Protein

[ManyMinisFarm]

My horse is fed 2cups of Beetpulp, 1/2cup of Sweetfeed, and about 1pound of hay. They get those twice a day. I've heard that adding protein to a horses diet can help get a smaller belly. What protein should I add to the diet....What are your show horses diets? Here is what one of them looks like.

 

[ohmt]

How much do your horses weigh?

Last year when my little 28" yearling colt was show ring ready he was being fed 1.5% body weight in alfalfa, 1 medium coffee can full of beet pulp 2x a day with about 1.5 lbs of Safe Choice (16% protein and high fat) 2x a day. Beet pulp is excellent as a fiber source and filler for hay, but is only about 9% protein so brings those levels down. I don't recommend using it if you have low protein quality hay. 1/2 cup of sweet feed and 1 lb of hay is not enough....there is an excellent weight formula that has been 99% correct for me on the "Best Of" forum. From there you can do some math to make sure you get the right amount of everything

 

[chandab]

What she said, and it doesn't look like he has much of a belly to worry about. You might be surprised at just how much of that is hair.

 

[Leeana]

I feed Kent (now Blue Seal) Gro which is a 16% with a good amount of Lysine ..I think .85 as well. I actually feed a pretty basic grain diet as they go - the Kent Jr along with beet pulp shreds and cocosoya oil and good alfalfa or 3rd cutting grass hay. Daily wormer. Once in a while I will do the Equade body builder supplement (works great on yearlings or anything really). Below is my feed label.

A pelleted horse feed for young growing foals, lactating
mares, breeding and conditioning of show horses.
GUArANTeeD ANAlYSIS
Crude Protein, Min. ........................................................................16.0%
Lysine, Min ........................................................................................0.85%
Methionine, Min..............................................................................0.40%
Threonine, Min ................................................................................0.55%
Crude Fat, Min. ...................................................................................6.0%
Crude Fiber, Max. ............................................................................12.0%
Calcium, Min .....................................................................................0.80%
Calcium, Max ....................................................................................1.30%
Phosphorus, Min. ............................................................................0.70%
Copper, Min. ..................................................................................55 ppm
Manganese, Min ........................................................................145 ppm
Selenium, Min ............................................................................0.58 ppm
Zinc, Min .......................................................................................170 ppm
Vitamin A, Min. .......................................................................5,500 IU/lb
Vitamin D, Min ...........................................................................950 IU/lb
Vitamin E, Min ............................................................................135 IU/lb
Biotin, Min ................................................................................0.55 mg/lb

 

[Leeana]

Most of those cheap sweet feeds are so empty with really no nutrition in them at all. More like fillers and if you look at them the fiber content is high as its just filler and digestible protein.

Once you get the feeding right (I like pellets over textured feeds). Daily womer does a great job at keeping the belly and underline tucked and firm and them filled out nicely. Daily wormer is a staple in conditioning any of our ponies.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I have been taught that too much protein for a miniature horse that is not working hard is a bad thing. Pelleted feed with high protein can cause trouble, unless fed sparingly. Sugars, like the molasses used to bind "grain by-products" can lead to the bad L word. I know people who have fed sweet feed for many years to horses without trouble, but just as many owners have ruined horses on it. I, personally, would not feed it to my horses. Besides the molasses in it, there is too much corn. Beet pulp AND sweet feed sound like a lot of sugar to me. jmo.

I believe alfalfa is a good protein source.

Is this horse a stallion?

Does your farrier have any comments about his back heels being too tall?

 

[ManyMinisFarm]

He weighs about 130lbs. What should I add or drop? His Sweet Feed is Legends Show and Pleasure which is 11% Protein, 6% Fat, and 12% Fiber.

 

[ohmt]

Marsha-Safe Choice is a low starch "sweet feed" and I only use beet pulp without molasses, which I forgot to mention-thank you for bringing that up!

How old and how tall is he? The 28" yearling colt I mentioned weighed 150-170 lbs through the summer and was a pretty refined colt.

An 11% protein grain with 9% protein beet pulp is too low in protein content. What kind of hay is he getting and what's the nutritional quality?

