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Feeding My Shetland Pony - What Should I Do?

Teresa from Ohio in the United States has just got a Shetland Pony who has lost a bit of weight recently.

She writes:

I am very new at this - I just recently was given a shetland pony this spring. he is 15 yrs old and weighs about 300 pounds. He has lost a bit of weight since Ihave had him - I think it is because my pasture is so wrong for him. mine is mostly green clover and weeds - very little grass. I also have been giving him horse sweet feed a couple times a day and hay (grass or alfalfa as well). but I don't think I know what I am doing.

1) exactly what pasture should I start growing for him - what kind of grass?

2) how much and what kind of hay should he get each day?

3) how much and what kind of feed should he get each day?

4) I live in Ohio, United States - We have fall/winter/spring/summer seasons - in the winter months when pasture is not available - what should I be feeding him every day?

5) how often should I be worming this shetland pony?

Thanks for any and all help! Teresa Papenfus

Isabel Stewart, Technical Assistant at Spillers gives Teresa some advice

Dear Theresa

Thankyou for you enquiry regarding feeding your Shetland pony.

In England the best pasture for horses is a mixture of Rye grasses, it is important to minimise the risk of weeds and clover in your grazing as clover is very nutrient rich and therefore the levels of clover in pasture should be below 5%.

Aim to keep the grass at a height of 3" as overlong grass results in weedy paddocks, it is better to improve existing pasture rather than a complete re-seeding, as improved pasture will be able to withstand hoof damage better.

Shetlands have evolved into hardy native breeds who should be able to receive their ration via sparse grazing or forage. If you were to feed hay only, he should receive good quality hay at an amount of approx 3Kg per day. Throughout the Spring and Summer months when grazing is good your pony should not need to receive any further feed than what he receives from grazing.

In the Autumn and Winter months when the grazing is poor the addition of hay may be needed at the quantities mentioned previously. If you found that he was losing weight you may like to add a small amount of feed in the form of Spillers High Fibre Cubes at approx 800gms per day, this feed is low calorie and therefore perfect for natives and good doers.

If you did find that you were not adding any extra feed other than forage it would be important to add a vitamin and mineral supplement such as Spillers Equivite Supplement to ensure he receives the full nutritional requiment.

It is important to ensure that all horses and ponies are wormed regularly and frequencies are dependent on the type of wormer used, so it would be important to consult the guide for each wormer. On average most horses and ponies are wormed every 6 to 8 weeks.

I hope this advice is of some help and if you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact the Spillers helpline on + +44 (0)1908 226626 or for details of products in America contact: Seminole feeds, P.O Box 904, Ocala, Florida, USA. Tel: 352 732 4134

Isabel Stewart Technical Assistant Spillers Feeds

www.spillers-feeds.com