diet that supports barefoot your examples I'm struggling ??

stacie21

stacie21

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I'm struggling to figure out a feed for my new barefoot horse so many options can anyone give me some examples of what you feed please and how you find it ?
 
I feed Simple Systems and have been very happy with my horse and his feed since we started on it. In winter he has Luci Nuts and Pura beet soaked together, in Summer just the Pura beet with his suppliments in. He has joint and total Eclipse as well as a vit suppliment and biotin.
He has been on this for the last 3 years been unshod for 18months, is 23 yrs young and is looking fab.
 
Mine's only been unshod since December, but he just has fast fibre and hay. He's been quite good, lots of growth and he gets a fair bit of hacking and schooling. We've ben out showjumping with no shoes and he was fine then as well! I don't know a lot, but looking at old threads on here it seems low sugar, high fibre and a good balancer. Lots of mention of micronised linseed as well. But I'm sure someone will be along soon that can give you more info than that!
 
Thanks guys yes was thinking fast fibre but thought on its own he might get fed up simple systems look good and not silly priced but so many choices lol
 
If it helps, mine was incredibly fussy before I found fast fibre. I had im on hi - fi mollasses free with pony nuts and occassionally he would just decide he wasn't eating it! No reason for it, just didn't fancy it. Added spearmint to it which would work for a month or 2 and then he'd go off it again and not touch it even if left with it overnight. Fast fibre however, I make it really watery so he pretty much drinks it, he's never refused it, even when poorly, in the 2 years he's been on it! I just get him looking like a camel pulling stupid faces if I'm not quick enough coming out the feed room to give it to him!
 
I've used Fast Fibre, speedibeet, Spillers high fibre cubes and Pure Easy. All at different times as being a fussy TB she goes off her feeds and I need to get the supplements into her. At the moment we're on a mix of Pure Easy by the Pure Feed Company and some Spillers high fibre cubes. I also feed either Forage plus hoof balancer or Pro Balance - again depending on which ones she will force herself to eat!
 
I was using fast fibre for a while but got concerned about the fact that they use caustic soda during the breakdown process of the straw that's included in it. Caustic soda is a key ingredient in oven cleaner and soaps. I eventually bit the bullet and paid out for a bag of thunderbrooks base mix. I was concerned about the price per bag but it is lasting for ever! My girl has mad huge improvements sinc being on it so I'm pleased I went for it.
 
I've used a variety of things over the last few years - Simple Systems, FastFibre, Safe&Sound... None of them have seemed to make much difference.

What's made the difference for me this year (finally!) has been using the Performance Balancer (and then the Summer Balancer) from ForagePlus. To the extent that I then got the grass tested, and realised why it was making such a big difference :)

At the moment, success for me looks like - 24/7 restricted grazing (which I know goes against all the barefoot ideals - yes, he gets to eat short grass during the day in the sunshine... but he has to work hard to get it, so it's constant trickle feed). Then once a day a very small bucket containing 400g (I weigh it) of Timothy chop, a double handful of Spillers HiFibre cubes and a full measure of the balancer, plus a 15g scoop of Bicarb (our grazing is low in sodium but weirdly high in chlorides so I use bicarb instead of salt).

This has made a huge difference to hoof health, frog health and general happiness over all kinds of surfaces. His topline has also improved since introducing the balancer.
 
I've also seen a big difference using the forageplus summer balancer, the hoof specific version, pony had some separation of the white line and a month of being on the low iron but higher copper balancer has resulted in massive improvement.

NB if does depend on your soil tho, ours is oozing with iron and very low in copper so while normally too much copper is a bad thing for horses, can be toxic, in our area sheep and horses often need a higher copper supplement.

Apart from the forageplus, pony is on bare ish paddock (won't stay in electric for strip or track grazing and makes face bleed with muzzles) and has molasses free chaff and pink powder once a day plus soaked hay when in.

Using this she's stayed sound since having mild lami 18 months ago. (she did get dieted quite a lot then as was overweight).

