Admitting defeat . . . need some conditioning feed, sigh

PolarSkye said:
He hasn't been scoped for ulcers or tested for EMS/Cushings, but he is otherwise really well - lovely muscle, skin and coat in great nick - he's just on the lean side. I really do think it's down to the poor quality of the forage, no grass and his much higher workload.

P
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FWIW I think you're right.
 
Just looked at EJ and it's based on rice bran. I had read/heard that rice bran wasn't suitable for horses prone to gastric upset/ulcers, is that right?

Kal doesn't have ulcers (at least I don't think he does) but he'd certainly be a candidate and I'd rather not tempt fate.

P
 
Oats aren't heating its a wives tale - excess calories may cause excess energy its all about balance.

Igenore the % of starch and work it out over a whole diet not on individual items.

My guy I believe had ulcers I tried all the high calorie low grain / high fibre, oil feeds only got average results.

Switched him over to Alfalfa, Oats salt and a good multi and the change was dramatic even before I had transitioned him over his condition picked up his coat got shinnier. There are pics in my album of his before and afters.

I have a few reasons for this:

Pre mixed and extruded feeds I don't believed provide the minerals listed on the bag - as my diets were balanced off this but results were average.

Oats and chaff are a lot chewier creating more saliva which buffers stomach acid.
 
I dont find oats heating verses say competition mixes , I am only feeding them to horses in medium to hard work I never feed more than three kilos a day but these things are really individual to each horse.
My tb was looked good but as I upped the work and increased turnout as spring came he got the double whammy of more work and eating less haylage ( we don't feed in fields ) he's on speedibeet 500 grammes of linseed and three kilos of oats and ad lib haylage when stabled . He looks great and is gaining muscles in all the right places.
I hope you find the right answer to yours diet, it's been a harsh spring on them.
 
JillA said:
You can order micronised linseed on line from Charnwood Milling or (ever so slightly cheaper) GW Titmus. I have just persuaded my feed merchants to get some in for me but have yet to find out how much they will be charging for it. Buying direct costs around £25 including £7 postage.
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two of our local feed merchants obtain it, one charges just over £18 and the other just over £19.
 
Many thanks to everyone for their input and advice . . . after much thought/research, here's my plan:

- Increase oil
- Add ERS pellets (D&H)
- Add micronised linseed
- Stop feeding Speedibeet

We'll see where we are after a couple of weeks.

Good news is that the grass is most definitely coming through in his paddock . . . plus b/c he has moved fields he is out for much longer.

I don't want to give him oats b/c of the high starch content . . . although the idea of feeding him supermarket porridge oats is intriguing :).

Thank you so much for all your input . . . you all gave me a lot to think about . . . I'll let you know how he does.

P
 
Sorry, I haven't read the full thread, but just to let you know that ALL of the Baileys range had mollasses in it.

It's a pain for me as my yard is switching to Baileys in May and I want to keep my boy mollasses free *head desk*
 
Casey76 said:
Sorry, I haven't read the full thread, but just to let you know that ALL of the Baileys range had mollasses in it.

It's a pain for me as my yard is switching to Baileys in May and I want to keep my boy mollasses free *head desk*
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Frustrating isn't it? Why do so many feeds include molasses? I know it's about palatability in the first instance, but surely feed companies have worked out by now that lots of horses just don't tolerate molasses.

What will you do?

P
 
Firewell said:
Ers pellets are good :). At least the suns starting to come out now and the grass :).
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Amen to that! I can almost SEE the grass growing . . . which is a wonderful thing. Let's hope we've finally seen the back of winter and are looking at the beginning of a looooong growing season.

P
 
PolarSkye said:
Frustrating isn't it? Why do so many feeds include molasses? I know it's about palatability in the first instance, but surely feed companies have worked out by now that lots of horses just don't tolerate molasses.

What will you do?

P
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It's a blummin nightmare. The livery bill will be going up as we are getting the Baileys imported from England, and I'm going to have to say I don't want it :o

I guell I'll have to offer to make his feeds up in advance (just a small scoop of micronised linseed plus youngstock balancer and supps) for the YM. Then I'll have the whole of the summer to think of something.

I may have to take the car back to the UK and stock up on Pure Easy!
 
You can't do better than soaked grassnuts with chaff, IME. And please be careful if you try soya oil or NAF PinkPowder. We've had horses react VERY badly to both of them (different horses).
 
Worry not . . . no Pink Powder and AFIK the oil in ERS pellets is predominantly made up of veg rather than soya oil.

Used to feed Pink Powder . . . did his little head in.

P
 
PolarSkye said:
Frustrating isn't it? Why do so many feeds include molasses? I know it's about palatability in the first instance, but surely feed companies have worked out by now that lots of horses just don't tolerate molasses.

What will you do?

P
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Because essentially, feed companies don't care about the small minority of horse owners who recognise the diet as being at the heart of the health or behavioural problems their horse is displaying.

I see lots of owners moaning that their horse, "is being a d**k today" and give it a smack, but give no thought that it may be distressed/sick from the two commercial mixes and three different supplements fighting for dominance inside the horse :o.
Some like the 'sparkle that comes with a distressed horse 'on his toes'.

Feed companies care about making the feed palatable and thus securing more sales. When they find one they trust, lots of owners trend towards a specific brand name for their whole 'career' with horses and just move around their range. If the horse turns his nose up at the first bucket, the owner will move onto another brand, so it's worth making sure the feed is tasty enough for the horse to lick it's bucket clean on the first try.
 
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