lkvaughan
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Nov 9, 2005, 11:17 AM
Post #2 of 9
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Re: [boboren] Feeding grain and hay
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Bob
welcome to the horse world!
Feeding is as much an art as it is a science. Unfortunately, just like people, each horse has a different metabolism and different requirements... lotts of books have great info- but there are very few of us that keep a scale in our feed room to weigh the hay (Mark are you sure you weren't a Pony Clubber in a former life??)! there are some basic rules of thumb, but they are just that- basic guidelines...
However- horses are designed to always have fiber in their gut, without it you risk colic, ect...- it is best if hores always have free choice hay/grass- but there are differences in the nutritional quality of the hay (and grain) and the individual horses to be considered...
on one extreme if they are gluttons like my mom's pony (who has a metabolic dissorder simmilar to diabetes in people) and can get fat on air and water- you may have to feed a 'lower' quality hay- she gets the year old hay- low nutritional value, but meets her fiber requirements- and gets vitamin supplements (we like ShoGlo)
on the other extreme you have a hard keeper like my old TB that you can shovel grain and high quality hay in and still strugle to keep him at a good weight during competition season.
it sounds like you dont have this problem (although its hard to tell just from their weight- you realy have to look at body composition to know if they are overweight...)
in the summer most of my horses dont get ANY grain- mabey a handfull for everyone else if i am feeding one of them anything substantial- but thats just to make me feel better :) in the winter my older horses, or the harder keepers, will get enough grain to keep them from losing condition- but remember there are multitiudes of different grains- my colt gets a basic sweet feed, whereas my 21 yo gets a senior complete feed...
in my oppinion horses do better being out all the time- remember they are designed to be moving around all the time- not only is it healthier, but it helps keep their digestive track working correctly... mine have tons of pasture and stay out 24/7 unless one is hurt (they do have access to a large run-in for protection from the weather & i blanket those that need it in bad weather). We supplement with hay in the winter- for 6 horses we feed 3-5 50 lb hay bales a day (more if its realy cold) or provide them with a good quality round bale to munch on (a caution with roundbales- horses are suseptible to mold and mildew and round bales can have lotts of both if they have not been put up and stored correctly)
a good way to evaluate your horses is to talk with your vet and farrier, as well as your local county extension agent- they can be great resources for a wealth of info.... the people at your local feed store are a good source of info too
a good website on feeding overweight horses is www.safergrass.org
there are lotts of different options, and just like with about anything, people have their oppinions about what is the best way to do things... this board is getting to be a great place to get some good info from a wide variety of backgrounds- so ask lots of questions 
best of luck!
kelly
ill have to second what mark says below....and like mark says- thanks for your service (& your work with dogs)!
(This post was edited by lkvaughan on Nov 9, 2005, 2:35 PM)
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