Any ideas on what to feed a 6yr old 15hand horse?

Question

I am currently feeding him 1 large dipper of Competition mix 1 heap scoop of Alfa A and Apples n Carrots I have been schooling him Wed Thurs Fridays shows at the weekends day off on monday and hack on tuesday he is very fit but very lazy I am going for the teams this year at BSJA and do not want him lazy!! can anyone help!!

Answer 1

I would suggest you contact a specialist equine nutritionist. This is a link to Clare MacLeod:
http://www.equinenutritionist.co.uk/

Some of the larger feed companies will also give you advice for free. Try Baileys:
http://www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk/
Dodson & Horrell:
http://www.dodsonandhorrell.com/
Gro-well Feeds:
http://www.gro-wellfeeds.co.uk/
(I have used Gro-Well products for many years, with my sports horses, with great results. I cannot recommend them highly enough!)
Balanced Horse Feeds (who also have a free advice line):
http://www.balancedhorsefeeds.co.uk/
Saracen (who have on on-line feed check service, where you input your horses details and workload):
http://www.saracen-horse-feeds.co.uk/feedcheck/

Good luck for the coming season on the teams!

Answer 2

The most important part of a horse's diet is obviously forage. If he doesn't have access to grass, you need to make sure he gets plenty of hay each day. To give you an example, my hunter gets almost nine flakes every day to keep him happy and healthy. For grain, though, you have options. First, let me just say that if he's working fine on his current levels of grain, don't swap anything out. If not, don't try an abrupt change yet. You could always try adding half a scoop of sweet feed to his grain. As always, when changing the diet of a horse, phase in the new feed gradually so as not to upset his stomach.

Different horses have different dietary needs according to metabolism and amount of work. Your guy sounds like he has a pretty demanding work schedule, so you might want to consider something with about 14% protein. Either that, or you can switch him off pelleted grains altogether. My hunter eats about six quarts a day, three in the morning and three at night. Half of each serving is rolled oats, the other sweet feed.

Before you change anything, though, you should definitely talk to your vet and trainer about what they recommend for your individual horse. They might have some ideas and they know your horse personally, so they could recommend something that might better suit his needs.

Answer 3

He needs a check from the vet before you make any changes. Make sure his worming schedule is up to date. Get the vet to check his teeth, and assess his condition.
If he sustains adequate condition on his current level of work and feed, then his feed is adequate. If it wasn't he'd be losing weight/condition.
He may need a slight increase in feed to pep him up, give him a bit of spare energy.

But he may be cold blooded, stale from work, or idle! In which case this is a schooling problem, not a feeding or health problem.
If you've ruled out everything else and still haven't got a solution, see a trainer about changing his work schedule to improve his attitude to his work.

I don't know what Alfa A is, but if its an alfalfa based feed be cautious about using it - alfalfa is associated with some health problems.
http://www.pelham-saddlery.com/horse_column/alfalfa.html
http://www.ehow.com/tips_10765.html

Answer 4

i would if it was my horse give him a scoop of stud mix, half scoop competition cubes, half scoop alfa-a twice a day. or you could try scoop rolled oats with stud cubes morning, same for lunch and in the evening feed i was feeding rolled oats, stud cubes alfa-a. it really is a thing you have to work out with how much of the high protien to give him. It may be that he is just a really nice lad and stays calm and quite with everything. What breed is he?

Answer 5

i find a scoop of high fi good do-oer and 3/4 of a scoop of indurow 100 all so a level scoop of a vitamin called magic in am and pm feed apples and carrots will not effect the performance at all

Answer 6

Feed the best quality hay you can afford to feed.
That should be the basis of his diet.
Feed grain as needed to help keep him in condition.
Free feeding hay and splitting up the grain portion of his meals will be the best thing you can do for him.
If you are having trouble keeping weight on him add fat to his diet. Either stabalized rice bran or use some type of liquid oil. They will add calories with out making him hyper. This should only be done if you are trying to add weight.

Answer 7

if your horse is lazy I would recommend you start feeding him oats - I have two horses in competition every week and I found the best balance for them was a combination of pulp - just to keep a bit of condition on them - coarse mix - contains vital ingredients and oats - just to give them that extra bit of oomp!
However - dont overfeed your horse! Oats can have an adverse affect on some animals and sent them ballistic!! Just start him off with small portions until his system adapts to it and see if he changes his temperment!!!
Apples and carrots should be fed in moderation - they should be used as treats - not as an actual feedstuff!
Good luck!
xx

Answer 8

It sounds like ur fedding him alot!!!!