Will my 2 year old Welsh Section A burn off spring grass calories
 | Will my 2 year old Welsh Section A burn off spring grass calories? Clare Barfoot BSc (Hons) RNutr Registered nutritionist, research and development manager for Spillers answers your questions on Equine Nutrition If you have questions about Equine Nutrition please send an email to: admin@voicesforhorses.co.uk |
Question: Will my 2 year old Welsh Section A burn off spring grass calories because he is still growing or should I still be careful he does not eat too much?. Jilly - Shropshire Clare Answers: Dear Jilly, Your 2 year old pony is still at risk from weight gain and laminitis just like any other horse or pony. However because he is still growing he may be at slightly less risk as he will be partitioning more energy into growth and less into fat stores; he is also less likely to be insulin resistant than an older animal. For this reason I would recommend you do not use a grazing muzzle at this stage in his development, instead I would monitor his condition very closely and not allow him to put on too much condition. If he needs his grazing restricting perhaps you could keep him in during the day and only turn him out at night or alternatively you could try strip grazing. In addition to grazing it is really important to supply your pony with a balanced diet so he grows into a healthy athletic adult, therefore you need to feed a source of vitamins and minerals. These can be supplied via a concentrate feed such as SPILLERS Cool Concentrate that will supply vitamins and minerals without excess calories or a good quality vitamin and mineral supplement. |
Added on: 20/06/09.
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