Fell
Pony Society
and Conservancy of the Americas
Fell
Pony Society
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Q How much food should I give my Fell pony? Fells are survivors per excellence; good doers (easy keepers) and constitutionally hard. They love their food! However, their nutritional needs must be understood and they are not capable of "living on fresh air". They are bred to live on hard going, ranging over quite large tracts of land, keeping active as they feed on a variety of hardy grasses. They will maintain their condition on grass hay, and prefer it to other types. If they have to work they will need some "hard feed" in the form of oats, other grains, or commercial feeds. How much, depends on the work. Equally, too much grain is bad for them. It's expensive, can cause the pony to be too lively and create accidents, and in extreme cases can even make the pony ill. If the pony is having no other grazing, then he needs roughly 16 pounds of hay per day, split into at least 2 feeds with the bigger portion given in the evening. Plenty of clean water must be given, and mineralized salt - not mixed with feeds, as a pony will clean up his feed yet may not need the minerals. He will take water or minerals when they are necessary if they are both available "free choice, 24/7". If he gets more than an hour or two of good grazing, take away some of the hay from the ration. In spring and autumn when the grass grows well he will need less hay or feed than in winter or very dry weather when there is little goodness in the grazing. Watch out then for him eating too much very young sweet grass which can sometimes cause laminitis (inflammation inside the hoof.) If the pony is doing some work he will need a small feed, a pound or two, which you should give at least an hour before he works. If he's going to work hard, say on a trail ride or a long carriage driving competition, you should condition him slowly to the work over several months and gradually adjust his feed to more protein and carbohydrate (grain or cubes) and less fibre (hay). This kind of feeding advice can be found in detail in many specialist books and on web sites but the old horsemen's principle of "100% feed in, 99% work out" is still wise advice. The best guide is to observe your pony yourself every day; is he bright eyed and happy? Is he keen to work? Is he maintaining his body condition? Then you have got the balance right. If he is cheeky and bumptious and putting on weight, you are giving him too much. If he looks dull and miserable, doesn't want to work, and loses weight, there are five combinations you should consider: you are overworking or underfeeding him, he has bad teeth or needs worming, or he is ill. * * * * * >> Back to FAQ page.>> |