Caloric differences between pasture boarded and stall boarded horses?
Here's an interesting question that I'm not sure if anyone actually has an answer to, but maybe your experiences will help me draw a conclusion.
I switched Gali from stall board to pasture board this summer. He was off work for a while and I was able to keep him fat and happy on just four pounds of hay stretcher + all of the grazing he could do a day.
Now that he is back in more work and it is winter, I've put him back on grain. He is on the same grain he was on last winter - Southern States Legends Performance pellet - because he likes it and it's low starch with good protein and fat levels. I have just gotten him up to what he was on last winter - 4 lbs of that a day (over 2 feedings), and I am continuing the hay stretcher.
My barn owner thinks that he is going to need a lot more than that to stay at a good weight, but I'm not so sure. He's already on double the amount of feed he was last winter, and he's put on weight well. Sure, I'd like him to gain a little bit more for winter, but he is nowhere near skinny. The BO had been feeding him a different feed with a lower fat content before I brought out the grain he's on now, though, so I think differently. Time will tell.
However, I can't seem to find any information on the calories used by a pastured horse in winter vs. a stalled horse in winter. Any ideas? Do pasture boarded horses always need more grain than if they were stall boarded?
(this is assuming that access to hay is equal and free choice hay is not an option - The pastured boys get fed a good amount of high quality hay, and when Gali was stalled he got about the same amount)
I switched Gali from stall board to pasture board this summer. He was off work for a while and I was able to keep him fat and happy on just four pounds of hay stretcher + all of the grazing he could do a day.
Now that he is back in more work and it is winter, I've put him back on grain. He is on the same grain he was on last winter - Southern States Legends Performance pellet - because he likes it and it's low starch with good protein and fat levels. I have just gotten him up to what he was on last winter - 4 lbs of that a day (over 2 feedings), and I am continuing the hay stretcher.
My barn owner thinks that he is going to need a lot more than that to stay at a good weight, but I'm not so sure. He's already on double the amount of feed he was last winter, and he's put on weight well. Sure, I'd like him to gain a little bit more for winter, but he is nowhere near skinny. The BO had been feeding him a different feed with a lower fat content before I brought out the grain he's on now, though, so I think differently. Time will tell.
However, I can't seem to find any information on the calories used by a pastured horse in winter vs. a stalled horse in winter. Any ideas? Do pasture boarded horses always need more grain than if they were stall boarded?
(this is assuming that access to hay is equal and free choice hay is not an option - The pastured boys get fed a good amount of high quality hay, and when Gali was stalled he got about the same amount)