# Feeding a Welsh Cob



## LHIS (1 May 2017)

This is going to be a silly question, but here we go anyway.  This will be my first summer going solo as it were with my gelding, a rising 7 Welsh Cob.  Previously we were on a yard where YO decided everything and as a novice owner I was happy to take direction from someone older and wiser than I.  This summer we will be on our new yard (until we move to the new house) and today this the first day of going out into the big summer field.  
My gelding is a good doer, and as such I don't feed him any hard feed at all (except when I need to worm him, or administer something else) because he simply doesn't need it - and he doesn't do enough to warrant it just yet.  He is the only horse on the yard who isn't fed hard feed, much to his annoyance at breakfast time, but I stand by the fact that he doesn't need any. 
Anyway - my question is actually about grass - I have to watch his weight and with 24/7 turnout from today I am undecided on whether to leave him out, or whether to bring him in at night.  If I brought him in at night, after stuffing his face all day, I'd intend on giving him a small net to nibble on before going out again in the morning.  I suppose I want to know if I'm doing right?  He's never had laminitis but he could be suseptible so I keep an eye on that, and it's mainly for that reason that I want to bring him in at night just to limit his intake. 
Is there anything else I need to factor in/weigh up?

ETA - I can't leave him in during the day and out at night as he will be in by himself and he will do his nut without company for so long, all of the others will be out.


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## Shay (1 May 2017)

I always bring my lot in at night.  If you have good grass you are going to need to do something to limit his intake and it is either that or a grazing muzzle - which brings its own host of problems.  I know you'll spend the summer as you do winter with mucking out etc - but if that is what is better for the horse then that would be my choice.

You can soak the hay if you want to further reduce the food value - or mix hay with oat straw.  He'll need something at night - but not much.  You could also try leaving him a "breakfast" of chaff or hay in a bucket to cut any hassle at breakfast time.  He doesn't know the others get hard feed!


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## MiJodsR2BlinkinTite (1 May 2017)

You could give him a little feed if the other horses in the yard are having something and he's stressing: I feed mine Dengie Hi Fi Mollasses-free with some Speedibeet (soaked for 10 mins, it MUST be soaked). Quantity: not very scientific I'm afraid, but I feed what I can pick up, in the palm of ONE hand, not a double handful! So one palmful of each. That's what I give my Welsh D veteran mare, she has to have supplements anyway so I have to feed her plus my other horse too.

If you think he needs his grazing restricted then by all means I'd bring in at night: feed a high-fibre meadow hay - NOT haylage as this is like feeding rocket-fuel to Welshie's believe me (know so, coz have done it, not a good idea!). If he'll stress by himself then far better to keep with the routine of the other horses, I'd do that.

I tend to avoid any feeds with Mollasses in them, not easy coz a lot of foods sneak it in unfortunately.

Re. the grazing, are you able to strip-graze at all? That would be a better solution, if you can, or perhaps put some sheep on the pasture to nibble it down a bit.


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## ester (1 May 2017)

It does depend a bit on your grass, what has worked with mine:

track system turnout 24 hours on somerset (well growing grass)
in during the day out at night, muzzled all spring until ground dry when grass would stop growing much (not so great growing wiltshire grass). 
On the latter he would have ad lib hay when in, so he didn't go out hungry and stuff.  
Currently dossing in life as semi retired so out 24 hours (less stiff out) in smallish somerset paddocks, strip grazing seemed to be too much so is now muzzled all day and out with hay at night instead of stripping the field. He has mastered eating hay with the muzzle on to. 

I was pretty against muzzling historically but when it was a choice of that or individual turnout at one point I wanted him out with others. I'm a huge track fan but sometimes it just hasn't been doable. 

With yours I would probably start with day time turnout only, see how he adjusts and see how you get on then decide whether to go for 24 h.


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