is ponymix ok????,do they need rugging??

Question

Hello,I have 3 horses,a 2 yr old gypsy cob,a shire and another gypsy cob. i am feeding my horses between 4 and 5 scoops of ponymix,filling their bucket up with chop, should i cut down on the feed?. i can't get down my own yard everyday so haven't rugged my horses as when i did leave the rug on all day and removed it they was all sweating really bad,do they definatly need rugging??? any serious answers would be great.x

sorry,i typed a little bit of that wrong,i go down my field once a day,everyday,i spend 4 or 5 hrs down there,sometimes longer. they are on an allotment area so there are always people keeping an eye on them for me when i leave them

Answer 1

It's not the amount of scoops of mix you feed them but the weight that counts. Each horse should be fed 2% of their weight daily of which 80% should be forage and 20% hardfeed-like the mix. Not all horses need to be rugged if they've grown a warm winter coat-just don't clip them or else thet'll need to be clipped. Horses kept out actually shouldn't be rugged because the rug causes the hair o sit in an unnatural position which overtime will make it a necessity to rug the horse as they won't be as well insulated.

Answer 2

I'm afraid you're not going to like this.

Firstly: you MUST visit your horses at least three times a day. If you can't then you should either try to get someone else to do it for you or get rid of your horses. They cannot fend for themselves. What if 10 minutes after you leaving one gets colic or hung on a wire. Two days later you come back to a dead horse and an RSPCA van.

Your youngster needs feeding a youngstock mix with a balanced mineral intake to ensure healthy growth plus plenty of hay or haylage.

The others, unless they are working they don't need feeding other than hay/haylage, this will keep them all warm. they are hardy breeds, they either do not need rugging at all if you let them grow their natural coats, or rugging only when it gets real bad or if you clip them. You should also have a change of rug available for each horse in case the other is soaked through or gets ripped (or stolen).

Are you feeding each horse 4-5 scoops of ponymix???? if so FAR too much per horse. if you must feed them 3 per day max in three different feeds ie one scoop one feed. horses are trickle feeders and are not designed to take it all at once. Certainly do not leave them enough feed for 2 days all in one bucket. they will pig it and end up with colic or worse.

perhaps you could advertise for a local horse lover who may wish to share the chores??

I am afraid it does concern me that youcannot get there every day.