Re: feeding Icelandics

["Susan Evans Garlinghouse" <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>]

Hi Susan,

Ponies of any type tend to be more efficient at digesting fiber than
full-size horses are, which is at least part of the reason why ponies tend
to get fat more easily and founder more often.

If your Icelandic is tubby on 8 lbs of timothy, you can "dilute" his ration
with some good, clean straw.  Don't add grain to that---that's like being a
good girl and having a salad for dinner but then drenching it in a fatty
dressing.  You don't want to add more calories back in (thereby defeating
the purpose), but supplementing the vitamins and minerals *is* a good idea.
You might start out by replacing maybe 25% of his timothy ration with straw,
and adding a scoop of ONE good quality vit/min mix of your choice.  Don't
start adding in alot of different supplements, you're more likely to create
rather than solve problems.

Undoubtedly you know your Icelandic well, but also be sure you're not trying
to create a body shape that just aint natural for an Icelandic.  He may look
like a small buffalo standing next to a bunch of slick-looking greyhound
Arabians, but that may just be his body type, not true fat.  Icelandics do
have a somewhat different muscle physiology than Arabians and are naturally
going to be rounder even without being fat.

Best of luck to you with your pony.

Susan G
-----Original Message-----
From: guest@endurance.net <guest@endurance.net>
To: ridecamp@endurance.net <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Date: Monday, April 26, 1999 4:36 PM
Subject: RC: feeding Icelandics


Susan Jaeger georgelake@hotmail.com
I have a 12.2 Icelandic that I'm trying to condition but she is such an
incredibly easy keeper that only 8 pounds of timothy hay per day is making
her fat.  How do I feed a balanced ration and give her enough energy for the
rides, and still provide enough bulk for her gut?  I'm considering feeding
straw and a grain ration but thought I check with other Icelandic riders.
Thanks for your input.

Susan


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