Are fibre feeds better than mixes/cubes...

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Henry02

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Just debating really... Horse has done very well on pure feeds over the past few months, however I can't really afford to be feeding it full time. There are obviously other available "fibre" feeds, and wondered if these are better for the horse generally than a mix/cube.

We are currently on molichaff condition, which nag likes. It won't it any of the dengie stuff, and I wouldn't feed mollichop as it's stuffed full of mollasses!
 
in my personal experience, yes.
I feed both my boys alfa plus and speedibeet as the base, topped up with full fat linseed meal as and where necessary. They then get a joint supp and a digestion supp from Hack Up (amazing results!). Tom then gets some oats to help him stay a bit fresher for the OH who likes them hot.

they are 21 this time round, still look and feel great and still had a dozen days hunting this last season.

compared to when they were on mixes - Ron looked like a hat rack after a few days hunting, and was virtually unrideable if you tried giving him more feed to help his weight as it just sent him out of his tree. Tom just gets fat and slothful on most mixes, and won't eat cubes.
 
I'm trying out fibre feeds now, and all mine are a bit dull but coats are good and their bellys have gone down. I have started introducing the mix again cause last year they all looked amazing on it
 
Yes, we feed ours on grassnuts and grass chaff with linseed oil and Speedibeet if they need something extra. Nothing fancy and not at all expensive.
 
Thoughts were really wondering if the mollichaff is just as "bad" as compound feed, as it has molasses and other stuff in it!
 
I think your original question is rather simplistic. Yes, fibre should be the mainstay of a horse's diet as lack of fibre can cause all sorts of digestive and other problems. However, just because a feed is in short chop fibre form doesn't necessarily make it the best diet for a horse. Some short chop fibre feeds can be based on straw (so little nutritional value) and be high in sugar as coated in molasses. Also whilst traditional cubes and mixes can be high in starch and/or sugar, there are some cubes and mixes that are fibre based and relatively low in sugar/starch (products like D&H ERS Pellets, Saracen Releve etc). So rather than looking at the form the feed comes in, have a good read of the nutritional analysis (including sugar/starch levels) and the ingredients to see if it is the best choice for your horse.
 
I find them a bit pointless, unless the horse doesn't get loads of fibre already. Mine are out 24/7 and always have a big hay bale to munch on so they get plenty of fibre in their diet. So I find it a bit pointless giving them chaff type feeds, so I feed nuts instead which probably have higher degrees of vits & mins but I can feed smaller quantities. I especially find the chaff's made mainly of straw to be utterly pointless and a rip off.
 
If you're using Pure Feeds, it might be worth you looking at Primero Total. The bags are 20kg as opposed to 15kg and the recommended daily amount is lower.
I've used it for mine for years, although I only feed through the winter.
 
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