Introducing my horse and ponies.

[horseymama2]

Good morning everyone,
After five long lonely years, I am the proud owner of horses again. I have a lovely little AQHA mare and a pair of mini geldings to keep her company. It's been 25 years since I kept a horse at home. I kept my previous horse in a large boarding facility on the east coast. Now I am back in Missouri, and feeds have changed a lot in the last 25 years.

So I love dressage and trail riding with friends. I can't wait for spring to get here so I can ride my new horse.

So, what do y'all feed your horses? How do you feel about grain free or low sugar/ starch feeds? Currently I have my herd eating Nutrena SafeChoice and alfalfa pellets, which I soak to create a mash. I have been shocked at how much liquid it soaks up, I am a bit nervous to feed it dry. Oh, and they get free choice grass mix hay.
What about barefoot and using boots on your horses? Do you have any favorite boots?
Sorry for all the questions. I am just super excited and want to make the best choices for my pony herd.

 

[promiseacres]

Welcome from NW Indiana.

Feeds have changed a lot. I feed a low starch feed to my minis and haflinger, everyone else (a 15/16 yr old QH, 21 year old paint pony and 21 year old morgan) gets a a senior feed. I don't soak for anyone or add alfalfa pellets. They also get grass hay. All our horses are barefoot. The haflinger has boots (foundered over 4 years ago before I got him), we use Easyboots Epics. fronts only. He does great with them and never had them get sucked off or lost on the trails. They are a bit of a pain to get on but I dont' mind since they stay on even when we encounted knee deep clay mud.

 

[thistlebloom]

Welcome from north Idaho! Nice looking little herd you have. Welcome back to horses also, isn't it great?
I was horseless for 10 years because of a lack of time to ride when I started my business, so I can relate to the joy of getting back in.
I dabbled in dressage in my 20's and 30's, did some Competitive Trail and endurance, but these days I'm happy with a good trail ride.
I feed a 80/20 grass/alf mix to my 5 year old mare, and a 80/20 alfalfa /grass to my hard keeper 22 year old QH gelding, along with dry COB, beet pulp, and boss. The mini mule gets timothy.

I use Easy Boots Back Country on my gelding. He steps on them and pulls them off occasionally, but I can't say it's the boots fault.
I will be trying bell boots over them this year to see if it helps keep them on. It's a real drag realizing you've lost a boot and going back to hunt for it.

Hope to see more of you and hear your riding adventures!

 

[High Desert Cowboy]

Welcome from central Utah! There’s just something about being on a horse that makes the world seem right no matter what. My horses get a mix of half 3-way and half 80/20 alfalfa. It really depends on your horses Jack does great on 3-way where my half Arab Bro will drop weight so I add the alfalfa. I grain if I’m really using them hard but I don’t cowboy like I used to.
As far as barefoot and boots goes, it really depends on your horse and terrain. Jack gets shoes because we ride some pretty rough terrain when we’re gathering cows on the mountain. Bro is now my kids horse, but even when I rode him More he didn’t really require shoes, but I believe that’s an Arab trait, they’ve got good hard feet. At least that’s what I noticed as a farrier. I did a lot of barefoot trimming, and I think for arena riding and some trail riding you’re just fine. Trail riding in some harsher stuff every once in a while boots should be fine, just remember not all boots are equal. I had clients who would complain about the boots and wanted me to put shoes on, and when I asked to see the boots a lot of times they were all the same size. Then I’d point out that the horse’s fronts might be a size 1 shoe and the backs were a size 0. You need to make sure you have a snug fit, or you will have a greater chance of losing them and cursing them on the trail. Size each boot to each foot, same as a farrier size’s each show and you’ll be pretty happy with them.

 

[thistlebloom]

What HDC said about boots. I wanted Easyboot Gloves for my gelding but his feet are the wrong shape to make them work, so I got the Back Country's instead. I had an Easy Boot rep measure and fit him. She is conveniently my trimmers wife. Handy.