So just the past month or so I've noticed my mare getting slightly chubby (crease down the back, harder to feel ribs). It's been so miserable here (110° and up) so she's barely gotten any exercise. I ride for maybe 20-30 minutes (mostly trotting work) 3-4 times a week. She's on 2 flakes of bermuda and 2 flakes of alfalfa a day. No supplements other than her psyllium the first 7 days of each month. Do you think her diet is ok? In the winter I'll start riding her at least twice as much as I do now to get us ready for shows so I'm guessing she'll take the weight off then. I know you can't really tell without actually seeing her, etc. but I was just hoping for some input. Thanks! Posted via Mobile Device
Trade the alfalfa out for bermuda until you can get back to riding.
Legume hays are not a good thing to feed these easy keepers. Unless you will be schooling her really hard for some sort of event that involves catching a cow or for hunter/jumper, it might be a good idea to leave her off the alfalfa forever.
When you said she doesn't get any supplements except psyllium, does that mean she isn't getting any grain or other type of feed? It would help if she's not.
We have dropped down to the high 90's - 101. Everytime the weatherman says "it's going to nice today, high of 91", I think that means high of a 101 for me because I am 60 miles further south, which makes a huge difference where I live.
Hopefully this heat cycle will break soon and all of us can get back to our normal horse routines before the horses explode from lack of exercise:?
Thanks for the advice! I think I will take her off alfalfa for a bit. She is training for hunters so I'll probably put her back on it. Nope, no grain or any other feed. I would leave her off the alfalfa forever but she actually doesn't like the Bermuda that much compared. Sometimes she won't eat her Bermuda unless she has her alfalfa first! Silly girl! Posted via Mobile Device
In the winter, you can just give a tiny handful of the alfalfa, so she feels she got some, and then do the rest bermuda.
I don't give my horses alfalfa they're all on coastal also, but I give my show goat alfalfa, and the little nerd refuses to eat his grain unless he's had a tiny handful of his alfalfa. It definitly can keep them fat, if given more than really neccessary.
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