[Jess!]

Just want to make sure that my diet/feed program is "okay" for my horse, and if there is anything I need to tweak?

Horse: Vogue
Work load: Right now nothing, she's hurt. Prior to being hurt, she was being ridden maybe four times a week [that's pushing it] for an hour or two, mostly long trotting and lots and lots of walking.

She gets:

am:
alfalfa [I don't know how many lbs, I don't weigh it...I need to get a scale, I know]

pm:
1/2lb rice bran
1lb TC 12%
1/4 cup Flax Seed
15cc Flex Force with HA

When she was getting ridden more, I added about a cup of oats to her food in the PM. Since she's not being worked, I took the oats out.

Nakoa:
WOrkload: Usually about three to four times a week, for a good hour or so. Trotting and lots of cantering.

am:
alfalfa

pm:
alfalfa
1lb RIce bran
15cc Flex Force with HA

Konfetti:
am:
alfalfa

pm:
alfalfa

No work load, she's a baby.

All horses have access to fresh water and a 50lb salt/mineral block.

I'd appreciate any opinions!

[hoofs_in_motion]

When feeding alfalfa, its best that the horse only gets about 10 lbs of it a day. So normally its a large flake in the morning, or two flakes if the one flake is smaller. And another flake or two at night.

Your feeding program is very suited to your horses workload, your giving your horses the extra calories they need when they work. You may possibly think about giving Konfetti a bit of grain, I don't know how old she is but generally its always good to give growing babies feed to ensure proper growth.

[Nella]

If the TC-12 is the Triple Crown Ration Balancer, Vogue should be fine. Are you using any mineral program for Nakoa or Konfetti?
Nella

[Jess!]

Originally Posted by hoofs_in_motion

When feeding alfalfa, its best that the horse only gets about 10 lbs of it a day. So normally its a large flake in the morning, or two flakes if the one flake is smaller. And another flake or two at night.

Your feeding program is very suited to your horses workload, your giving your horses the extra calories they need when they work. You may possibly think about giving Konfetti a bit of grain, I don't know how old she is but generally its always good to give growing babies feed to ensure proper growth.

Usually when I'm conditioning or competing actively, they get about four to five flakes of alfalfa a day. I feed them enough so there are always some stems left over. I've always had hard keepers, though. I don't know if Vogue is going to be a hard keeper or not, I've only had her since July and she's been on a pretty light work load [for me, anyways].

I've never had a lot of luck with grass hay, my horses mostly turn their nose up at it. When Kandee was in competition, she was getting about 19-22mcals a day and I was still having issues with weight. [I was riding upwards of 16+ hours a week, conditoning]

I haven't really figured out what to give Konfetti. I guess a ration balancer [the tc 12] but it is very expensive at almost $40 a bag.

Originally Posted by Nella

If the TC-12 is the Triple Crown Ration Balancer, Vogue should be fine. Are you using any mineral program for Nakoa or Konfetti?
Nella

It is a RB. I'm not giving Konfetti or Nakoa any of it because it is so expensive, they're just getting alfalfa, their mineral block, and Nakoa is on rice bran and a joint supplement.

[luvs2ride79]

All of your horses should be getting hay at least twice a day, unless they have access to pasture/grazing.

Also 100% Alfalfa isn't the best if they have no grazing. You're better off buying alfalfa mix hay, or supplementing the Alfalfa with Bermuda, Timothy, or Orchard grass. Adding a lower calorie hay to their diet will keep more food in front of them, which will prevent boredom chewing and ulcers. A horse should be eating 18 hours a day as the stomach constantly prooduces acid, even when they're not eating. If you replace 10 lbs of Alfalfa with Bermuda hay, you can give them 15 lbs of Bermuda and still keep around the same calorie content.

[Jess!]

Originally Posted by luvs2ride79

All of your horses should be getting hay at least twice a day, unless they have access to pasture/grazing.

Also 100% Alfalfa isn't the best if they have no grazing. You're better off buying alfalfa mix hay, or supplementing the Alfalfa with Bermuda, Timothy, or Orchard grass. Adding a lower calorie hay to their diet will keep more food in front of them, which will prevent boredom chewing and ulcers. A horse should be eating 18 hours a day as the stomach constantly prooduces acid, even when they're not eating. If you replace 10 lbs of Alfalfa with Bermuda hay, you can give them 15 lbs of Bermuda and still keep around the same calorie content.

My horses do get alfalfa twice a day...morning and night.

My horses won't eat any other hay, especially grass hay. They drag it around, poop, pee in it and just stomp it into the ground. The only horse that will eat grass "okayish" is Nakoa.

I have over 80 bales of Alfalfa left, when it's almost gone I'll try to switch to some bermuda [I cannot afford the others at over $18 a bale...] and see how that works.

[luvs2ride79]

You only put AM hay for Vogue, which is why I mentioned twice a day hay.

Try Timothy or Orchard grass. Most horses seem to like those better than Bermuda.

[Dawn]

The types of alfalfa available are vastly different. What's available on and towards the west coast (from what I've heard) is much more suitable for feeding as the only (or main) source of forage as well as free choice than what's available on and towards the east cost areas.

Can you find out how much hay they're actually getting? How long does it take them to eat each meal of hay?

The nutritional base is missing for both Nakoa and Konfetti. Particularly worrisome in both cases as Nakoa is in a fair bit of work and Konfetti is a growing youngster.

[Jess!]

Originally Posted by Dawn

The types of alfalfa available are vastly different. What's available on and towards the west coast (from what I've heard) is much more suitable for feeding as the only (or main) source of forage as well as free choice than what's available on and towards the east cost areas.

Can you find out how much hay they're actually getting? How long does it take them to eat each meal of hay?

The nutritional base is missing for both Nakoa and Konfetti. Particularly worrisome in both cases as Nakoa is in a fair bit of work and Konfetti is a growing youngster.

Nakoa eats fast so hers is usually gone within an hour, the two girls about two hours, they like to move from pile to pile, bicker amongst themselves, run around, then move back to the piles.

I really want a scale, I wonder if walmart has the one where I can hang a bag on it so I can just get a huge mesh bag and weigh the hay.

So I should probably give Nakoa and Konfetti the RB, as well? I wonder if there is any cheaper RB? The TC is like $40 a bag.

[idlewild]

Originally Posted by Jess!

I really want a scale, I wonder if walmart has the one where I can hang a bag on it so I can just get a huge mesh bag and weigh the hay.

Where I'm working now, to weigh the hay... we have a scale hanging someplace, and then from the scale we hang a laundry basket with a piece of twine, and place the hay inside the basket to weigh it. Works great