Feed Overhaul- Especially of Fiber
Fiber is currently ridiculously difficult to feed. Even with my 13hh+ show stock, it’s impossible to give them enough hay/alfalfa/alfalfa cubes to keep their temperaments low (or prevent them from changing).
I know that there are several different varieties of hay, with different levels and types of nutrition (thanks, Pony Club)- with alfalfa being the most concentrated and “local” (at least in my area) being the least. My RL horse, a 1000-ish lb 15.3hh medium-light gelding in moderate work, is on about 2 pounds of grain (blend, ulcer guard, and equerry’s), 5 pounds of timothy and 15 pounds of local per day- something that would be impossible to feed to a HWO horse of similar size while keeping it at a consistent weight. Zippy (my horse) is actually slightly overweight- and it’s not from grazing because the drought killed everything in his pasture
Even if hay can’t become easier to feed, we should have an option to feed alfalfa pellets and/or blend, both of which are higher in fiber than the feed options we currently have.
There could even be special supplements that players have to grow/make themselves that freeze temperament at a certain level regardless of feed- Zippy has been on dried raspberry leaves for some time now to keep him more relaxed (seems to work?)
Summary: the current feed system isn’t true to life and makes feeding a high fiber diet almost impossible.
Proposed changes:
-it should be possible to feed a horse a larger quantity of hay, unless they are very old or very young
-there should be more varieties of hay (in varying concentrations/prices)
-low sugar “blend” grain and alfalfa pellets (which would both provide lightweight sources of fiber) should be added
-supplements providing additional benefits such as temperament freezing should be added. However, they shouldn’t be as easily accessible as normal feeds and should either require time to make, similar to player courses, or should be grown in pastures
I know that there are several different varieties of hay, with different levels and types of nutrition (thanks, Pony Club)- with alfalfa being the most concentrated and “local” (at least in my area) being the least. My RL horse, a 1000-ish lb 15.3hh medium-light gelding in moderate work, is on about 2 pounds of grain (blend, ulcer guard, and equerry’s), 5 pounds of timothy and 15 pounds of local per day- something that would be impossible to feed to a HWO horse of similar size while keeping it at a consistent weight. Zippy (my horse) is actually slightly overweight- and it’s not from grazing because the drought killed everything in his pasture
Even if hay can’t become easier to feed, we should have an option to feed alfalfa pellets and/or blend, both of which are higher in fiber than the feed options we currently have.
There could even be special supplements that players have to grow/make themselves that freeze temperament at a certain level regardless of feed- Zippy has been on dried raspberry leaves for some time now to keep him more relaxed (seems to work?)
Summary: the current feed system isn’t true to life and makes feeding a high fiber diet almost impossible.
Proposed changes:
-it should be possible to feed a horse a larger quantity of hay, unless they are very old or very young
-there should be more varieties of hay (in varying concentrations/prices)
-low sugar “blend” grain and alfalfa pellets (which would both provide lightweight sources of fiber) should be added
-supplements providing additional benefits such as temperament freezing should be added. However, they shouldn’t be as easily accessible as normal feeds and should either require time to make, similar to player courses, or should be grown in pastures
Last edited by Tenacious Equine on Thu Sep 16, 2021 9:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Karabair breeder! High quality, no reds, face markings, LP, dun, champagne and cream.
Champion Quality Pseudo Marking KBs Coming Soon!
Katy_Kanes Offline
Premium Premium
Visit My Farm
Visit My Farm
Joined: Sat May 25, 2019 5:14 pm Posts: 1808
Premium Premium
Visit My Farm
Visit My Farm
Joined: Sat May 25, 2019 5:14 pm Posts: 1808 Re: Feed Overhaul- Especially of Fiber
Love all these ideas- especially the supplements!
Re: Feed Overhaul- Especially of Fiber
Yes, it's really frustrating that you can't feed them a high fiber diet without keeping them in a pasture. And that it's absolutely impossible to find a balance of feeds that will keep them at a constant temperament. The idea of supplements is nice, and would make sense to have as part of the vet update.Tenacious Equine wrote:...
Re: Feed Overhaul- Especially of Fiber
I 100% agree with this. Occasionally I have horses that are born with a higher temperament than bombproof and it's a pain to keep it down. Even though they tend to be medium-light, 2,000+ pound, 18hh+ horses, they cant have any kind of high fiber diet without being in the pasture and still maintain weight. On top of that, when I am training other players' horses that are similar, typically thoroughbreds, it is quite tiring to maintain their temperament when its not high strung. No matter what combination of feed is used the temperament always goes up or down.Tenacious Equine wrote:...
Supplements would be nice to have as well. Like Hidalgo said, it would make sense to have it as an addition to the vet update.
