Feeding Young Show Minis

[Zoey3]

Okay I am still trying to figure what is the best feed to feed my show horses. What would you recomend? A complete feed, Equine Junior, or a sweet feed, Omelene 200? What do you think about feeding half omelene and half oats?

Also according to what feed you recomend what would you recomend how much I feed twice a day to my horses?

I have a 1 yr and 8 month old gelding(just been gelded 6 weeks ago). He weighs about 250 lbs(very tall, B size). He is not fat, has a good amount of cover over the ribs, but his backbone and hips shows a little still. Meaning he is not fully filled out on the top. Then I just bought a 8 month old colt(about 130 lbs, B size), who is a bit thin right now, but already getting better.

Please let me know what I should feed and how much to each twice a day. They do get a little grass and a good amount of coastal hay. Yes I am planing on showing them.

Thanks so much!

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Just to bump this up for you, I've become a great fan of beet pulp to fill in a topline since getting the minis. I followed the feeding instructions Nootka gave me for her yearling last year which involved a local sweet feed and a lot of beet pulp and hay and he looked pretty good (her yearlings always look awesome without any round-penning or work) and now I'm giving my new 1.5 year old stallion a little more than a cup of the Purina Strategy and two cups of wet beet pulp with a little canola oil twice a day along with a lot of good orchard grass hay in three feedings. He was pretty scrawny when he got here and he's filled in nicely in two months. I thought I'd have to drop his feed (and I did reduce the almost free-choice hay I was giving him) when he got to a reasonable weight but he's holding steady for now so I'm not going to change anything until his condition tells me to. He's getting furry enough to hide his condition but I'm pretty sure his belly is nicely tucked up and I know his ribs and topline are where I'd want them.

Leia

 

[Zoey3]

Thanks.

I just added a few more questions to my original post.

 

[loveminis]

6 lbs of Equine Junior ? How much does your horse weigh ?

 

[Zoey3]

That is just what it says. I went on to the Purina website and got some good info. Do not know why I did not do it before!

Well I pulled up a page with Feeding Recomendations for Miniature Horses. Based on what it says, a 250 lb yearling(Dakota) should be fed about 4 lbs a day of Equine Junior if fed without hay OR feed 2 lbs a day of Omelene 200 with 2.5-3.0 lbs of hay. OR like I said possibly feeding 1 lb Omelene 200 and 1 lb of Oats a day.

The older horse is 250 lbs and the younger horse is about 130 lbs.

Thanks

 

[kaykay]

Everyone is always shocked at the amounts fed of Equine jr but you have to remember its a complete feed. So not at all the same as feeding something like strategy

Im a huge believer in Equine Jr. All of our show horses and weanlings, yearling and 2 yr old eat it and look fantastic. I do not add beet pulp when feeding this as you can mess up the values and get runny manure. All I know is our horses never look as good when we are unable to get Equine jr. I have a 4 month old weanling now that will probably mature around 34-35" that gets fee choice equine jr 24/7. He probably eats 4-5 lbs per day along with hay. Sounds like a lot but hes a growing horse and needs that nutrition.

 

[Becky]

What do you think about feeding half omelene and half oats?

What you need to remember is that if you add oats to a commercial feed, you change the protein/vitamin/mineral balance the manufacturer has put in his product. So, if you want to be assured your horse receives what is on the label of a commercial feed, don't put additives in.

Having said that, I would be inclined to go with a product formulated for young horses such as Equine Jr and feed them that until they are 3 yrs of age when they can digest better a product made for adult horses.

 

[~Lisa~]

It depends on so many things - hay quality- hay amounts and each individual horse. As a general statement there is not really a one feed fits all even though most of us would love it. We usually have to add a couple of things here and there for different horses.

I have tried almost every feed available it seems and I always come back to simple- good quality 18-19 percent protien hay- beet pulp- oats that is what my horses of all ages look and act best on.

I add some calf manna or a good vitamen -show season I add rice bran and some horses need the rice bran all year round. Some I have to add a cup of high fat grain to that instead fo the rice bran they seem to do better and my aged pony only looks good on safe choice I have tried all types of feed but for her that is what she does best on she is 25+ and looks amazing.

 

[uwharrie]

How much Equine Jr. do you feed your show horses? and do you add hay? (if so how much) Do you keep them on it all year or just during show season?

right now all my horses are on Strategy, beetpulp and hay the new weanling is on Jr. beetpulp and hay.

I had not thought about the Jr for the show horses next spring.

Everyone is always shocked at the amounts fed of Equine jr but you have to remember its a complete feed. So not at all the same as feeding something like strategy
Im a huge believer in Equine Jr. All of our show horses and weanlings, yearling and 2 yr old eat it and look fantastic. I do not add beet pulp when feeding this as you can mess up the values and get runny manure. All I know is our horses never look as good when we are unable to get Equine jr. I have a 4 month old weanling now that will probably mature around 34-35" that gets fee choice equine jr 24/7. He probably eats 4-5 lbs per day along with hay. Sounds like a lot but hes a growing horse and needs that nutrition.

