Barefoot diet for thinner horse that can't have alpha?

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Flight

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Hi, sorry if this has been done before but i can't find quite what i'm looking for on search. I have read lots about barefoot diets and looked into the simple systems feeds too but a lot of them seem to include alpha or be low calorie for horses in rest of light work. My horses will be in medium work and 1 is very sensitive to alpha so I want to try and eliminate it completely from her diet. They are going to be living out 24/7 as of next week so need something to keep weight on the 2 thinner ones but without sending them crazy.
Thanks.
 
Flight said:
Hi, sorry if this has been done before but i can't find quite what i'm looking for on search. I have read lots about barefoot diets and looked into the simple systems feeds too but a lot of them seem to include alpha or be low calorie for horses in rest of light work. My horses will be in medium work and 1 is very sensitive to alpha so I want to try and eliminate it completely from her diet. They are going to be living out 24/7 as of next week so need something to keep weight on the 2 thinner ones but without sending them crazy.
Thanks.
Click to expand...

My tb is out 24/7 and on a barefoot diet, she's an ok doer. She's currently on speedibeet, fast fibre with sunflower oil and her supplements split into 3 small feeds a day, she has ad lib hay in the field and so far she's keeping her weight on nicely with this diet.
 
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Thanks, do you know if the fast fibre contains any alpha? I looked on the website but it didn't seem to say what it actually was. I am struggling to work out what to feed that will provide all the vitamins and minerals needed too without adding a vitamin supplement but then am worried that they will be getting too much of certain things. Oh why does it have to be so difficult!
 
Flight said:
Thanks, do you know if the fast fibre contains any alpha? I looked on the website but it didn't seem to say what it actually was. I am struggling to work out what to feed that will provide all the vitamins and minerals needed too without adding a vitamin supplement but then am worried that they will be getting too much of certain things. Oh why does it have to be so difficult!
Click to expand...

Composition:
Nutritionally Improved Straw, Oat Feed, Unmolassed Beet Pulp, Linseed Expeller, Grass Meal, Di-calcium Phosphate, Soya (bean) Oil, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Mint, Fenugreek, Yeast, Fructo-oligosaccharides
 
How much is the fast fibre? Just looking at amount I would have to feed and worried it may work out quite expensive! Between 3 horses in Medium work I would be using about 10 -12kg per day according to their chart? I presume its a 20kg bag so I would be using 1 every 2 days!
 
Flight said:
How much is the fast fibre? Just looking at amount I would have to feed and worried it may work out quite expensive! Between 3 horses in Medium work I would be using about 10 -12kg per day according to their chart? I presume its a 20kg bag so I would be using 1 every 2 days!
Click to expand...

I don't use the recommended amount. My girl has a round scoop of speedibeet and then a small scoop of fast fibre (sorry I can't be more scientific) ... A bag is about £8-9 and it lasts me about 2weeks.. If you soak it with hot water it fluffs up much more so I find it goes further plus it smells lovely!
 
The lady who had my TB mare on loan devised a pretty good diet for her, she got some chaff on special order, plus Bailey's Outshine and something else I can't recall
 
Micronised linseed is good for adding weight, rich in omega 3's and better absorbed than adding oil.
So Id do FF, micronised linseed and if more weight needed id add mature oats.

Charnwood milling is where most of us get it from!

If theyre poor doers Id consider Thunderbrooks basemix and bran - but this is too rich for good doers usually :)
 
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