I recently changed barns. At the previous barn my horses were turned out 8-10hrs a day on limited grass and got unlimited timothy hay.

Horse 1) 5 yr Conn/tb ridden 6 days a week and evented. In good weight was previously recieving 3lbs of triple crown complete

Horse 2) 18 yr tb ridden 3 times a week lightly. He is overweight by about 100lbs. Eating 3lbs of complete

Horse 3) 5 yr tb not really working right now as he is sore due to shoeing issues. Will be worked 3-5 days a week. Needs about 200lbs more. 10lbs of complete with 5lbs of alfalfa cubes soaked.

My question is now all three of these horses have a situation where they can come and go into their stalls and are in 4 acre field with great grass. They are turning their noses up at the hay provided and are just eating grass.

Since they are not receiving hay I am worried they are not getting the required nutrients yet they are quickly becoming too fat on the 6lbs of triple crown required to meet all nutrients.

Any suggestions for the two that are easy keepers? I like the triple crown products but also have other options available to me in the area such as purina, nutrena, and more.

Thanks,
Jessica

Where are you from? dover, de

How did you locate this forum? link

Hi Jessica,

Horses will generally go for fresh grass than hay, and good pasture is much better for them. So, you are fortunate to have this.

But, they don't need all the Triple Crown Complete that you are offering. I would suggest that you significantly decrease their intake and provide a good multiple vitamin/mineral supplement to fill in the gaps. You may wish to consider Accel.

You made an excellent decision by moving them to a place where they can graze 24/7. This is the most natural feeding regimen you can offer your horses.

Thanks so much for writing.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Colorado