Feeding Yearling and 2-Year Old

[barnchick277]

Hi,

Hoping for some help deciding what type of grain to put a yearling and 2-year old Thoroughbred on. They potentially haven’t had the best nutrition up til now and will be on free choice grass hay that is clean (no mold, minimal dust) but isn’t super nutrient dense, it’s good but not great. I’ve always had older fully grown horses and am just not sure what to do with these youngsters and don’t want to shortchange their nutrition. My feed store is great and I can get Purina, Nutrena, Triple Crown, Assurance, etc.

Would it simply be put them on a ration balancer with some alfalfa pellets thrown in? It would be nice to have them both get the same thing but if there are better options individually that can be managed too

Thanks!!

[candyappy]

At my vets recommendation I am feeding my new long-yearling, Purina Impact “mare and foal”. He was getting Ultium Growth at the place I got him from but it is really expensive and my Purina dealer said since it was a special order I may not get it in time before the bag I had ran out.

So my vet ( knowing I prefer Purina , as does he) said this would be a good replacement. I only feed 3 pounds a day so I do add 1 pound of Purina Enrich RB to make up any thing lacking and so far he is just blossoming on that ration.

I plan to keep feeding him like this for the foreseeable future and will adjust the amount depending on his growth and weight.

[JB]

@barnchick277

Hi,

Hoping for some help deciding what type of grain to put a yearling and 2-year old Thoroughbred on. They potentially haven’t had the best nutrition up til now and will be on free choice grass hay that is clean (no mold, minimal dust) but isn’t super nutrient dense, it’s good but not great.

Is the hay tested? If not, you can’t tell the internal content from the external looks.

If it’s been tested, it would be very useful to see the analysis

I’ve always had older fully grown horses and am just not sure what to do with these youngsters and don’t want to shortchange their nutrition. My feed store is great and I can get Purina, Nutrena, Triple Crown, Assurance, etc.

Would it simply be put them on a ration balancer with some alfalfa pellets thrown in? It would be nice to have them both get the same thing but if there are better options individually that can be managed too

Thanks!!

Ration balancers are fannnnntastic for all horses who don’t need real calories beyond their forage. The yearling would get 2.5-3lb depending on his expected mature weight, the 2yo would get closer to 2lb (also depending on his expected mature weight), and by the time they are 3.5-4 would be down at the more typical 1-1.5lb

If they sporadically need more calories, and few pounds alf pellets makes a great addition. I feed this way most of the time. I keep 1/4-13c alf pellets in the mix for consistency, and then over the Winter I might bump that to 3-6c (1-2lb) for calories if needed.

[barnchick277]

@candyappy

At my vets recommendation I am feeding my new long-yearling, Purina Impact “mare and foal”. He was getting Ultium Growth at the place I got him from but it is really expensive and my Purina dealer said since it was a special order I may not get it in time before the bag I had ran out.

So my vet ( knowing I prefer Purina , as does he) said this would be a good replacement. I only feed 3 pounds a day so I do add 1 pound of Purina Enrich RB to make up any thing lacking and so far he is just blossoming on that ration.

I plan to keep feeding him like this for the foreseeable future and will adjust the amount depending on his growth and weight.

I was looking at the mare and foal grains but wasn’t quite sure if the 2 year old would be aged out of it. Thanks for your input!

[JB]

I generally dislike most “Mare & Foal” feeds, as a lot of them are relatively high NSC. Ultium Growth is borderline, TC Growth is even borderline (unless there a newer formulation which brought the NSC down out of the high teens). But TC Sr is an awesome growth/mare&foal feed, being very similar to the old, lower NSC TC Growth. A few other brands have lower NSC growth feeds as well

[barnchick277]

@JB

Is the hay tested? If not, you can’t tell the internal content from the external looks.

If it’s been tested, it would be very useful to see the analysis

Ration balancers are fannnnntastic for all horses who don’t need real calories beyond their forage. The yearling would get 2.5-3lb depending on his expected mature weight, the 2yo would get closer to 2lb (also depending on his expected mature weight), and by the time they are 3.5-4 would be down at the more typical 1-1.5lb

If they sporadically need more calories, and few pounds alf pellets makes a great addition. I feed this way most of the time. I keep 1/4-13c alf pellets in the mix for consistency, and then over the Winter I might bump that to 3-6c (1-2lb) for calories if needed.

It has not been tested to my knowledge but I would be very surprised if it tested great

I would expect both of these mares to mature in the 1,200lb range. I’ve used the Purina Enrich ration balancer in the past and had liked the results until my older horses just needed more calories to maintain their weight. Would that be a good one or is there a different brand that is preferred?

[barnchick277]

@JB

I generally dislike most “Mare & Foal” feeds, as a lot of them are relatively high NSC. Ultium Growth is borderline, TC Growth is even borderline (unless there a newer formulation which brought the NSC down out of the high teens). But TC Sr is an awesome growth/mare&foal feed, being very similar to the old, lower NSC TC Growth. A few other brands have lower NSC growth feeds as well

Good to know!

