Truly knowledgeable horse people only, please!?

Question

Hi! Can someone tell me how much pelleted grass hay is safe to feed my pony? She's about 500 lbs.

Thanks!

Answer 1

You were given wrong info when you were told grass can not founder a horse. OF course it can and I have a grass foundered donkey right here. IF your horse is foundered it needs to be fed a low carb diet. There are special feeds made for low carb diets. Ask at your feed store.

Answer 2

One of my friends uses a large [3 pound size] coffee can to measure out her 34 year old pony's feed.  This pony has no back teeth either.

She uses 1 full scoop and adds 2 cans the same size of water to make it soft.  She also adds about 2 cups of LMF senior feed pellets also.  These also get soft and mushy from the water.

She does this in the morning and evening.  And the pony is as healthy and fat...as a pony with Cushings and that advanced age can be.

Her pony is about 350-400 pounds.  If yours weighs more...I would bump the grass pellets to 1 and 1/2 cans dry.  By the time they soak up the water...it will be alot more.

Has NEVER had trouble with GRASS pellets.  Alfalfa...I would start off with smaller amounts.

Answer 3

Most bags will include feeding instructions on the back.  If not, you might want to check at the store where you got it.

A lot depends on the brand, and if she has access to anything else.  I would look on the bag, or google the company name, and see if they have feeding guidelines online.  Th contents of each brand can differ slightly in protein, calcium, phosphorus, etc...  and all of those things will dictate how much you should or should not feed.

Answer 4

i feeed my horse pelleted grass hay and he is just fine. its a very "rich" food though

Answer 5

What brand feed are you feeding?

If it is TRULY a pelleted GRASS hay - she could probably eat as much as 5 lbs 2x's a day until she reaches her desired weight -...or break this out into 3 - 4 feedings if you can ... if you can add corn oil for fat/calories this will help as well...you can then cut back if you have to...(you should call your vet, most will give you guidance over the phone if you tell them the brand you're feeding...they know your horse and her issues)

I would add water to soften the pellets to make it easier for her to eat.

I feed my 33 yo. arab cross who is 900lbs similarly (only a larger qty) a non-sweetened pelleted ration only I add multi-vitamins, each evening - he's been on this for the past 5+ years...

Answer 6

Is it Alfalfa Bermuda pellets?  If so a 3 pound coffee can X twice a day, add water to soften the stuff.  There are different brands for this.  I finally found some that are smaller and easier for my horses to chew.  There are some that are longer and harder.  If there is way to check at your feed store look for the smaller ones, they are about 1' long.

Answer 7

Feeding hay pellets should be by weight rather than by volume, usually 1.5% to 2% of weight and you should divide that by the number of feedings per day. And feed according to 'ideal weight' if a horse is over weight or under weight.

Example: Your pony weighs 500 pounds. 2% of 500 pounds = 10 pounds of hay pellets daily. That would be 5 pounds of hay pellets per feeding if you feed 2 times per day or 3.3 pounds of hay pellets per feeding if you feed 3 times per day.

The pellets should be softened in water if, as you say, she is a senior citizen and doesn't have a lot of teeth left.

Answer 8

maybe a 1/2 a flack a breakfast a 1/2 flack as a snack a about 10am at lunch 1 flack at about 3pm 1 and 1/2 of a flack at dinner about 2 flacks and about 2 and 1/2 at 10pm

hope this helps Kay

Answer 9

Do you mean hay pellets or cubes you buy in a bag?

The bag should tell you how many to feed.  Each horse is different - I wouldn't expect this community to be able to give you an exact answer - give them some other information:

What breed pony is she?

How old is she?

What other feed does she get?

What do you do with her?

How will you feed her these hay pellets?

For someone unfamiliar with feeding them, it is very easy to hurt your horse - if they are allowed to gobble up too many, then they swell in the horse's stomach, they can kill the horse.

Also, horses were created to constantly process food  - to graze for long hours keeping a steady (fairly low) stream of food flowing through their digestive system.  Therefore, if you give the horse a couple cups of pellets a day, and he gobbles them up and is done, you've just done the opposite of what it's body is made for.

It would be some work, but I'd suggest perhaps hay cubes that you could re-constitute with water - this would bulk up the feed BEFORE it gets into the horse, take more time for the animal to eat - satisfying the need to eat a long while, and the horse would feel full as it actually got full.

What is the reason for your feeding hay pellets rather than regular hay?

Hope you get good answers!