Feeding Routine

Sonny and Apache eat almost entirely hay, and mostly coastal hay at that. They graze/have free access to about 35 acres. They receive occasional flakes of alfalfa (once a week), and in the winter they get soaked beet pulp twice a week.

So much pasture...

For my beet pulp mixture, I soak 2 cups of beet pulp in 1 cup of water and 1 cup of Aloe Vera juice (for each horse). The Aloe Vera juice is good protection against ulcers which Apache is more prone for in the winter time.

These two are quite spoiled and also receive a handful of treats, which usually consist of some combination of baby carrots, granny smith apples, peppermints, and Manna Pro Biscuits.

Sonny and Apache are not high performance athletes and do not require grain. They both maintain weight and have excellent hoof/coat health.

They get de-wormer monthly. A trick that I learned early on, is to use an empty syringe (similar to the one that de-wormer comes in), fill it with apple juice or applesauce and give it to your horse as a treat. This way, when it comes to de-worming them, they will easily accept the medication without a fight. So occasionally they get applesauce as a treat in this manner to practice for the actual administration.

Sonny & Apache, drinking water and being goofy

For water, the horses have access to 2 different ponds. Apache will also drink any water offered to her, whether it be cupped in your hands or poured into a bowl. (She'd make a great camping buddy.)

That's all for today's article. Happy riding!!