# Feeding schedule for PRE horse



## Hug (18 February 2015)

For people owning PREs!!  Could you please briefly describe their feeding schedules ? Any Sensitivities to be aware of? Do you keep them on hay/haylage or do they have access to pasture too? Regarding hard feed the one he is currently on in Spain contains:
Barley wheat wheat feed oat maize / corn alflalfa linseed soy peel soy oil cane molasses . Any recommendations regarding hard feed ? Please any useful tips let me know this is my first PRE...


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## tallyho! (18 February 2015)

Hi have you tried the BAPSH Facebook page? Loads of PRE owners and enthusiasts on there and you will get loads of useful help.

My mare doesn't tolerate haylage or alfalfa but does well on linseed and just grass nuts, and good quality hay. I've had her since a foal and just had high quality forage and fibre and high oil feeds. Shes a gert big four year old now!


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## Exploding Chestnuts (18 February 2015)

Hug said:



			For people owning PREs!!  Could you please briefly describe their feeding schedules ? Any Sensitivities to be aware of? Do you keep them on hay/haylage or do they have access to pasture too? Regarding hard feed the one he is currently on in Spain contains:
Barley wheat wheat feed oat maize / corn alflalfa linseed soy peel soy oil cane molasses . Any recommendations regarding hard feed ? Please any useful tips let me know this is my first PRE...
		
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There is no magic involved in feeding horses, from the above diet I would remove barley, wheat, wheatfeed, maize, corn [=maize?], alfalfa, soy peel, soy oil, cane molasses.
I prefer hay to haylage in most cases, and maximum turnout, keeping horses permanently indoors in a stable is not something I would want for any horse.
My horse had an itchy skin, I fed some NON MOLASSED beet, added salt, minerals and micronised linseed every day,  a lo sugar diet helped. He was only part pre, but had plenty of "attitude


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## Hayleighm175 (18 February 2015)

Hug said:



			For people owning PREs!!  Could you please briefly describe their feeding schedules ? Any Sensitivities to be aware of? Do you keep them on hay/haylage or do they have access to pasture too? Regarding hard feed the one he is currently on in Spain contains:
Barley wheat wheat feed oat maize / corn alflalfa linseed soy peel soy oil cane molasses . Any recommendations regarding hard feed ? Please any useful tips let me know this is my first PRE...
		
Click to expand...


Mine is stabled on a night in winter (8pm-7am) and out 24/7 in summer.
hay only,  though does live haylage 

Feed- winter:
breakfast- half stubbs scoop Alfa-a oil, 250grams baileys performance balancer,  250 grams conditioning cubes, glucosamine

Supper- as above- but with added magnitude and also her treat ball full of fibre nuggets 

Feed- summer:
500 grams performance balancer, glucosamine, magnitude 

I also add electosalts after I've ridden 

Hope that helped!!


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## Hug (18 February 2015)

Useful guys thanks so much. My horse will be turned out all day and stabled at night .


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## Casey76 (19 February 2015)

Hi, is your horse an import, or was he bred in the UK? (Sorry just read that he's in Spain currently)

Imported PREs have a predispensation for grass sensitivity, and can develop metabolic problems.  Introduction to grass (especially dairy/rye grass) should be done carefully and slowly.

His current hard feed seems pretty uncomplicated, and standard for countries other than the UK.  However I (and this is my personal opinion) would switch him to a forage based diet, with plenty of long stemmed meadow hay (in my dreams this is what I would feed to mine - but it doesn't exist here), micronised linseed to maintain weight without fizziness and a forage balancer.

good luck with your new horse


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## Hug (19 February 2015)

Hi Casey  Yes he is imported to Cyprus from Spain. I  have indeed read/heard about their grass sensitivity and will be very cautious. Unfortunately we do not have the best quality hay here unfortunately hence why we need to resort to hard feed and supplements .  Thank you so much for your kind words.


