Confused about feeding

[throwawayaccount304]

My mare lives out, currently being supplemented with haylage but there's still plenty of grass in the field. She's fat and in light work so I don't give her hard feed. But last week the saddle fitter visited and said I should be feeding linseed. She said my mare is very puffy and that linseed would help with the inflammation. She also recommended magnesium and some other minerals and speedibeet as the main part of the feed. The farrier has also recommended I feed protein for her feet.

The problem is that I won't always be the one feeding her and I don't trust the person (who checks on her when I'm not at the yard) to soak speedibeet for long enough. I understand that minerals don't last long so you can't soak the speedibeet for a day with the mineral supplement in it. Would it be okay to not feed everyday? That's what I'm used to but I'm also only used to feeding pony nuts.

Also
What kind of linseed should I feed for inflammation?
What supplement of magnesium and other important minerals should I feed (that wouldn't break the bank)? I've found pro laminae, and laminae plus balancer so far.

 

[Glitter's fun]

Seems odd that your mare seems "puffy" but is perfectly happy & seems ok to you. A saddle fitter isn't a vet. I wouldn't change anything without further advice.

 

[Hackback]

I didn't know linseed was a 'thing' for puffiness. Must look that up!

Maybe just feed a pelleted balancer/formula 4 feet if you're worried she isnt getting all the minerals she needs?

 

[Barton Bounty]

I have never heard of that kind of advice for inflammation! I use micronised linseed for conditioning and keeping weight on. I very much doubt that this is going to help your girl if she’s already puffy. Many of girls at the yard soaked their speedi beet and kept it for two days in a large enclosed bucket with no detrimental affects.
I would seek further advice and really wouldnt start feeding if you didnt have to.

 

[Goldenstar]

Linseed is an excellent anti inflammatory food because of it’s a good balance of oils however it’s high in protein which can cause filled legs .
A fat horse in light work does not need haylege in a field with grass in it .
Haylege can be a cause of filled legs .
I think the likelihood is a less food is likely to be the answer rather than feeding an extremely high calorie protein rich food to an already fat horse .

 

[lynz88]

I've heard linseed being great for anti inflammatory properties because it is high in omega 3 fatty acids. For general puffiness I would also be looking at feeding clivers and marigold flowers especially if the horse needs to lose any weight. I think there are a couple of other herbs for puffiness. I can say that my horse slimmed down when I was giving him the clivers and marigolds (he doesn't need to....we need the opposite direction) so firmly do believe the herbs do what they say! I don't have any puffy problems so can't say whether any effect on that and he already gets linseed anyways.

 

[Red-1]

I think if I wanted to change my horses' diet and was not sure what to do, I would consult a nutritionist rather than a saddle fitter!

You can get free advice from the major feed companies, where the advisor will be qualified in nutrition. I would go to a couple; you email the details in and they set a feeding plan. By using a couple, you can partially filter out their promotion of their own products.

 

[stangs]

I've heard linseed being great for anti inflammatory properties because it is high in omega 3 fatty acids. For general puffiness I would also be looking at feeding clivers and marigold flowers especially if the horse needs to lose any weight. I think there are a couple of other herbs for puffiness. I can say that my horse slimmed down when I was giving him the clivers and marigolds (he doesn't need to....we need the opposite direction) so firmly do believe the herbs do what they say! I don't have any puffy problems so can't say whether any effect on that and he already gets linseed anyways.

Interesting, hadn't heard of marigold being used for inflammation.

Thinking aloud here, but Honeychop Lite & Healthy has marigold and linseed oil. I don't know how well it mixes with vits and mins yet, and it won't have the same amount of fatty acids as feeding linseed direct. But might work for a horse who doesn't really need a feed?

 

[Griffin]

I give any horse a balancer or vitamin and mineral supplement because any grazing/forage is unlikely to supply all the nutrients they need. However, I don't think I would give large amounts of linseed to a chunky horse.

You could look at a balancer first and see if that helps (I like Spillers).

 

[AdorableAlice]

Since when has a saddler been able to diagnose inflammation. Your vet will take bloods to ascertain any inflammatory markers and advise you accordingly.

 

[lynz88]

I think the marigolds are particularly effective for it when paired with clivers.

I do agree with others on the comment made by the saddler....