Alfa-A Molasses Free

[DurhamGal]

Hi All,

I was wondering if any of you had fed their horse on Alfa-A molasses free and had any negative effects (i.e. particularly, sending them loopy).

I bought an OTTB back in May and he has been a little dream, practically bomb proof. He was on pegasus chaff (he's on part livery and thats what the yard uses), however he really lacked energy during training and felt really flat & lazy. I put him on Alfa-A, partly to give him a little more energy, but mainly because he is stabled most the time and I wanted to boost his fibre intake.

I'm almost at the end of my first bag and he definitely has more energy. His dressage has come on more in 3 weeks than all the time I've had him, he wants to keep moving on his own now without me having to nag at him. However, outside of competition, he has turned into a nightmare. This weekend was the last straw, I've decided I can no longer take him out on the roads as he's too unpredictable. full height rears, fly jumps... he took off with me through an estate. If another horse shys that sets him off into a broncing fit. His head just seems to have gone to pieces. Where as before, every horse could be going berserk and he'd just plod on without a care. He was the horse we relied on to tackle any scary circumstances scaring the other horses out on a hack.

Now his work load has decreased since the dark nights, so I'm going to tackle that with lunging him on my dinner hour. He's also going back onto his previous feed for the time being.

Anyway, I was just after peoples experiences. This is my first winter with him or any TB. I've ridden plenty OTTB/event horses... but this is the first owning one.

 

[TGM]

I think part of your problem may be that he is stabled most of the time, rather than the feed itself, but increasing the feed when he was getting less exercise can't have helped. How much turnout does he get, and is there any way you could increase that? Can he go on a horse walker, go out in a school or in a hard standing pen, if grass turnout is not possible? If you want to boost his fibre intake then I would increase his hay, unless he is already getting ad lib.

 

[Pinkvboots]

I agree with the above in regards to turnout I think he will be so much better with daily turnout, I have Arabs and alpha a sends them loopy and they are out most of the day in winter if I kept them in and fed it I would be in trouble, it just does not suit all horses I just feed mine graze on grass unmolassed sugar beet and micronised linseed and they get copra for more energy but tend to have enough natural energy, you might find now your horse is feeling fitter he won't need high energy feed.

 

[Luci07]

I wouldn't look at the feed as being the issue straight away. My TB x is on Alfa A with oil and hasn't changed at all and neither have any of the others on it. They seem to sharpen up if the work goes down so I do try to bear that in mind.