternate what you put in so she gets different fruit/veg each day!

Posted by Joe R on Dec. 16, 2001

I feed my chap who is a good doer and one that can get very hot under the collar with certain feeds. Allen & Page slim and healthy mix has boosted vitamin and mineral levels so you can feed a small amount but are still sure to be giving the horse all the essential supplements he needs, and I have found this feed to be the best I have ever used for my horse. He has been an absolute angel and I have had the best results with him this year I have ever had before.

Posted by nikkypoos on Dec. 16, 2001

Ollie is fed Alfa-beet because he can be prone to laminitis. He eats loads of the stuff to keep weight on (he is 30!) and it doesn't fizz him up.