Horse feeding?

Question

So im looking to buy my first horse.

Il be agisting at my friends house in the same paddock as her horse.,

she feeds him twice aday, atm hay and 3 scoops of wheight lifter,

Im looking at a TB and hers is a tb too.

will i really need to feed him that much??

Could i feed him 1 scoop less or something?

How much do u feed your horse

Answer 1

It all depends on the horse. Remember horses are grazers, they need feeding small amounts often which is hard unless you don't work or go to school! Twice a day is better than once.

Will your horse have grass also? Horses can live on grass so long as there is enough.

For example, my current horse, a QH who is rising 4yrs old, is exercised every second day and eats the following:

Morning: 2 biscuits Hay (which he grazes on, doesn't eat it all at once) which would be hard in your case sharing a paddock.

Night: 1 dipper rice bran, 1/2 dipper mixed grains, 1/2 dipper basic pellets, 2 dippers lucerne chaff and 2 dippers oaten chaff.

Keep in mind he is only 3yrs old and, he has very little grass in his paddock. (Basically zero).

Sometimes you can email horse feed companies and tell them what your horse is doing as far as exercise, the age etc and they will email you back with a feeding plan.

Good luck!

Answer 2

You really won't know until you've picked out a horse...it is so individual.  

What you could do is ask the present owner if the horse is an easy keeper, and steer clear of ones who aren't.  To me, it isn't a big enough issue to be a deciding factor, but if money were a bigger if, it would be.  No sense in buying what you can't afford to keep up.

And I know some will say, "don't buy a horse if you can't afford it," and they're absolutely right...but look at the sheer economics of it.  You may be able to afford farrier, vet, board, etc. and still save up a nice little emergency fund for a horse that needs 5 lbs of feed per day...but a horse that needs 15 lbs could easily eat up (no pun intended) any surplus a person has and put them in a situation where they are constantly strapped on just the day to day expenses...not even considering emergencies.

So...I would look for an easy keeper, if I were you.

I have several TWH, ranging from the extreme easy keeper who gets a smidgen of complete pelleted feed, to the average easy keeper who stays in good flesh on pasture, to the younger, harder keeper who needed groceries when she came to me, and probably due to a growth spurt is eating more than the other two put together.

Answer 3

It depends on if it is summer or winter. In the summer when they have plenty of green pasture I feed one scoop am and one scoop pm.  In the winter they get another 1/2 a scoop in the morning and evening and all the hay they can eat.  You can't save money by feeding your horse less than they need.  TB are notorious for NOT being "easy keepers".  I have Quarter horses and Quarter horse crosses - 2 of them are easy keepers and one of them requires more food to stay in condition and keep his weight up.  Every horse is an individual and might require a different feeding plan you can't just copy what your friend does.  When you purchase your horse talk to the owners or barn manager where he has been living and find out what and how much they've been feeding him and how much work he has been doing.  This will give you a big clue as to what and how much you should be feeding him.

Answer 4

i think one scoop would be goog

my horse gets one scoop and some hay twice a day

Answer 5

Best advice is to ask the people who own the horse exactly what they are feeding the horse at the moment.

My horses generally spend about 8 hours a day at grass but still get two feeds a day as the feed has added supplements.

You would also need to look at what you want to be doing with your horse.

TB's if feed to much food which has a 'heating' effect and too little excercise can become difficult to manage and could put you off your new purchase or you could wind up in hospital.

Normally you should be looking at what is needed to maintain the horse for its normally activities, I feed grass nuts and sugar beet, scope of each twice a day and two of my horses go eventing twice a month, so it's a science that you do need to be careful with.

Good luck

Answer 6

Provided the horse has ample access to grass and hay you don't need to feed this much hard feed.

Her horse may require this amount to give him enough energy for the work he is doing.

Your horse may only tolerate a small amount or may require more. It totally depends on each horse.

Very best of luck with the new horse.

Answer 7

Horses only need grain and concentrates if they cannot maintain body weight on forage alone.  If your horse is worked hard, he may need the extra calories.  If he is under a light regimen, he will likely do well on hay alone.

The basic rule of thumb is to feed 1.5 to 2 % of a horse's weight in forage.  Concentrates are added in small amounts until a horse can maintain weight.

A good idea, is to ask the current horse owner how much is os worked, and what he is fed.  If the horse is of good weight, and the excersize schedule will be the same, you should consider the same feed schedule, as it is already working for the horse.

Also, some areas have poor quality hay, while others have excellent hay.  It is a geographical thing.  If you buy the best forage you can afford, you should be better off.  You still may have to supplement some vitamins and minerals if your area has a deficit.  For example, my hay is from an area low in selenium and vitamin e.  For my horses' health and best interests, I provide a vitamin supplement that I put into 1/4 lb oats.  It is only a few mouthfuls, and only enough to get the vitamins in.  

If you are looking to feed less because it costs less, I would like to advise against buying the horse.