How much hard feed do you give your in work, non native type horse?

[Goneintohibernation]

I feel like I am feeding mine loads, but I am aware that I am comparing him to the pony, who could live on fresh air and a couple of weeds, and still be too fat. I am currently feeding two of the round scoops of Alfa A, two cups of sugar beet, and one and a half scoops of conditioning cubes split over two feeds a day. So how does your horse compare feed wise?? Thanks in advance.

My TB (fully clipped, hunting twice a week and living out full time), gets approx 1/2 scoop Safe & Sound, 1/2 scoop Light Mix and a handful of Conditioning Cubes twice daily. He's in a big field with one other pony and has completely ignored all the hay, even when the ground was frozen and we had snow. He looks fab, well covered with a shiny coat and is on top form.

My 6yo tb in light work and living out gets one round scoop of HiFi lite and a cup full of soaked coolstance copra (amazing stuff) a day. Shetty gets the same but in a smaller quantity just so he doesn't feel left out at food time
Ad lib hay!

My shetty is lami prone so I am very aware of the damage sugar can do which is why I am very big on high fibre/low sugar for the tb as well.
(I have my suspicions that he may be slightly sugar intolerant due to being bought up on the high energy stuff)
And with him being a tb and ex racehorse I don't want him heating up and more than he naturally is

He is holding his weight well. Our first winter together and I was worried but he is happier out than he is in.

Well it seems I am feeding more than you two at least. I'm a little jealous!

My 15.1hh cob gets almost exactly what yours is getting, but I chuck in a mugful of micronised linseed too. He is hunting twice a week, and is a fussy eater. He would rather daydream than graze or eat hay when out in the field. He has ad lib hay. Some horses just need more than others.

Mine loves his hay!
I mean loves it!
I think this is why he doesn't seem to need to much hard feed and is coping well - I am however getting slightly crippled by my hay bill

Sounds fine to me!

Where are you who have horses living out?

Exit I'm in Somerset.

Ah. So not on the Pennines then!

I love the idea of them living out, but ours are in now (Derbyshire) and out mornings only so they don't trash the place. We don't use a lot of hard feed - in fact I feed less now than I have ever done and tend to feed more hay. they get 1/2 scoop mix and scoop chaff 2xday. They look great and are much better behaved as a result although little horse did buck me off again last week

Ours is out for a few hours every other day to swim in the mud soup.

He just has a scoop of Alfa Oil and a scoop of nuts split between two feeds plus ad lib hay.

Ahhh see, my paddock is trashed with them being out 24/7!
Its on a slight slope though so the top half isn't to bad but its like a bog at the bottom!
I wouldn't mind but BonkeyTB will only come to call so far and then look at me as if to say 'you want me to walk through it then you can come and get me first' .

I am hoping a stable is going to free up sometime this month so I can bring them both in for a while overnight just to give the ground a rest - at the moment I have one stable - I'd feel bad just bringing one in! Although the shetty would be fine milling around outside in the yard bit but I worry he might end up in the feed room/barn gorging .

Alpha a oil is fab stuff!
If mine weren't on the copra I would be using this but I worry about over doing the oil side....

elastamum Blame the weather

I took too long taking the head collar off the other day and was stuck in the mud. I sat down in it, then had to drag my arse to the fence to get myself up. Dd just stood and laughed, then wished she had videod it.

Although I can't laugh too hard - BonkeyTB got to excited the other day when I was at the top and came flying over only to stop and skid 5ft into me knocking me on my arse into big patch - he just looked at me as if to say 'ha!'.

If we can't laugh then we will cry!

I can't cry at the moment. I got hocked in the boob the other day and I think I may have cracked a rib.

First time I have been hocked.

Out 24/7. 2-3 feeds a day of speedibeet and dried grass (doesn't tolerate cereals and won't eat oil). In total it amounts to two scoops (dry weight) of speedibeet and two scoops of grass. Then lots of haylage on top!

Out all the time in theory, but in from 6-10 every evening. My TB who is currently in very light work gets per day two scoops of Alfa A oil, a scoop of healthy hoof, scoop soaked grass pellets and about 1/3 of a scoop tiger oats split over 2 feeds, plus more or less ad lib medium haylage. She is just about holding her weight and is no more silly than normal. Also very keen on low sugar diets here.

My ISH is on alfa a oil, speedibeet, was on spillers horse and pony cubes but have changed to BAileys no 4 in readiness for more competitions in a month or so. Three feeds a day plus ad lib hay - our paddock is trashed so they are in most of the time :-(. He gets carrots too because I think they are good for them when they are in.

Just about to buy more Top Spec balancer which I think is amazing and I might give instead of the BAileys.

I am jealous of anyone who has horses that will live out! Mine was begging to come in at night from early November!

Mine doesn't get the choice Gone, vets orders as she has RAO. By keeping her out all the time she remains well enough to event, def not the case if she sleeps in during the winter ( takes all spring and half the summer for the cough to go!)