feeding questions?

[dangerranger]

Its almost time to pick up our little mare! how much do I feed her? our other horses we use a formula based on there body size. 1lb of food per 100lb of horse twice a day. can I use the same formula? How do I guesstimate her weight? are weight tapes accurite at there size? also how much water should I expect her to drink?[ so that I know if shes not getting enough.] Also Im still looking for another mini to keep her company but Ive not found one yet. I could borrow a goat . are there any problems putting them together? So many questions! Thanks DR.

 

[Melissa F]

i give my mini about a cup to a cup and a 1/2 of are mix we mix.... all the hay he wants and all the watter too.... he seems to be doing fine tho im woundering this same qestion..... sence hes my first mini

 

[Jill]

Would you be feeding 1 pound of food + hay per 100 pounds or does the 1 pound include the hay as well? What exactly do you plan to feed her? Like sweet feed, a pellet, or complete pellets? What type of hay? That may help people give better answers.

The weight tape, imo, is not extremely accurate but is a good way to get an closer idea about how much they weigh. Also a great tool to monitor gains / losses in weight.

You can check by pinching up the skin on her neck and watching it go back to see if she's keeping hydrated.

A goat can be good company, however, ours will chew off the horses' manes and tails if they get a chance.

I personally would not put minis in with a big horse.

 

[KanoasDestiny]

BUMPING

 

[Miniv]

A goat is company in a pinch.......but as Jilly warned, they also can chew on horse's tails. And big horses are not good miniature horse companions.

We feed a high quality grass hay -- about 1.5 to 2 lbs of hay twice a day and add grain and supplements as needed.

For water, we use water troughs, but we have groups. For stalled horses, we use a 5 gallon bucket in each stall that needs to added to or filled daily......sometimes twice daily if the horse has not been turned outside -- because she has a newborn with her.

I highly recommend that you find out what your horse's previous owner has been feeding and start with that and then slowly adjust to your own plan over the first couple of weeks of having her.

MA

 

[dangerranger]

Currently shes on pasture. the reason I ask about water is after a move I like to moniter there intakes for at least the first few days, or till Im shure they have adapted well.So how much should I expect her to drink per day? as to the weight formula for feed , yes it includes the hay. I have several hay lots available to us. a 70/30 blend of bluegrass and alfalfa, oat , winter forage, and alfalfa. throuout the year our horses get some of all of this. I dont make sudden changes but I blend them together for about two weeks to get them used to it first. our older mare has weight issues so we measure her monthly to keep her weight the same or even down.[ I think shed gain weight turned out on a paved parking lot!]Once shes [the mini]been here awhile I can get her eating habits down but I just need some Idea whats normal? DR.

 

[Bess Kelly]

Water consumption will depend on her size, her feed and the area weather. So, 1-3 gallons per day would be a good average for ones not on grass. I'd suggest that you get a few gallons of the water that she's used to, if possible. Then you can be sure she'll drink and blend it with new. Hey, she may like the new even better :lol:

My 30" & unders are in the 1 gal end......and the 34" are in the 2-3 gal end.......Hay/grain, no or little grass for this approximation and not in foal or nursing one, moderate temps. I'd suggest that you watch the manure more than the bucket as that will tell you she's getting enough, comparatively. Plus, the skin test. And, if she's by herself you can monitor the level of water for drinking (hope she doesn't like to play and splash like a couple of mine! That can fool ya

: )

 

[evedex]

I find that weight tapes are VERY inaccurate with Minis but a good judge of their weight maintenance (you can tell if they are getting heavy or thin). A regular tape measure is just as good.

Be careful on how much grass you give (grazing) as they can really eat quickly. I use a grazing muzzle on all of my horses to limit the amout eaten and lengthen the time turned out...unless you have a dry lot. You can either purchase muzzles or go to www.mhco.ca and click on the button for Grazing Muzzles on the left side of the page to see instructions on how I make mine.

Is this Mini you are getting young or mature? This matters in the amount and type of feed. You need to think Juvenile feed for growing horses and Maintenance feeding for adults. Here, we use Equalizer as a maintenance feed here and only add other processed grains to the horse that are working and/or showing. All my horses get 1/2 cup of Black Oil Seed (sunflower seeds in the shell) every day and ground flax seed for the Omega 3 & 6 as well as the oil gives them wonderfully shiny coats with nice deep colour.

Just keep a good eye on your horse in the beginning....even measure it weekly for a while to make sure you have the food balanced out.

If your horse can see another horse, even through a fenceline, it won't need the goat companionship...but another Mini to touch and play with is a much better idea.

 

[dangerranger]

Our new girl is 5 , She has a small pen [ drylot ] and a 1 1/2 acre pasture. unfortunatly she cant see any other animals from our back yard.