In winter we have long periods with no running water at yar (Cairngorms!) so I use oat straw 50:50 with hay when unable to soak hay.
 
Mine have either unmolassed sugar beet or fast fibre (depending on what they have in stock) and hi fi molasses free as the herbs in it hide the taste of the minerals I add - mine get magnesium oxide, copper, zinc and salt. They have had the mag ox and salt for ages, but only had copper and zinc for about 2 months. The hoof growing down is much tighter, smoother growth - I'm quite surprised by the difference. Both are now totally rock crunching over any surface when previously they were a bit footy over a very flinty surface, but fine on anything else. They have very restricted grazing as are very good doers so are on a sparse paddock with hay most of the year. I normally feed micronised linseed too, but have run out and am waiting to get any more as not sure if it made any difference
 
claribella said:
I was using fast fibre for a while but got concerned about the fact that they use caustic soda during the breakdown process of the straw that's included in it.
Click to expand...

just wanted to mention that these are the nis pellets you'll see listed on the bag, nutritionally improved straw. They are turning up in alot of feeds including pure feeds and some of the molasses free chaffs.

I haven't found any evidence the sodium hydroxide is a problem but did find a study that found increased milk yields in cows.

I personally like to stick with straights, unmolassed beet is a good place to start, it expands so it isn't too much of an issue with the good doers and can be fed in larger quantities if you need weight.

To that I add Linseed and minerals, forageplus or progressive earth on eBay do good mineral mixes if you don't have an analysis done.

For horses that need a bit extra or are in harder work I add copra or oats. Plain straw chaff can work for a good doer and bran has its place if you know your phosphorus levels.

The thing alot of us have had to come to terms with though is that there are alot of feet out there that can't cope with too much grass, especially if your pasture is ex dairy ryegrass (were back to cows and milk yields ;). )

And be patient, at first your horse might be suspicious of a plain diet and the minerals can take some getting used to.
 
I feed Buddy copra, unmollassed sugarbeet (not speedibeet as I found that reduced capability), oats, Alfa pellets and linseed. He's on pro balance +, calmag, salt bicarb and brewers yeast.

Grazing wise he's out overnight at the moment (will swop for the winter) and ad lib haylage.
 
I feed my 16h 25yo TBx two smaller feeds a day because the volume hides the Equimins Meta Balance plus salt and micronised linseed, all soaked into Ready Fibre Mash.
He is on restricted grazing with ad lib last August cut hay as I'd rather cut down on grass and feed low sugar and starch fibre instead.
 
My boys barefoot friendly diets are a little different to the standard FF and a balancer, they are both TB and need a bit extra for weight and energy to work.

Rascal is currently on Simple Systems Red Grass Nuts with Winergy Growth as a chaff. The Growth is the lowest sugar and starch of the Winergy range and I added it as he had dropped weight during a yard move. The Red Nuts are his usual feed and I've used them on loads of horses with good results and no footyness. He usually gets them with oat straw chaff, KeyFlow Keyplus rice bran, linseed and Pro-hoof, plus salt and extra copper. He was on unmollassed beet over winter to keep weight on but a yard move has messed up our beet soaking routine so he's currently off that at the moment, however we are gradually weaning him back onto the feed he was on over winter.

Indy is a bit more complicated. He wont eat anything soaked apart from Fibrebeet but it has Alfalfa in it and that makes his legs puff up! In fact there's very little he will eat, we tried all the usual barefoot 'go-to' feeds with varying results. He now gets a plain chaff, Key Flow Maestro Mix (yes, cereals!), KeyPlus rice bran and the KeyFlow Perfect Balance balancer. He's worked 6 days a week so needs a lot of energy and this currently has him looking great, holding weight, working well and crunching over stones on his bare feet.
 
