How much feed can safely give?

[JB]

I cringe over horses that only receive one grain meal a day.

It’s not about how many times a day the horse is fed. It’s about whether the food given is appropriate.

I have fed one meal of concentrates a day for most of the 12 years the horses have been here. That’s because with few exceptions, nobody has needed enough to warrant 2+ meals. The exception has been my mare on 2 occasions - when I got her OT, and when she was late term pregnant.

Even right now, middle of Winter, the most anyone gets is 1lb of a RB and 1lb of alf pellets. Last Winter my oldest gelding was having some weight issues (must have been the hay, as he is great this year, though it’s also been warmer), and even then he was getting 5lb TC Sr - one meal.

I also only feed hay twice a day :eek: But it’s about 15lb/horse each time, and 30lb/horse/day is plenty for each of them.

So it’s never about cringing over a horse only getting 1 meal a day.

[candyappy]

[QUOTE=Sansena;9030808]

I cringe over horses that only receive one grain meal a day. [/QUOTE]

Grain is only meant to supplement a high quality hay diet . It is shocking the amount horses are routinely fed on a daily basis.

I cringe myself at the amounts of grain ( bagged feed) people feed.

[Sansena]

Sorry guys… we’re talking about giving a maximum amount of food… to stomach capacity. ONCE a day only. This is not about getting supplements in, or ration balancers or some such.

Call me old school but I still think it’s a phenomenally bad idea to give just one honkin’ portion of grain a day. If you’ve ever seen a stomach impaction, you’ll know why.

Yes, I know to each his own. But I still think if there’s any way to avoid giving just one large grain meal a day, then that should be pursued first.

And I agree; much better to forego grain entirely so long as they can sustain themselves healthily on pasture/ hay/ forage. Truth be told, I’m not a big fan of grain myself-- even tho’ my horse has lived on it for the entire time I’ve owned him. Along with hay & pasture.

[JB]

Absolutely it is far better to have 2 4-lb meals than 1 8lb meal, and better to have 2 3-lb meals than 1 6-lb meal if at all possible (though a 6lb meal can work if it is absolutely necessary).

Your comment though was pretty blanket though, even if that’s not how you intended to be. Yes, this mare needs more food, or more calorie- and/or more nutrient-dense food, because at her age, she is not getting out of what she could 5+ years ago.

1 feeding a day is only a problem for her, and horses like her, because apparently she needs more food than can be safely fed in a single serving. 1 feeding a day is not inherently a problem though - context

[AKB]

I have fed as much as 10lbs of Purina Equine Senior twice daily. It is a complete feed, so can be fed in greater amounts than a grain that is lower in fiber. My oldster was a poor keeper. In order to keep his weight up, he ate huge amounts of Senior, as well as free choice grass hay and alfalfa. He had to be separated from the herd during the daytime, as it took him hours to eat his food.

[Xanthoria]

What ALB alluded to - this horse isn’t getting grain/concentrates. It’s getting forage - hay pellets and senior which is usually the same as quality hay in an easy to chew and digest format. Remember senior feeds can usually totally replace hay in the diet if a horse can’t handle hay.

Added to to that OP says horse is a slow eater, so it’s stomach is probably emptying before the bucket is full and I’d have no problem giving 6-10# of forage based feed at one time.

OP build up to a cup or two of oil in addition and you’ll see great results in a month.

[Xanthoria]

Edit: stomach emptying before the bucket is empty, I meant!