help

[lucky lodge]

what does everyone feed there minis,and how much as mine only got to sniff it and there fat....

 

[MindyLee]

I only feed mine a tiny skinny flake of hay 2 times a day 12 hrs apart. My mare who just foaled 3 times a day. I also feed them Platform miniature horse grain but only 2 cups per week (yes only 2 times a week). Everyone here will get fat and huge if they get anymore than that and all look super healthy here. This is all because they are on a dry lot also. If I decide to tie them out in the field to eat grass, then they only get a flake of hay at night cause the eat grass for 1/2 the day. Hope this helps.

 

[pepperhill]

If you have the kind of minis that get fat easy, then I agree with Mindylee, a tiny flake in the morning and another tiny flake at night. By tiny flake, I mean maybe 2" thick. If they still get portly on that, back it off some more. If you are worried about nutrition, then supplement with a pelleted feed like Platform or Strategy etc. But once again, maybe 1/4 Cup per day is all. After about two weeks, you can re-evaluate and make minor adjustments as needed per horse. This program is a good place to start, and then you can customize it as needed. The only thing I would stick to is giving it twice a day to keep their blood sugar nice and even. Best wishes!

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I'm afraid at this time of year mine are all out on grass all the time, some get fat, some don't, so long as their health is not affected I do not mind.

My brood mares are never dieted, they eat exactly what they want all day and night, and I really believe they need to.

Were I to have to feed my animals they would have ad lib hay, as I have found that even "fatties" keep better this way, just like us they are far less inclined to be greedy when food is always there.

Horses were designed to eat 22 out of 24 hours a day, we mess with this system at our peril, and if they really, truly, for the sake of their health, need to be dieted they should have good clean oat or barley straw to nibble on in between.

 

[Mr.T]

My mini gets 1 cup of Carb Gaurd in the am and pm. He gets half a flake each in the am and pm, and probably about a 1 flake in the afternoon when he is turned out. He used to be really fat but the Carb Gaurd really helps!

 

[Matt73]

My boys get about 2 flakes of grass hay (fed over 4 feedings) and about .5 lb. of a ration balancer (1/4lb morning and 1/4lb night). Although my one boy, Royal, is getting even less hay (he's a very easy keeper). Lexus, my in foal mare, pretty much gets all the hay she wants and the same amount of ration balancer. Once she foals I'll start giving her 1lb/day of the ration balancer. That's it! Simple simple simple

 

[Indian*R*A*I*N*Dance]

Am:

3/4-1 flake

1 cup of Tripple Crown (10% i think)

1 teaspoon of Omega Horseshine

Noon:

1/2 flake

4pm: (dinner)

1 cup of tripple Crown

Pm: (bed- 7pm)

1 flake

 

[shorthorsemom]

My boys are B sized, they get 1 cup twice a day of Triple crown lite and they get plain very fine grass hay, aprox 2 flakes or so each. They are on a dry lot with no grass and when I do graze them it is very limited.

 

[~Lisa~]

I think the key is you really need to weigh your feed to know what your at now and how you can or should adjust. A flake of hay is different for everyone. Some have bales that are 50 lbs, others that are 75 and others over 100 lbs so of course the flakes will be different on a heavy 3 strand bale then they would on a light weight 2 strand bale.

I do not weigh my hay daily but do so every once in a awhile to make sure I am feeling the right amount and guessing correctly or close anyway.

I would start with how much hay you are giving and then you can adjust any other thigns in your program.

 

[nbark]

I guess I am the abnormal mini owner. Mine get a half a coffee mug of Pacer (sweet feed) twice a day and two flakes of hay (normal size) a day. I had them on Platform but they just didn't have the "bloom" that I like. I also use Super 14 coat conditioner. Helps to keep their coats from fading. I work my minis everyday in a round pen and drive them, so the extra food is worked off. My driving instructor just commented to how muscular my little mare is, oh and the other word he used was "solid".

 

[SilverDollar]

I think the key is you really need to weigh your feed to know what your at now and how you can or should adjust. A flake of hay is different for everyone. Some have bales that are 50 lbs, others that are 75 and others over 100 lbs so of course the flakes will be different on a heavy 3 strand bale then they would on a light weight 2 strand bale.
I do not weigh my hay daily but do so every once in a awhile to make sure I am feeling the right amount and guessing correctly or close anyway.

I would start with how much hay you are giving and then you can adjust any other thigns in your program.

I agree about the different bale sizes. Our bales here are 3-strand and weigh about 110 lbs. each. I guess I am obsessive as I do weigh my minis' hay every meal.

 

[lucky lodge]

thanks everyone,, i think my feeds here are different to yours

my minis get

1 scoop of chaff

1 cup of horse and weaners its a pellet

and salt

morning and night and a little but of hay in after noon

 

[Jill]

I used to feed complete senior pellets and soft orchard grass hay, in varying amounts and ratios depending on the horse, to ALL my horses regardless of age. However, the senior feed just was "too much" for a lot of my adult horses and they got too fat on it. Now most of my adult horses get a low carb / low starch pellet I am lucky enough to get from my local co-op. It is formulated by Kentucky Equine Research (as are all this co-op's feeds) and milled around the Nation at various feed mills. Though it is less expensive than some of the name brands, it is VERY good quality and fed to some of the Nation's most valuable horses. Anyway, this pellet is low carb / low starch and is 12% protein / 6% fat / 20% fiber. It has made a big difference with my fat horses! They've lost weight and the ones who had crestier necks now do not. Reading up on low carb / low starch feeds, they seem to be very beneficial to many, many horses (if not most). I've been very happy with it and use the Senior Feed now just for nursing moms, and foals.

On the chart below, the one I use the most is called "Fat & Fiber". The Senior Feed is "Old Timers":

 

[lucky lodge]

i have found that my colt has lost his top line .but his a big fat belly what can i do

 

[chandab]

i have found that my colt has lost his top line .but his a big fat belly what can i do

The nutritionist I work with told me:

If they need topline (they are thin along the backbone and hips), then they need more protein;

If they are thin in the ribs, then they need more calories.

So, it sounds like your guy needs more protein in his diet. Since I don't know what feeds are available to you, I can't offer much for suggestions. I know alfalfa is higher in protein, foal feeds are usually higher in protein, ration balancers usually have higher protein.

I don't know how big your guy is, but they need 1-2% of their bodyweight in feed per day. So for a 250# mini, that would be 2.5 to 5# of feed daily, some need more some a little less (at least half should be forage; pasture, hay, hay cubes or pellets - I believe chaff is a hay product, but I'm not sure).

 

[lucky lodge]

thanks so much for all your imfo...minis would be the hards to feed..keep all imfo comeing

 

[lucky lodge]

this isnt a very good pic but give you some idea

 

[lucky lodge]

found another he looks like crap