Question

I have just acquired an Andalusian/Quarter Horse yearling filly that I feel sure has not been on a proper nutrition program for most of her life. Should she eat grass or alfalfa hay (lucerne)? If grass hay is appropriate, what type? I feed my 17-year-old easy keeper Arabian balancer pellets, and I was wondering if this yearling would do better on these than a regular concentrate. Also, do I feed her more than 2% of her body weight in hay since she is growing? Please advise.

Answer

With this young horse, you may want to be conservative in how you feed her due to her breeding and unknown background.

She should be fine with a balancer pellet and hay for the start. In general, a yearling may need up to 2 lb (1 kg) per day of a ration balancer, which is double what your older horse probably needs, though these feeding rates are dependent on the brand of balancer pellets.

If the horse does not seem to be maintaining her weight with grass hay and balancer, then you can consider adding alfalfa, maybe one-quarter of the total hay offered. If that does not maintain weight, then you can look into swapping the ration balancer for a commercial concentrate that is designed for the growing horse. As a general rule of thumb, a yearling will eat the equivalent of 2.5-3% of its body weight per day. You may consider offering free-choice hay if it is possible in your situation.

The first month after you bring her home will probably be the most difficult, as she may not have much appetite because of the drastic change in her life. If you have problems getting her to eat much, try offering a little alfalfa until she settles into her new life.