[JB]

@barnchick277

It has not been tested to my knowledge but I would be very surprised if it tested great

I would expect both of these mares to mature in the 1,200lb range. I’ve used the Purina Enrich ration balancer in the past and had liked the results until my older horses just needed more calories to maintain their weight. Would that be a good one or is there a different brand that is preferred?

Enrich is totally fine. Of the generally widely available balancers, Triple Crown is superior IMHO. No corn, great gut/digestive package, balanced amino acids, and ionophore-free mills (Purina is too).

[candyappy]

@barnchick277

I was looking at the mare and foal grains but wasn’t quite sure if the 2 year old would be aged out of it. Thanks for your input!

My vet also said that feeding a RB alone is just not right for a youngster ( I asked). He feeds the same RB to his roping horses that I use. I wouldn’t think that a 2 year old would be aged out. They are still growing after all.

[JB]

@candyappy

My vet also said that feeding a RB alone is just not right for a youngster ( I asked). He feeds the same RB to his roping horses that I use. I wouldn’t think that a 2 year old would be aged out. They are still growing after all.

Feeding a RB alone is entirely appropriate for any horse, of any age. The dense nutrition, and higher feeding rate of ration balancers to youngsters, provides the very high nutrition they need to grow properly. Lots and lots and LOTS of young horses are raised on balancers from the time they start eating commercial food.

Do some need more calories? Absolutely. But many don’t, and the most convenient way to keep nutrition high while keeping calories low (to keep a lean young horse) is a balancer.

[JB]

As for “aging out”, there is no such thing when it comes to balancers. They have feeding rates based on whether it’s a young growing horse, an average adult, or a more heavily pregnant or nursing mare. Young, pregnant, and nursing have higher feeding rates than average adults because of higher nutritional needs.

[Laurierace]

I agree that a ration balancer is absolutely ideal for young horses, it’s so good to know they are getting all their nutritional needs met for proper growth. I have supplemented with alfalfa pellets when extra calories were needed but switched to orchard grass pellets as I started having swelling in the fetlocks. I feed all my horses regardless of age a ration balancer.

[candyappy]

@JB

Feeding a RB alone is entirely appropriate for any horse, of any age. The dense nutrition, and higher feeding rate of ration balancers to youngsters, provides the very high nutrition they need to grow properly. Lots and lots and LOTS of young horses are raised on balancers from the time they start eating commercial food.

Do some need more calories? Absolutely. But many don’t, and the most convenient way to keep nutrition high while keeping calories low (to keep a lean young horse) is a balancer.

I know it said you could on the bag and that is why I asked him. He said something about the ratios ( high protein, low fat–maybe I can’t remember now) not being right for what a youngster needs.

I have known and used him exclusively on my horses for 20+ years so I trust his judgment–even if I can’t remember exactly what he said now Once my boy is done growing I think my RB alone will be more than sufficient for him.

@Laurierace I am not disagreeing with you or @JB in any way and I am glad your youngsters and others have done well.

[JB]

@candyappy

I know it said you could on the bag and that is why I asked him. He said something about the ratios ( high protein, low fat–maybe I can’t remember now) not being right for what a youngster needs.

I don’t know what he means. Or thinks he means. There is no Protein:Fat ratio. There are absolute protein requirements, and there are absolute minimum fat requirements, but there is no related ratio, because while protein requirements are relatively static for a given category horse, fat requirements can vary a lot. Horses evolved eating only about 3% fat, but some horses do need more than that in their diet for a variety of reasons.

Growing horses need a LOT of protein relative to their body weight. A yearling needs about the same protein as his adult self in moderate work. That means the total protein as a % of his caloric intake is a lot higher. So, the more protein-rich feed he can get, the better.

I have known and used him exclusively on my horses for 20+ years so I trust his judgment–even if I can’t remember exactly what he said now Once my boy is done growing I think my RB alone will be more than sufficient for him.

RB alone, or RB + some alf pellets, is a calorie issue, not a nutrition issue. If you feed the RB according to the age, nutrition is good (assuming decent enough forage). If he needs more calories, add alf pellets (or almost anything, really).

My homebred was put on a balancer as soon as he aged out of the milk-based phase, and he’s never gotten a regular feed. He’s either gotten just a balancer, or just a v/m supplement (HorseTech High Point Grass) when he gets too heavy with Spring/Summer grass, or a balancer + some small bit of alf pellets for additional calories when in those early in-between stages. Nutritionally, there is no aging out of balancers. But a horse can “calorie-needs-out” on either end

[Pohney]

I’ll add that I’m also on the RB bandwagon (I currently feed Buckeye, but there are plenty of excellent RBs on the market). I may add a fat top-dress and/or tim/alfalfa or alfalfa pellets when they’re growthy or over winter when they need a calorie boost.

[barnchick277]

Thanks everyone! I’ll be giving the TC 30% a try once they get to my place, can’t wait to have some youngsters to play with since all of my current horses are in their mid to late 20’s

[clanter]

we have been raising a baby horse, got him as a weanling, he is now a long yearling … never been on any grains. Just a good alfalfa hay and pasture (we have year round grazing). Currently 23 months old, stand just in the 15h area weight is taped at 1050 pounds

Recently he has been changed to just grass hay and pasture

vet when asked about feeding grains just said horses for eons have not had grain and did not recommend any.