~*Sweet Cheeks*~ :
You can spend big $$$ on all kinds of horse gear for your horse and yourself. Craigslist and
EBay is good for some stuff. Others you will want to make sure you get the proper fit like bits and saddles.
Do you have a tack store that sells used items? Not everything has to be brand new.
I don't even know if I've EVER bought anything new for my horse..lol.
One thing to consider is that since your horse will be gaining weight and muscle he will be changing body shape and that means measurements around the shoulder/wither area. If it was me I'd go second hand for sure, then resell as your horses shape changes and don't buy new until you have its weight/muscle mass fairly stablized. Unless you go with a treeless, in which case you have a lot of flexability in the shape of horse it will fit.
I've been seeing you're gettn a lot of different 'feed' advice.... lol... didn't see 'that' comming
My advice is keep it as simple as possible. Hay and water .. oh, salt block too. If He's going from a dry lot to grass that alone is a big dietary change. One change at a time.
You can ALWAYS add beet pulp without any ill effects, so, if you want to add calories it's a sure fire way to go without upsetting digestion.
Don't even bother with grains. Grains arent a natural part of the horses diet and especially since He's just 'hangin out' at present, he just doesn't need the extra 'suger'. When you start riding for an hour a day you can reconsider, if you want to.
Black oil Sunflower Seeds (Boss) can be fed at a MAX. of 2 lbs a day, and YES, work your way up 1/2C at a time. They are great for the hoof and produce a nice shiny coat. They also are a source of protien that He will need to build some nice muscle.
Flax is a good source of natural oil and will add weight and improve the coat condition. You can buy it cheeply at the feed store by the pound, and grind it in a coffee mill before feeding or buy pre made 'stablized' flax feeds.... they are more expencive but are convenient.
Someone mentioned watching the grass intake... apparently, where you are there IS grass, which makes me jealous to no end (Canada)... and it's good advice. Increase the amount of turnout each day. Grass is especially high in sugers (BAD) when it's newly growing. You don't want to worry about a 'founder/laminitus' problem with those poor feet.
Your doing a good job! And horse people are so very FULL of advice
Aren't you glad you asked!! lol.
Angie J