 

[Zoey3]

Seems like most of you guys like the Equne Jr. for when they are growing?

Can anyone esle help me out? Still tring to decide over that or Omelene.

Is Strategy a complete feed or a sweet feed? It is pelleted right? Does anyone have trouble getting their horses to eat a pelleted feed?

Thanks

 

[Miniv]

Strategy is a complete pelleted feed and always worked wonderfully on our young show horses. This was in combination with our locally grown grass hay. If it were me, and I couldn't locate any Strategy, I would probably go with either a complete Jr OR Sr. feed......but I would READ THE LABEL first.

 

[disneyhorse]

Strategy is a complete pelleted feed and always worked wonderfully on our young show horses. This was in combination with our locally grown grass hay. If it were me, and I couldn't locate any Strategy, I would probably go with either a complete Jr OR Sr. feed......but I would READ THE LABEL first.

I'm not sure I would consider Purina Strategy as a "complete feed" or a "sweet feed" although it would fall closer to the "sweet feed" category. It is a concentrate, not a forage. "Complete" feeds generally are forages balanced out with some concentrates, all mixed together so you have to feed them alone.

Purina Strategy is a grain that has vitamins mixed in, so you don't have to feed a vitamin supplement along with it. I am wary of concentrates, although they definitely have a place in a show horse's diet.

I personally am feeding beet pulp mixed with Purina Strategy right now, with half an ounce of soybean oil added for extra calories to cut down on overall feed.

Andrea

 

[Mominis]

Unlike most others who have replied here, I do not like Equine Jr..If an alternate soution to feeding hay isn't needed by a hay shortage, I am not fond of any diet that claims to be a 'complete' feed. These diets still need to be supplemented with hay for the horse's digestive health and mental well-being. Horses are genetically wired to graze. Lack of that may cause psychological issues as well as physical ones. I also don't feel as though they produce quite as nice of a 'bloom' to the haircoat. I really like Omelene 200 supplemented with some oil (I like CocoSoya Oil, personally). There is a different feel to the haircoat when a horse has been on this diet versus some of the other feeds mentioned. I've never been a big fan of Strategy for the same reason.

 

[kaykay]

Just to clarify we also feed hay with the Jr. as I also believe a horse has to have hay to chew. We feed alfalfa/grass hay mix

I do feel that ours have beautiful coats but everyone has to feed their way and with horse people thats about a million different ways LOL. I try to keep feeding as simple as possible

 

[Zoey3]

You guys are helping alot, but man this is a hard decision... There are so many opinions! Well just to let you all know I too strongly beleive all horse need at least some hay for their digestion not to just feed the complete feed.

Now would it mess up the balance of Equine Jr. if I fed less then what it recomends and then feed hay? Like if it says to feed 4 lbs a day, would 2-3 lbs be okay?

Thanks!

 

[chandab]

I'm not sure I would consider Purina Strategy as a "complete feed" or a "sweet feed" although it would fall closer to the "sweet feed" category. It is a concentrate, not a forage. "Complete" feeds generally are forages balanced out with some concentrates, all mixed together so you have to feed them alone.
Andrea

I'd call Strategy a "fortified concentrate" (or fortified feed), definitely not complete, it doesn't contain enough fiber. Somewhere along the line, I read that to be considered a complete feed, the product should have more than 18% fiber; but I don't remember where I read it, so I'm not sure if that's true or not.

 

[kaykay]

Zoey

If you look at the Purina site it shows to reduce the amount of Jr according to how much hay you are feeding. For weanlings though I feed them free choice. They have hay and Jr in front of them at all times. Once their first winter is over and they are yearlings that is cut down to 2 to 3 feedings per day depending on if I am getting them ready to show.

Kay

 

[Zoey3]

Well I just bought 30 square bales of super green, fertilized, pure coastal hay. So I have decided to put them back on Omelene 200 and see how it goes. It is $2 a bag cheaper then the Jr..

If any one can give me any more info on the Stratagy, I would appretiate it!

Thanks!!!

 

[luvsminis]

Hi Lisa

That is interesting about the hay, beet pulp, oats and rice bran. How much would you give a 200 lb miniature and a 100 lb mini on this and how do you feed it? Plus, do you always add vitamins to this mixture such as Grand Coat for shine? I have read and analyzed feed labels till I'm boggy. I am having our hay tested as we grow our own, and that will help on knowing how much protein their getting. I have a gelding who has lateral luxation of the patellas, and according to the nutritionist at Purina's, too much protein can affect the patellas during growth. I had them on Platform Miniature 12% along with hay since he was 1, now I wonder about the amt of protein I was giving him. Are oats a high starch grain? I did start beet pulp last year as they were needing to be filled out on top, and I really like it. Thanks for any help you can give on this.

 

[Mominis]

I don't like Strategy. Some people swear by the stuff, but I really like the Omelene 200 better. This may sound odd, but the haircoat doesn't look as 'moist' to me on a horse fed Strategy v Omelene. JMHO