Feeding Yearling for Halter?

Hey guys, if you've read my other post, you found out that my buckskin baby had a weird swelling in her left fore knee. I finally got her to the vet, and it turned out to be a bruise that bled, forming a blood clot under the skin. The vet drained it, and she is all better now!

If it comes back, I don't know if I'll do anything about it, now that I know it doesn't hurt anything, and is just a blemish, although her free pasture days are OVER! She is going to be stalled and turned out in a pen every day once the bandage can come off.

Anyways, here is my dilemma. I was fitting her for halter for some local shows (nothing big), when she got hurt, so I stopped feeding her when she wasn't able to get lunged every day. I was giving her quite a bit due to what a member of another group said you had to feed a halter baby. Here is the ration that I was feeding twice daily:

2 scoops 14% pelleted feed
2 scoops Weight Builder
1 cup Veggie Oil
2 flakes Alfalfa
1 scoop Grow Colt
(Each scoop is actually different in size, depending on which scoop it came with, although the grain had a big sized coffee can to measure with.)

She is now getting one scoop 14% pelleted feed, free choice coastal, and a scoop of Grow colt once a day. Feeding Alfalfa wont be an option until I get my other horses sold, freeing up some play money, but were my portions ok for the grain ration? Thank you in advance!

Here is a pic, just cause I love her, although I've used this one before, lol.

I was also going to ask why her neck looks so thin when she is carrying her head high, and why it looks normal when her head is down. Here is a pic when it is looking funky.

How much does a scoop weigh?? Which 14% feed are you using??

Im pretty sure that a scoop probably weighs in at 2 1/2 to 3 lbs. She is on something called Bryant 14% horse pellet, that is easily obtainable at the local feed store. It doesn't have a lot of fat in it though.

What you want to look for is high quality nutrition to be fed in smaller amounts and give her free choice grazing or hay

Depending on where you are will decide what you can get feed wise

Chances are what you are feeding is grain based which means high in sugars and starches and alot of the protein is not readily avaliable

The thing about her neck looking funny is because when her neck is up and holding her head up, she is flexing those muscles and taking up that skin that is sagging when her head is down. That skin being looser when her head is down is why her neck looks normal when down, and thin when up. Plus it is also because she is a baby, her neck will grow into the rest of her, most of my horses have thin little necks until they hit 3 years old or so...

Wow! You've been feeding a LOT! I got my both yearlings underweight (especially 2nd one) and I wasn't feeding even close to what you did (and they built up the weight in month). If he has free choice hay or pasture I'd just stick with just 2 scoops of grain (actually I used 12%, not 14%) and oil (or boss as an alternative). When you try to build up too much muscles or height too soon it can end up with health issues later on (from what I read). Also if he gets too much minerals/vitamins it also may cause problems.

PeggySue, I just swiched from the 14% pelleted, to an all stock sweet feed. Idk if it is a complete feed like Safe and Sound, but I'm supplementing her with Grow Colt and Weight Builder, with the standard mineral blocks, so hopefully it will satisfy everything nutritionally. Here is the stats on this new feed, please tell me what you think:

Protein 16%
Fat 5%
Fiber max 14%
Calcium .... in .75% Max 1%
Phosphorus min. .5%
Copper min. 9PPM (Whats that mean??)
Selenium Min .2PPM
Zinc Min 32PPM
Vitamin A min 3600IU/LB

I also found this great stuff called DYNE for all livestock and dogs. This is a top dressing that you only feed in little increments. Here are the stats:

Crude Protein 1.9%
Crude Fat 48.3%
Moisture 18%
Vitamin A 1790 IU (???)
Vitamin D3 186 IU
Vitamin C 175 IU
Vitamin E 4.5 IU
Thiamine .18 mg
Riboflavin .25 mg
Niacin 1.92 mg
Vitamin B6 .18mg
Folic Acid .04mg
Vitamin B12 .71 mg

I heard it works wonders and am just going to give her a bit to help with skin/coat. It is really cheap considering some of the other supplements I've seen and can be used as a maintenance for skin/coat and as a weight gain. What do you think of it?

Minihorse, thank you! I can't believe I didn't sit down and actually think about it, It would have been so simple, lol. Whew, Im glad they grow out of it! This is the first horse I've had that has a thin neck, usually they are a little on the think side and I have to sweat the crap out of them before shows, not with this girl!!!

K_V, I've talked with a lady that shows all classes/ages of halter horses. She feeds something for calories, like weight builder, veggie oil, alfalfa, and a supplement for the vitamins/minerals when they are growing, then on a basic supplement when they hit about 4 y/o. She has never had any problems as long as you balance it out and they get all they need. I think I'm going to put her on this diet and see how it works:

Free Choice Coastal Hay
2 scoops feed up above^^^
3 oz DYNE
2 scoops Weight Builder
1 scoop Grow Colt
^^ This will be fed Twice a day and for Lunch I'm going to soak some alfalfa cubes so she can chew on those for a while to keep her busy, lol. They pack the stuff down so its hard to get out. It will keep them busy for hours!

What do ya'll think about this new diet. She hasn't been on anything hardcore for a couple months, so Im going to get her feed switched, then add the other stuff in slowly.