Ponies
are just like horses in many ways but they also
have some distinct differences.
What
to feed?
Two main types of feed make
up the bulk of a ponies diet:
Forage/roughage (e.g., hay and grass). Bricker Performance
Ponies feeds Bermuda/grass hay.
Each pony is an individual and has slightly different
requirements, but there are some basic guidelines
to follow and the diet can be adjusted to suit the
individual, depending on how he looks and behaves.
HAY/GRASS
- CONCENTRATES
Resting
horses and most ponies
100%
Light work
(Hacks/evenings and weekends)
80%
20%
Medium work
(Schooling/jumping)
70%
30%
Ponies
will do very well on either seed or meadow hay,
but it must be of good quality. If you can only
give one type of extra food, good, clean sweet-smelling
hay will keep most cobs and ponies in good condition
throughout the winter.
When
to Feed
Hay should be fed in the morning and again late
in the afternoon, at the same time each day. Ponies
are creatures of habit and will be waiting at the
gate.
How much extra food you give will depend on a number
of factors:
• The quality and quantity of grass in the
field
• The type of work the pony is doing
• The time of year
How Much to Feed
If you are unsure of how much to feed your pony,
it is always better to start with a high fiber (grass/hay)
and low concentrate (pony nuts) diet. Then if the
pony behaves well and maintains his weight, and
is not too lively or too sluggish, then the balance
of feed is correct.
If the pony becomes silly and too energetic then
the concentrate ration should be reduced and more
hay fed; however, if the pony is sluggish, then
he needs a little more concentrate. Always use a
low-energy feed for light work i.e. pony nuts or
a light non-heating coarse mix.
How to Test Your Ponie's Hay
Bad hay is more than just unappetizing for your
pony. Moldy, dusty or spoiled roughage can trigger
respiratory allergies or colic in horses. Buying
your hay from a reputable supplier reduces your
chances of getting an unacceptable lot, but an occasional
bad bale can slip into any shipment.
To screen out potentially harmful hay, give each
bale you feed the following five tests. Failing
any one of these test means the bale is moldy or
otherwise spoiled and needs to go straight to the
compost heap.
The bounce test: Drop the bale
from waist level or higher. Acceptable hay has some
spring and bounces when it hits the ground.
The bend test: Pick up the bale
by the twine. A good bale has some flexibility and
sags a bit when you lift it. The degree of sag depends
upon how tightly pressed the hay was during baling.
The "poof" test: When you release
the twine, good-quality hay "poofs" out
and expands because of its springiness.
The color test: Any shade of green
is a hallmark of good hay. Yellow or brown hay is
sunburned and, while generally safe, probably has
lost some nutrients along with the color change.
Gray or black coloring is grounds for immediate
rejection.
The sniff test: Take a close-up
whiff. Good hay smells sweet and grassy, without
the slightest hint of breath-catching mold or dust.
What are the basic needs of a Pony?
At the very least a pony needs:
Pasture free from hazards such as holes, rusty
farm machinery and loose wire fences.
Safe fencing such as wooden, plastic, or vinyl
rails, or mesh wire fencing.
Grass for grazing or equivalent amount of
good quality hay.
Unlimited supply of fresh clean water, heated
if necessary in sub-freezing temperatures.
Unlimited access to minerals and salt.
Shelter from wet or wintry weather and shade
in summer.
A dry clean area to lie down.
Daily
monitoring for injury or illness.
Companionship,
either with another pony, or another animal
such as a sheep or goat.
How to Safely Feed Treats to Your Pony
Most of us feed our ponies treats as a reward, or
just because we love them. Treats that are close
to a ponie’s natural foods are healthiest
but a very small amount of almost any food item
is safe to feed as a treat.
Safe pony treats include:
• Pitted Dates
• Raisins
• Sugar cubes
• Hay cubes
• Apple pieces
• Carrot pieces
• Sunflower seeds (with or without shells)
• Peppermints
You'll find ponies have different tastes, too. Some
may love peppermints or sugar cubes, some prefer
carrots or hay cubes.
If you often carry treats in your pockets and feed
from your hands you might teach your pony a bad
habit. He might decide that all pockets or fingers
contain treats and nip at your clothes and fingers.
A pony that is pushy about getting treats can be
dangerous.
The safest way to feed treats is to put them in
a bucket or feeder.
Some treats can be a choking hazard. Apples and
carrots are best cut into pieces. Only feed a very
small amount of any hard foods like mints and hay
cubes. A greedy pony may not chew the treat completely
and bolt a treat down. The food can then become
lodged in the ponie’s throat, causing him
to choke.
Some
things are not good for treats:
• Lawn, hedge or garden clippings.
• Cabbage, including broccoli, cauliflower
etc….
• Potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Acorns
• Chocolate, if you are competing, this
can cause a positive drug test.
Don't feed treats to a strange pony. The pony could
have a medical condition that disallows certain
types of food. Some owners don't believe in feeding
treats at all. Dispose of all food wrappings out
of reach of your pony. A bag smelling of sticky
peppermints could be ingested and cause a blockage
that could be deadly.
Our
Guarantee
We give the highest guarantee in the horse
business. Bricker
Performance Ponies - If
for any reason you are not completely happy,
return the pony in the same condition the
pony was delivered to you, within 14 days
of delivery and we will replace the pony
with a pony of equal or greater value.
Bricker
Performance Ponies will replace a pony before
leaving the ranch with a new pony. If it
is determined, by a veterinarian that a
pony has any soundness problems that would
preclude it from doing it's performance
or any health conditions.
