Boiled Barley v Micronised

vicm2509

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I feed my horse micronised Barley and have done for a year or so as it helps contribute towards maintaining his weight.

However where I work (and have done for a few months) all the horses get boiled barley. We boil it in a huge coldren thing. 1 sack of whole barley and 2 scoops of linseed then share it between the horses. They get it every day. All the horses get the same (they also get 1 scoop of mix) and they seem to do really well. All are good weight and have really really shiney coats.

So what are the benefits? Does it help keep the coat in good condition? (I know that will be partly down to the linseed), and do you think I should swap Barons to boiled?

And also I thought linseed was not supposed to be fed on a daily basis, or is that old school or does it depend how much is fed?
 

TGM

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The benefit of boiling barley is that it helps break down the starch, which also happens during the micronisation process, so I suspect there is not much difference between the two. I used to feed boiled barley years ago, and now feed micronised barley and haven't noticed any difference in effect.

You are right that the oil content of the linseed is probably contributing to the shiny coats - if you want to replicate the effect there are various options - boil your own linseed, feed instant linseed or feed an oil of some sort - vegetable, linseed, soya etc.

I feed my veteran micronised barley, sugar beet and veg oil - it keeps the weight on her really well and her coat always gleams!
 
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