Fine dining

When it comes to feeding your pony there are so many things to consider. But, with a little attention to detail and some expert help, you’ll be on the way to providing your pony with everything he needs. A balanced diet can keep your pony’s skin, coat and hooves healthy, help him stay bright and alert and provide him with enough energy for his workload – awesome, right? Let’s find out more.

Top tip

Learning how to body condition score your pony is a great way to keep tabs on his waistline and make sure he stays in tip top condition. Check this out – bit.ly/CONDITION_GUIDE.

The right amount

Ponies usually need to eat 2–2.5% of their bodyweight per day in dry matter, but if they need to lose weight this can be reduced to a minimum of 1.5%. To help you work out how much feed your pony needs, first use a weigh tape to get a rough idea of his weight. Then, it’s best to talk to an equine nutritionist to help you pick the right diet for your pony, according to his workload, temperament, age and type!

Top tip

When weighing your pony’s forage or feed, weigh the empty haynet, bucket or scoop first then remember to deduct that weight when you’ve added his feed.

Discover more feeding tips in December PONY – out now!