What to feed my horse?

Im about to bring my new horse home and will be boarding her. She will be a pasture horse and will be feed hay, but does she need more than just hay and grass? She's a 12 year old tennessee walker, she needs to loose some weight, and ill most likely be riding her for pleasure and trail 3-4 times a week. Will she be find on just hay and grass? The days I will be able to go out are random and I could feed her grain those days but I wasn't sure if that would cause her to get sick from the random days feeding grains. Thanks!

I would see how she settles in first, just on grass & hay. Especially if you say she needs to lose some weight. If you are only going to do light work with her, then that should really be enough.
There is no point feeding her grain if it will only give her extra energy, or add to her weight.
You can always reward her with a small tasty treat after you ride her. Nothing too fancy, even just a mix of chaff & molassess, or carrots.
If you think she is losing too much weight, then consider feeding her more ;o)

Ideally a horse should be sustained on grass and hay alone. Grain was created to compliment pasture and hay for horses who need the added protein for correct muscle development, or are not getting the correct nutrients from the hay. Your horse should get most of it's starch and sugar from pasture, as we know too much starch and sugar are the leading causes for insulin resistance, laminitis, and founder. I really like nutrena feeds, and was able to bring them a sample of my hay and they were able to find a grain that complements what my hay lacks in nutrients. I ride my mare a few times a week and only give her grain because my pasture and hay is not enough (at this point it's cheaper to feed her grain rather than more hay due to the drought here in Illinois) I hope this helps =}
Posted via Mobile Device

I don't think she needs any grain (although you may want to supply mineral blocks, or at least salt blocks). If the grass is lush, or the horse is very over-weight I'd consider to use muzzle as well.