|
To properly ascertain the feeding needs of ponies, it is
important to have data on their actual body weight. Start
with measuring your horses “heart girth,” which can be
measured with a household tape measure. Generally speaking,
a girth of about 30 inches corresponds to a weight of about
70 pounds. If you find that your pony has a larger girth,
simply take each additional inch and multiply it by about 13
pounds. This will give you the additional weight of your
pony. Once you have the proper weight, you will be able to
use the feeding guides for adult ponies. You may choose to
feed a maintenance diet or one specifically designed for
weight loss.
 Several name brands of pony feed are available that are both
breeder and veterinarian recommended. The average active
pony will do well on a combination of commercially available
feeds and supplements. If your pony is exceedingly active,
you may choose to increase the forage by one pound daily for
each 100 pound of pony body weight, while adding supplements
at a rate of four ounces per 100 pound of body weight. To
further supplement the feed in order to heighten the working
pony’s ability to perform, you may wish to add some fat to
the pony’s diet.
Good sources of added fat are specialized chaff as well as
rice bran. The latter will add about 20 percent of fat to
the pony’s diet, while the former will contribute roughly 10
percent. Rice bran should be added sparingly to the pony’s
diet, at about one and one half ounces for every 100 pounds
of actual body weight for the moderately active pony, and
may be increased to three ounces for the hard worker.
Conditioning chaff, on the other hand, may be added at two
pounds for ponies up to 500 pounds, and three to five pounds
for medium to large ponies which are very active. A salt
lick or other mineral supplement should be available to your
ponies at all times. The overall goal is to attain a
measurable body condition that may be scored at five to five
point five.
 |
