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Post by sharonspiers on Sept 20, 2012 19:17:40 GMT 1
Hi all. My friend has just bought a 16,1 5 year old Irish cob. She wants to avoid hard feed if she can. I only feed Sula hay and haylage all winter ( admitedly plenty of it ) and she wants to do this too. Does anyone have any advice about the feeding requirements of a horse this young. Ie would he need supplements etc. She obviously doesn't no yet how he holds his weight during the winter and doesn't want to get into the position where he has dropped off quickly and then needs feeding up. However she is , as I said, really keen to feed him hay and haylage only. Any opinions would be very welcome. XXX/
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Post by janebaily on Sept 21, 2012 9:37:27 GMT 1
Hi Sharon, I had a cob/tb from 6months old. Obviously, if you stuff babies with too much supplements and hard feed, you can do more harm than good, as this can make bones grow faster than tendons, ligaments etc. As a 5 year old he is pretty much grown, but may have to fill out. I dont know what, if any, work he has done, or will be doing. Will he be wintered out, or brought in at night?
Personally, i would feed good quality hay, as you do with Sula. If he starts to loose weight (although being a cobby jobby he probably wont) chuck a rug on him so his 'fuel' is keeping his weight and the rug is keeping him warm. I am sure you know haylage needs to be fed at one and a half times more than hay as it contains much more water, but also protein and acid (not good for laminitics!) Anyway, my youngster did very well on hay and a token feed of a high fibre feed as a treat, in winter and good old Dr. Green in summer.
But that is my humble opinion for what its worth. Wishing you and your friend very best wishes.
Jane and Elda xx
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Post by picasso on Sept 21, 2012 12:30:11 GMT 1
I agree with Jane. If anything, just a general peurpose supplement. I would be giving a token feed of chaff/carrots each day to help build up a relationship with him - bring him in, not too much brushing if he is not rugged, and his feed.
Personally, I rug in winter whatever because a) I hate dirty horses and want to be able to ride (when I can) when I get to the yard, and b) it stops me waking up in the night worrying.
So both reasons are about me, not the horse!
Jane H
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Post by Briony and Anakin on Sept 24, 2012 22:34:25 GMT 1
Hiya, I usually feed hay, chaff and pony nuts, with benevit. I think the key for youngsters is to keep it forage based for now, better to have to top up as required rather than blow his brains with more hard feed than he can handle!
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Post by Erika George on Sept 25, 2012 21:44:09 GMT 1
Hi Sharon,
Personally I have never met a cob that drops weight in the winter unless they are hunted 3 times a week. George and his cobby friends live off grass all winter with a night feed of Good-doer chaff and some carrots. The horses really look forward to this and it fuels them for the night. We only use hay if it is frosty or we have snow and we still have to strip graze all winter.
When the vet was out at the end of winter to visit Murphy the cob, he told his owner off for over feeding hay. When she pointed out that he doesn't have any hay and is strip grazed he was a bit stunned. They also live out all year round though they are rugged and do have shelter.
Erika & George
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Post by Briony and anakin on Sept 29, 2012 17:41:43 GMT 1
My 4 year old is a cob and drops weight at the first hint of winter so, being that cob in question is only 5, she could still be filling out and her cobness doesn't necessarily mean she won't drop weight, but agree that definitely start with the minimum and build up.
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Post by Erika George on Sept 29, 2012 21:24:04 GMT 1
Agreed Briony, cobs can be late developers and still growing at 5 which can make it a bit more of a challenge. The only time the boys "lose" a tiny bit of weight is if the weather is exceptionally cold. Even rugged up they can lose weight and it can be difficult to judge what is happening if their rugs are not taken off daily. Thankfully George is the biggest grump around if he is hungry so I can assess his feeding requirements by his attitude to the other horses at feeding time.
Erika
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Post by Briony and Anakin on Sept 30, 2012 10:49:57 GMT 1
Ani is the same, you could never accidentally forget to feed him as he screams the whole time that you are there if he Is hungry!
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erika
New Member
Posts: 35
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Post by erika on Oct 2, 2012 21:17:47 GMT 1
Hi Briony & Anakin,
Just to prove the point, George was missing this morning when I went to feed the horses. On further investigation he had jumped the 4ft electric fencing into the pond which is dry at this time of the year and has lots of lovely lush grass.
When I called to him his head shot up and then he gave me a "oh no I've been rumbled" look. I then unhooked the fence and told him off, he came out as quiet as a lamb. He looked at me like a huge dog who has just been caught sneaking the Sunday joint!
What a cheeky boy but at least he didn't let all of the horses out.
Erika & George
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Post by Briony Anakin on Oct 5, 2012 20:40:08 GMT 1
Haha, love it! Look at it this way, at least he has the courtesy to jump the fence - ani has spent the last 4 years generally bulldozing fences, electric fencing is the only type that he respects! Clever George  |
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Post by sharonspiers on Oct 6, 2012 15:26:06 GMT 1
Thank you all for your advice. So the plan is hay and haylage, unlimited when the weather is really bad, and see how he goes. To be honest these last few weeks he has filled out quite nicely. He is the dearest chap with the most honest kind face and eye. Will post some pics of him and Sula soon. Xxx
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Post by Erika George on Oct 6, 2012 22:37:31 GMT 1
Sharon,
I'm not sure that unlimited hay/haylage is necessary. Even in -20c we have very restricted hay rations. To be honest if it is just snowy the horses would rather I moved the fence so they can forage in the snow rather than eat the hay, even 2ft of snow. I only time I am insistent on hay is if there is a heavy frost. Then I only feed 1 slice of hay per horse per feed, 1 morning, 1 night in conjunction with their evening feed. They were still quite plump at the end of the winter. Except for the ex- eventer who looked like a rescue horse despite extra rations.
Don't be fooled in what other people feed their horses, a lot of it goes to waste. Cobs will forage given the opportunity, ours even like a nice bit of holly in the winter. Give them regular (small) rations and decent shelter then they are happy.
Erika & George
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