my shetland pony

Question
QUESTION: hi,i recently took in a shetland pony, we have been feeding her 10% sweet feed. She has been eating around 3 pounds of feed daily, also, she eats hay and foliage. And she eats 2 or 3 apples. is she eating normal , is she pregnant, or not eating enough?Help!

ANSWER: Hi Kaylin,

Thank you for your question.  If you are looking for a guideline on how much food your mare should be eating, the rule of thumb is that horses/ponies eat 1.5% to 3.0% of their body weight daily.  Adult horses/ponies that are not working eat around 1.5%, and as work, gestation, lactation or growth is occurring then horses eat closer and closer to 3%.

What types of feed you choose really depends on your horse's condition and what she is doing.  I'm hesitant to make a concrete decision on what you should be feeding her because I don't know how old she is, if she is under- or overweight, if she is still growing or if she is in foal.  Adult horses, in good body condition that are not doing any work can survive on an all forage (hay and grass) diet without necessarily having to feed any grain at all.  Grain may need to be added if hay is of poor quality, if the horse is working, in foal or needs to gain weight.  What I can suggest right of the bat, is avoid feeding sweet feed to ponies.  For whatever reason, ponies are prone to laminitis and although sweet feed does not necessarily cause laminitis it certainly can irritate the condition.  If you need to feed a processed feed to your mare for whatever reason I would recommend that you stick with a high-fat high-fiber style feed.

If you can provide me with more details about your mare, including her body weight, I would be pleased to make some more concrete suggestions.

Thanks, Corlena

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hey, we don't know how much she weighs, so how much do you think we should feed her? She is pregnant, she looks like the perfect size, full maybe even a little chunky, and around three years old . I was wondering how expensive the type of food you're recommending is . Thank You!

ANSWER: Hi Kaylin,

I would start by ensuring that she has access to hay on a free choice basis...as much as she wants to eat. Have a salt block available to her at all times and ensure that she has unlimited access to water. If she is less than 8 months pregnant, and in good body condition, I would suggest that you go with a mineral/vitamin supplement in a protein base.  Purina's 'Enrich 32' is a perfect example of this type of supplement.  Once your mare gets into her 9th month of pregnancy you are going to want to switch to a broodmare ration to help support the additional energy, protein, mineral/vitamin she has due to fetal growth.  Purina makes a new Miniature Horse and Pony complete feed that has recommendations for gestating mares which I suggest you should try.  Ponies can be a surprisingly difficult group of equines to keep in that 'just right' condition...they tend to be prone to obesity and metabolic syndromes that can raise havoc with their health.  This new product is designed to address all of these issues and appears well formulated.

I can't say what to expect for cost of the feed...I am in Canada so all I can say is that I'm sure it's cheaper where you are then where I am :))  Our equivalent of the Enrich 32 is worth around $28/bag and the Complete feed would probably be priced right around the $20.  Keep in mind though that the Enrich 32 has a very low feeding rate so for a horse your mare's size would eat a bag in about 5-6 weeks.  The Miniature Horse and Pony feed will not last as long because the feeding rate of complete feeds is generally higher.  Expect it to last 2-3 weeks a bag.

If you have a different feed company that you would rather deal with simply let me know and I can make a specific recommendation.  I am a fan of Purina feeds in that I've worked with the company and am confidant in the science put into their feeds.

Thanks, Corlena


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: We are feeding her Producers Pride Sweet Feed, is this a good quality brand? And she is a Shetland , like i said before, we have no clue how much she weighs, and she looks normal weight, and is pregnant with liquid coming out of her teats , do you know how much we should feed her?

Answer
Hi Kaylin,

Sorry for taking so long to get back to you.  The Producer's Pride Sweet Feed may not be the best choice for your mare right now.  It is a little too low in protein for a mare reaching late gestation.  I assume you are buying this at your local Tractor Supply, so I would suggest that you try their 'DuMor Mare and Foal', 'Platform Miniature Horse and Pony Feed', 'Purina Omolene 300', or 'Nutrena Life Design Mare and Foal Feed'...each store has a different product availability so any one of these will do.  A mare and foal feed is essential for your mare because it has a protein, mineral and vitamin content designed specifically for pregnant mares.  The feeding instructions and amounts will be listed on the bag, and you should follow the suggestions for late gestation mares as it appears that your pony is approaching foaling.  You will need to know an approximate weight for your horse (all feeding suggestions start with your horse's body weight) so perhaps you can get a weight tape the next time you are in the feed store.  They are easy to use to estimate your mare's body weight...which will also be useful later on to determine things like deworming rates.  You should also ensure that your pony has good quality hay available at all times, as well as unlimited access to water and salt.

Thanks, Corlena