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## Casey76 (19 February 2015)

Actually there is a high probablilty you will have less problems in Cyprus than in the UK, as the climate is much more similar (i.e. mediterranean rather than temperate).

When looking for hard feed, I'd try to avoid molasses (sugar, obviously) and soya (as it can be pro-inflammatory).  I can sympathise though, trying to find a "good" compound or mixed feed - outside of the UK.  In France we have more coice than ever, but it all heavily molassed, and often contained flaked maize or peas.

I try to feed my two a cereal free diet - to be quite honest, they really don't need anything at all, and they are quite fat enough on hay alone, but I give them a mug of soaked sugarbeet to hide their hoof supplement in.


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## MDB (19 February 2015)

Mine is out 24/7 in pasture, unrugged. There isn't much grass at the moment and so they have hay and a mineral / salt block. She did have hard feed when we got her cos she was thin. But not now. She doesn't need anything else.. she gets a treat every day or so.... which could be an apple, carrot, kiwis, orange, piece of pumpkin or celery or the likes.


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## Hug (21 February 2015)

I was also wondering whether giving them sugar beet is a good idea . What do you think?


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## Hug (21 February 2015)

Helps a lot thank yo u


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## noblesteed (21 February 2015)

My crossbred is sensitive to haylage so only gets hay (and his barley straw bed). He has a forage based diet - does well on Mollichaff Calmer or D&H safe and sound but I assume they are only available in the UK.
He needs poorer grass - dairy grass makes him very fat and bloated, even in winter.


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## Clip1clop1 (28 February 2015)

My boy imported from Spain. He lives out 24/7 with very poor grass. He gets hi fi molasses free, spillers lite balancer with vitamins and minerals. He has good quality hay, which I soak through summer to remove the sugar. When I have his sugar right he is an absolute joy. Too much sugar and he is like a bomb waiting to explode. He is on the chunky side at the moment and has come out of winter too well....so started soaking his hay again. He has a field shelter and a wide variety of weighted rugs. He hates the cold. Also hates wet windy weather. Fed him halage when I first had him and he went bananas and came out in lumps round his jaw.


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## Cortez (28 February 2015)

Spanish horses are bred to eat a very low sugar diet, coarse straw/hay and generally hardly any grass, and certainly not the super-rich, high sugar stuff we have over here. I feed mine straw, soaked hay, very restricted grazing year round.......and that's it. Oh, and they have a salt lick. If they get too fat I put them in a sand arena with weighed soaked hay and work them more.


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## Clip1clop1 (28 February 2015)

Cortez, your management system sounds perfect. What type of straw do you use and how much of it do you feed?


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## Cortez (28 February 2015)

Clip1clop1 said:



			Cortez, your management system sounds perfect. What type of straw do you use and how much of it do you feed?
		
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Well, nothing's perfect.........But I feed very clean barley straw. Have tried oat straw, but they didn't like it at all. Quantities of straw are pretty much as much as they want as they are bedded on the stuff and can pick at their beds all they like.


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## tallyho! (28 February 2015)

Keel they weren't strictly "bred" to do well on nothing, they just do because they evolved on nothing. I'm sure that's what Cortez meant though


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## Hug (28 February 2015)

Thanks you all. Will base his diet on hay/straw mostly, but was thinking of giving him a mix of chaff/nuts/sugar beet as well. Would unmolassed soaked sugar beet be an issue?


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## Clip1clop1 (28 February 2015)

I would leave un-molasses sugar beet out. They don't need it. The extra attitude you'll get probably won't be worth it.


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## Exploding Chestnuts (1 March 2015)

I used non molassed beet to carry minerals,, and also he did need something to keep weight on all winter, as that is when I rode him mostly, that plus chaff and a sprinkle of oats, I think he was neither up not down, pretty much the same summer and winter, a bit of a challenge!
I added some salt as he refused to use his salt lick except for rubbing his tail on!
Oh, I think the linseed and minerals sorted his itchy skin.


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