[cherokeewolfwhi]

I have been posting asking for advice on training him (Cochise) now I am worried about his feed.. He is 8 months old and we bought him about a week ago from a sale barn and we asked what he was being fed so we would not mess up his diet..hmmm we were told that all he was being fed was one coffee can of sweat feed a day with lots of hay and plenty of water and he will be OK if we keep it like this till he is older I have only been around 2 mares in my lifetime and the first was my dad's..the second I bought because she was old and being shipped to the ^%*&%$%^ hmmm bad place and we were feeding her senior feed plus th hay and water with some sweat feed (for her sweat tooth) I was just wondering if anyone could give me some advice on what is best and how much a day for a 8 month appaloosa colt?

[prettyqtrs]

I personally am not overly fond of sweet feed, but to each their own. We feed our horses Strategy (our horses vary in age from foals to weanlings, yearlings, 2 year olds, on up). I think you need to adjust his feed to his weight, body type, build, ect. We've got our weanlings (will turn a year old in February) on 2 cups of Strategy twice a day...so comes out to 4 cups total per day. And we feed grassy hay.
When you have your vet out to do vaccinations ask him/her what his/her opinion on feeds is, how much to feed, ect.
Right now are you feeding 1 coffee can of sweet feed per day? And are you giving that to him in all one feeding or spliting it up?
What does he look like- body condition, weight, ect? Can you see any ribs? Can you feel any ribs? Have you de-wormed him yet? What kind of hay are you feeding and about how much?
One thing that is sometimes hard with those younger guys is...if they haven't been de-wormed their belly might be big and then people automatically say that they are fat, overweight, ect. Or they'll get hay bellies and again people say they are just fat, overweight, ect.
But yes witht he rright amount of grain he'll do fine. A sufficient amount of hay is good. And fresh water is a must for any horse.
Remember if and when you decide to switch feeds....do it very gradually.

[JBandRio]

A small coffe can or a large one? The first thing you'll want to do is be familiar with the weight of his feed - hay and concentrates

If it's a small coffee can, even if it is sweet feed, that's not doing much harm. I don't like sweet feeds either - it's an Equine Candy Bar. Tastes yummy, provides calories, but doesn't have the best nutrutional value.

I would be putting him on a vitamin/mineral supplement though. I use Dynamite, and can give you information on that. Free choice hay is excellent - keep that up.

You want to be able to easily feel his ribs but not see them (like you could through his winter coat ). I'd keep him in that "look" until he's a good solid 3 years old. That, along with a mineral-balanced (and enough minerals) diet will go a long LONG way torwards avoiding any growth-related problems

[cherokeewolfwhi]

Originally Posted by JBandRio

A small coffe can or a large one? The first thing you'll want to do is be familiar with the weight of his feed - hay and concentrates

If it's a small coffee can, even if it is sweet feed, that's not doing much harm. I don't like sweet feeds either - it's an Equine Candy Bar. Tastes yummy, provides calories, but doesn't have the best nutrutional value.

I would be putting him on a vitamin/mineral supplement though. I use Dynamite, and can give you information on that. Free choice hay is excellent - keep that up.

You want to be able to easily feel his ribs but not see them (like you could through his winter coat ). I'd keep him in that "look" until he's a good solid 3 years old. That, along with a mineral-balanced (and enough minerals) diet will go a long LONG way torwards avoiding any growth-related problems

Large and I give it to him in small amounts (still trying to get him to let me touch him) and I tried the oats but he just pushes it aside... I gave him IverEase in his feed for the worming part..he still has a lot of bot eggs on his legs and stomache from the sale barn (will not let me wash or brush him) and yes he looks perfect in the ribs (weight wise,ribs not visable) he just has this thing about not wanting to be touched or put on a lead rope

[pocahontas]

Try calling a vet in your area. They should be a good resource. I board and when my young filly was 8 months old I believe she was getting a 1/2 scoop twice a day. I could be wrong. I board at a vets and he takes such good care of my horses I have gotten lazy on the specifics.

[Drafty1]

Try mixing your oats with your sweet feed, start with 1/4 cup oats and work your way up. This way he will get use to the oats.
I personally like oats. My 9 month old gets a 1/2 gallon cup (it a plastic cup that came from KFC, someone stole my coffee can) of oats once a day and 2 flakes of Alfalfa/grass hay a day.

[JBandRio]

No offense Drafty, but if you can avoid using sweet feed as a bribe at this point in a horse's life, he's better off

An 8month is just like a little kid - taste buds develop all the time, what he hates today he may snarf down tomorrow. I would not keep changing things around. IF he needs a hard feed (big IF!!!) then pick something that is pelleted, low carbs, low sugars. Give him 1/2 a cup eat each feeding. If he doesn't eat it, he loses it. Assuming he's getting free choice, quality hay, he should need nothing more than that and a good vitamin/mineral supplement (Dynamite is my choice). Only if that is not enough for him to maintain a lean body (ie ribs easily felt, not easily visible), then a concentrate is added.

[Drafty1]

Originally Posted by JBandRio

No offense Drafty, but if you can avoid using sweet feed as a bribe at this point in a horse's life, he's better off

I wasn't saying to use the sweet feed as a bribe to eat the oats. I was saying put the oats in with the sweet feed and keep adding more oats over time. This way the colt becomes use to the taste of the oats. More oats less sweet feed until she is just feed oats. But maybe I didn't make that very clear in my post.