 

[ManyMinisFarm]

His hay is Timothy hay. I feel like I should switch to a new sweet feed and add a little beetpulp. And what daily wormer do you use? And ohmt , you fed your show Colt 1.5lbs of Safe Choice sweet feed or am I wrong.

 

[ManyMinisFarm]

He is a stallion. And no my farrier hasn't said anything about that. My vet who has been in the horse world for 30+ years says he has great hooves. This is just not the best picture.

 

[ohmt]

1.5 lbs 2x a day-I would skip beet pulp with your hay. Add some alfalfa pellets

 

[ManyMinisFarm]

I want to keep him on beet pulp. But I could change his sweetfeed and hay. Any recommended brands for show horses. And any recommended daily wormers?

 

[ohmt]

Depending on what you choose for hay....you could just keep his hay as is, add a high protein ration balancer (like Enrich 32), a little bit of alfalfa pellets and keep the beet pulp. Beet pulp can safely replace up to 30% of a horse's hay ration. Just make sure you rinse it if you can't find any without molasses added. Once you decide what you will be feeding you can send me a message and I can try to figure out numbers so you know what you should feed in weight of each.

 

[ManyMinisFarm]

His Beetpulp has no molasses. If I added the high protein ration balancer and the alfalfa pellets would I still give him his sweet feed? If I did change to this diet he would be getting Beetpulp, Hay, Enrich32, and Alfalfa pellets...correct?

 

[FurstPlaceMiniatures]

The answer to a belly is NOT always more protein! Just like people, physical fittness plays a good role too!

I trot my guy (yup, trot, not canter!) with side reins on with a relatively low headset (not a driving one, more similar to a big horse pleasure type) to encourage him to truly collect and work off his hind end. We trot over cavelltis A LOT too, and I lunge him on a hill. His belly was nearly to his knees when I got him. Now, its fit and trim!

it takes time, but I found that elbow grease made more of an impact on my horse than a diet change. Granted, he is on a fairly strict diet. He gets 1 cup beet pellets soaked down, 1 cup purina mini grain and REmission once a day, with enough REALLY NICE first cut hay to keep him busy. Between that and regular work (plus the snow that came up to his belly all winter he really had to work to move in! won't deny that helped a TON) he is fit as a fiddle. He was BAD though, think some moron trusted a kid to care for a stallion and she fed him all the sweet feed he wanted (until he stopped eating!!!!!!!), they didn't trim his feet for 2+ years, and he was 6 and not halter broke. I don't think most horses that have been well cared for since day one need such a strict diet. A lot of people over complicate it. Do what works for you and keeps your horse healthy.

 

[ohmt]

That's correct!

FurstPlaceMinis-I have found with a good diet, very little exercise is needed, but it is a great supplement to it, of course. Goes for myself, too-getting ready for my wedding and good grief....I need chocolate, it's been too long!

 

[ManyMinisFarm]

Thank you for your help! :-D

 

[ManyMinisFarm]

Would feeding him this help fill in his topline as well?

 

[Marty]

Let's keep this simple.

#1 You won't find any sweet feed on my place. Its evil. No horse needs all that sugar and corn. And you have to watch the label on pellets as well. Most pelleted feeds are sweet feed wrapped up in a jacket.

#2. You couldn't pay me to mess around with a daily wormer. Been there done that way long ago. Put your horse on a proper de-worming schedule and you're good to go

#3. 4 cups of beet pulp daily is over kill I think. I'd be cutting that amount down to maybe 1-2 cups a day..

#4. Go with a quality name brand food. Nutrena has a line of Safe Choice and you should be able to find one of those to meet your needs. Purina has some nice stuff too but I think its over priced. All you have to do is pick your quality feed and make adjustments in the amounts until you are satisfied

#5. Your vet may have said your horse has great feet and perhaps he does. Its the trimming on the back feet that was addressed, not the quality of the hoof.

Feeding a horse does not have to be complicated. Is only as complicated as you want to make it. I keep it simple because frankly, it can get ridiculous.

Best wishes. Your horse is a cutie.

 

[ManyMinisFarm]

OK thank you, and thanks