?Out of Horse Feed

[Roger/OH]

I was out of town for 3 days came back and am about out of horse. I will be working late Mon. so won't have a chance to get any before the lady that is doing chores for me feeds.
The horse normally gets three 3lbs coffee cans of sweet feed a day at 4pm. I have maybe 1 can.
Would it be better to feed him that 1 can mixed with some cracked corn at 4 or wait until I get home at 8pm with some sweet feed? Always heard a horse can get sick with a sudden change in feed. Thanks

 

[Kelly]

I would give him the one can when he is used to being fed then 1 when you get home. I would not give him corn. If you had oats you could add a little in with the feed. Do you only feed once a day? You could throw a little extra hay for him - that is actually more healthy then all the high carb & sugar feeds.

 

[msscamp]

Given the situation, I don't believe I would give a horse 6 lbs of corn when he/she wasn't used to it - I don't believe I would give a horse 6 lbs of corn under any circumstances, but that is just me. Corn is a hot feed and there are better alternatives out there. Under the circumstances I would give the horse the 3 lbs of sweet feed at 4:00 and then another 3 lbs when I got home and resume normal feeding the next day. Just my thoughts.

 

[J&T Farm]

Unless this is a hardworking, growing, or trying to fatten horse, I sure wouldnt be feeding 9lbs of sweetfeed a day. Maybe one can a day.

And 4 hours in a days time is not what is considered a sudden change.

 

[Roger/OH]

Thanks: He was fed one can at 4 and I fed him the rest when I got home. Glad I posted. It sounds like I maybe overfeeding. He is a large Standard Bred and is not pertiarlly fat.

 

[msscamp]

Unless this is a hardworking, growing, or trying to fatten horse, I sure wouldnt be feeding 9lbs of sweetfeed a day. Maybe one can a day.

And 4 hours in a days time is not what is considered a sudden change.

I would have to agree, J&T. Even when our horses were being ridden hard they never got more than 6 pounds of grain split into 2 feedings.

 

[Oldtimer]

Unless this is a hardworking, growing, or trying to fatten horse, I sure wouldnt be feeding 9lbs of sweetfeed a day. Maybe one can a day.

And 4 hours in a days time is not what is considered a sudden change.

I would have to agree, J&T. Even when our horses were being ridden hard they never got more than 6 pounds of grain split into 2 feedings.

AMEN- When are you planning on butchering him?

 

[MoGal]

sounds to me like you need to read the nutrition label on your feed and switch feed.... yours must have too much molasses and filler in it.
just my thoughts on it. take care.

 

[kaneranch]

I agree, most people don't realize that a gallon of sweet feed is about 6 pounds, but there are always exceptions. On the bag of a ten percent protein horse feed it said to feed .5 to 1 LB. of feed per 100 pounds per day, so if your horse weighed enough you need to be feeding that much. I like to feed my horses the same thing at the same time every day. Horses and cattle are animals that work better on schedules. Just another opinion. Kaneranch

 

[msscamp]

I've got a question.....if one feels the need the grain their horses, what's wrong with plain old oats? Or perhaps rolled wheat or rolled oats? Why are so many people so determined (for lack of a better word here) and so willing to feed their horses - especially horses that aren't working - sweet feed? As I understand it, feeding a sedentary horse sweet feed has a high potential for leading to cribbing, wood-chewing, colic, etc. Are the articles I've read wrong or am I not understanding something? I don't understand this and would appreciate any guidance to help me understand. Thank you in advance for any input.

 

[Anonymous]

Maybe I am the dummschitzen here - but it seems to me - using my own horses as an example - if they are not being worked they only need hay.

Mine live out doors year round - in the wet, the cold, the snow and certainly are doing well - and they get a round bale every week or so to "survive" on if the grass is short. If they are worked they get extra.

As it is they are fat, dumb and happy - healthy as a horse can be - so why all the extra stuff?

I am with msscamp - oats is fine and even then only when required.

If they MUST be fed extras it certainly will not hurt them to miss a few days if it becomes necessary.

Bez'

 

[msscamp]

Maybe I am the dummschitzen here - but it seems to me - using my own horses as an example - if they are not being worked they only need hay.

Bingo!

Mine live out doors year round - in the wet, the cold, the snow and certainly are doing well - and they get a round bale every week or so to "survive" on if the grass is short. If they are worked they get extra.

That is how we've always done it as well.

As it is they are fat, dumb and happy - healthy as a horse can be - so why all the extra stuff?

I am with msscamp - oats is fine and even then only when required.

If they MUST be fed extras it certainly will not hurt them to miss a few days if it becomes necessary.

Why feed a non-active horse grain to begin with? It just makes them fat, increases the chances of getting bucked off a rambunctious horse, and puts un-needed stress on their feet and legs.



Bez'

 

[Oldtimer]

I've seen more good horses ruined both physically and mentally by being overfed and underworked than any other reason....

 

[msscamp]

I've seen more good horses ruined both physically and mentally by being overfed and underworked than any other reason....

I would have to agree with that.

 

[TB lady]

Hi, I'am new to this forum.
I just read this ? and I have to say if you are feeding 9# of sweet feed at one feeding you are just asking for a very bad case of colic. Horses have very small stomachs compared to their size, if you feed any more than 3# of grain at a time then you increase the chance of the feed being pushed into the large intestine.
There is an excellent feeding forum call gettynutrition.com, Dr.Getty will answer all your feeding ?'s and there are 519 posts on this forum to look through.
I hope this helps out, before I found that site I never knew that you could only feed that much at a time, I learned a lot from her site I recommened it to every one I can

 

[holly heifer]

Hi guys- Horses were meant to graze, not eat large amounts
of concentrated feed. This causes founder, colic and sugar
(insulin) issues. A good grass hay and MAYBE a small amount
of rolled or crimped oats along with a balanced mineral vitamin
supplement is all that is needed. The really old guys do well
on a commercial senior feed. My ponies get grass hay only
and one of them is a champion Haflinger halter gelding. The
pleasure horses get a small amout of oats. The Draft mare
and jack get hay only( both are pasture ornaments) . Corn
is for cattle and hogs :roll: