Balanced diet for my horse? horse nutrition? Getting a horse fit again?

[Nature2horses]

Hi, my horse has been off work for two months and I will be starting him again in mid-April. I want to get him fit and healthy for the show season(and healthy for ever). He is a 15hh welsh cob that usually stays around a good weight(some times he gets a little chubby but not much). But, he isn't hard to keep weight on. I do English riding. I will be able to go out 3-4 days per week(I'll try for 5) and the stablehands will feed him. He will live outside. So here are my questions please answer in as much detail as possible:

1) What feed do you give a horse that is starting back into work? What supplements?

2) After my horse is fit and healthy what is the best grain, mix, or pellet to feed him? What supplements? What minerals? Is there any feeds that have all the minerals and vitamins? Is there any I should add to his feed?

3) What do you recommend for getting a horse back into shape? How slow should I start?

[Angela]

Based on what you've said about your horse, I recommend one of the "light" feeds like Triple Crown Light. It is made for easy keepers like your horse to give them all the vitamins and minerals they need without giving them a ton of grain. I believe you are supposed to feed 1-4 pounds of this feed for an average size horse. It is a pelleted feed, which I like because it has less molasses than sweet feeds. I've fed it before, and my easy keepers (especially my ponies) did really well on it. Their coats were shiny and they just always seemed to thrive.

As far as starting your horse back in work, just take it slowly. Some horses on pasture board keep themselves pretty fit, others are complete "pasture potatoes." As you ride, keep an eye on your horse's respiration. If he starts huffing and puffing, then you know you need to ease off. You'll get a sense at the end of the ride when he's on his "last legs" so try to end the ride just before that point. Try to incorporate a wide variety of activities. Doing the same thing every day stresses the same muscle groups, making them more prone to injury. Instead, you might ride your horse very forward on a long rein one day, work on bending and suppling through dressage movements the next, then go out on a trail ride, do some work over poles, spend a day working on collection, etc. Not only will your horse muscle up faster and avoid injury, but he'll be a better athlete for it!

Good luck and enjoy your horse!

[kristen]

I would ask the person who works at your feed store about this, or your vet because they know more about feeds and nutrition then most people will. You might try calling a nutritionist, Seminole Feed has a really good one. Hope it helps

[Azeri]

1.) Good quality hay or grazing, only. No grain, unless and until he's up to doing quite a bit of work, such as being on a 6 day per week schedule and needs extra calories to maintain weight. Most ponies don't need grain. Supplements if necessary - joint supplements are always a good idea, especially for horses who are going to be jumping. 2-4 tablespoons of salt mixed with a HANDFUL of some sort of sticky grain.

2.) Same as above. There are ration balancers that are like a vitaming supplement. I like Stay Strong Metabolic pellets. 16 ounces per day supplies all the vitamins and minerals most horses need. Don't know what country you're in, if they have it or not. - - oh, I see, Australia - well, see what sort of ration balancers you guys have over there. . .

3.) Start off 20 minutes 3x week with day off in between. Riding on flat at walk. Gradually add short trotting sessions, and start to add hills at walk and trot. And gradually increase time. Then add the canter work as he demonstrates an increase in fitness level. Don't increase time and intensity in the same session. This is a conservative approach, but is the best way to avoid injury and damage that may not show up til much later on. If you want a sound horse in the long run, take a conservative approach when bringing him back up to work!