Ohhh!! I will PM you my email! I love coupons and saving money! I feed nutrena chicken feeds too so coupons would be wonderful!
michelle- Don't give yourself a headache! It is not that complicated!im giving myself a headache trying to figure out whats best to feed her.
Number one: Fresh clean water
Number two: Forage! This can be good quality pasture (go walk your pasture right now, I bet there isn't much out there that isn't burnt to a crisp) Or hay (either good quality prairie or brome) I stay away from fescue, bermuda grass etc.
Number three: Mineral supplement, your feed store should have salt blocks (white) and mineral blocks (brown) for horses. We have one of each plunked out in the field for them to use as they need.
Number four: Supplementation in the form of grain, pellets or something of the like. Call your vet and ask what they recommend feeding a young horse. I would imagine they will tell you to feed a prime type pellet for growing horses. I feed pellets because that is what I prefer. I like nutrena, I have always fed nutrena, it is just personal preference.
The MOST IMPORTANT thing you need to do right now is get hay for winter. If you don't have hay yet I would suggest you start looking. Brome is going for $8 to $12 a square bale right now and good prairie hay is practically non existent. Get hay! You probably need to start feeding hay now because the grass in the pastures are so dry there is very little nutritional value in it for a young growing horse. I have 110 bales of brome in the barn for 2 minis and 2 full grown 10-15 year old horses for the winter and will probably get more. Stock up, we are in a drought and there will be no more hay and the grass is dormant.
Questions to ask:
1-When was your hay cut? (earlier is better, if they say last week it is probably garbage because it is fried)
2-Is your hay horse quality? (keep in mind folks may lie, but this usually means not moldy, put up dry, not full of weeds, not really brushy or full of sticks etc)
3-Was your hay put up dry and when? (did it get rained on before it was put up, bad, bad for horses =moldy hay, no good and you don't want it and did it sit out in the field and get fried in the sun for three weeks=lower nutritional value)
4-How much do your bales weigh? (if the bale weighs 75 pounds you won't need as many to feed her than if the bales weigh 50 pounds, use this to price shop a bit too, look for hay that is heavier, more bang for your buck, if you get a 55 pound bale for $8-9 or a 75 pound bale for $10 which would you rather have?)
Worry about the grain/supplementation later. Your best bet is to get hay for her, she hasn't died yet without grain, she will be fine for a while, you just might want to look into getting her something because she is a growing horse and not all hay/grass will have everything she needs for vitamins in it. Horses can do very well on good pasture but right now the grass is burnt to a crisp and isn't very nutritional so she may need something extra. Start with forage, see how she does and go from there. Talk to your vet, they are very helpful people!