Marriages Laminitic mix (nor really a mix but fibre)
Alpha mollases free
Spiller Lite Balancer
Micronised Linseed
Salt
Brewers Yeast
Seaweed
Mag Ox
adlib grass/hay
 
Progressive Earths ProHoof, extra Mag Ox, and salt, and a handful of Allen and Pages L Mix to put it in. In the winter he will get linseed as well. Hes out on really old established grazing, in a big field so hes moving about alot, but it was well grazed before he went into it, so theres limited grass. Farriers just trimmed him and said how good his feet are :D
 
Thunderbrook base mix, a handful soaked readigrass, and mag ox. Himalayan salt block always available.
 
Leg_end said:
I feed Buddy copra, unmollassed sugarbeet (not speedibeet as I found that reduced capability), oats, Alfa pellets and linseed. He's on pro balance +, calmag, salt bicarb and brewers yeast.

Grazing wise he's out overnight at the moment (will swop for the winter) and ad lib haylage.
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I feed paddy similar to this;
Copra, linseed, hay chaff, oats, prohoof, magnesium & salt. He's also out during the night & in during the day & has ad lib hay.
 
Not read the replies, but just wanted to say.....Shy is barefoot, and he has Topspec Lite Balancer (£25 for 4/6 weeks), and Topspec Cool Condition Cubes (£12). Mixed in with Linseed oil. His feet are fab, and he has much more energy than with other feeds I've used.

I hate having to use water with feeds (soaking beet or damping them down), so I gave that up a long time ago (thinking winter, frozen taps, never again...) :)
 
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I have four - all BF and two being ridden. They get grass with ad lib meadow hay during the winter. All get lucerne chaff, whole oats, whole linseed (sold as flax seed here), salt and a basic vit/min mix all year around.

I find it really interesting that as a human I'm being told to eat whole grains, unprocessed food, locally grown fruit and vegetables. And yet what the feed companies would have me feed my horses is imported, processed to the max and in most cases totally unrecognisable from its original form.

Just saying.:)
 
After trying several different diets my 2 Lami / PPID horse / pony are on a pretty bare paddock 24 / 7 supplemented with Hay and High Fibre Haylage mix, more % hay. They get Top Spec Lite balancer and Top Spec Fibre Plus cubes Speedibeet and linseed. So not necessarily a strict barefoot lami diet but it has taken me months of trying different things and this is what works for them. They are slim sound and have plenty energy. My horse is much happier than always ending up stabled as she was at livery as there was too much grass, I have them at home now and full control of their grazing.
 
I've just found this place on the internet and am going to try out their Super Hoof supplement as you don't need to feed huge quantities and it works out quite cheap per month plus no need for any extra supplements http://www.valleyviewanimalfeeds.com/apps/webstore/products/show/2400779 - by the way for those using forageplus supps I also found this place on the web that does virtually identical supps for a lot less ££££ http://www.equinatural.co.uk/epages...hops/BT3755/Products/700/SubProducts/700-0001 if you look at their forage balancer plus it has extra gut health stuff added in :o)
 
horselover68 said:
I've just found this place on the internet and am going to try out their Super Hoof supplement as you don't need to feed huge quantities and it works out quite cheap per month plus no need for any extra supplements http://www.valleyviewanimalfeeds.com/apps/webstore/products/show/2400779 - by the way for those using forageplus supps I also found this place on the web that does virtually identical supps for a lot less ££££ http://www.equinatural.co.uk/epages...hops/BT3755/Products/700/SubProducts/700-0001 if you look at their forage balancer plus it has extra gut health stuff added in :o)
Click to expand...

had a quick look and couldn't find the exact levels of minerals, however they contain manganese calcium and iron which are already overloaded in most UK forage and inhibit the uptake of other minerals. The great thing about the forageplus and progressive earth balancers is they don't contain these.

It's not always just about what it contains as what you leave out.
 
Still figuring things out with my yearling. He is not a good doer, despite being a native breed. Currently has ad lib grass and ad lib hay when in. He prefers the grass, tbh...

However, once we move I will be feeding him as follows:

D&H Mare & Youngstock (for the vitamins & minerals)
D&H Fibergy Chaff
D&H Kwik Beet (soaked!)
NAF Apple Cider Vinegar
D&H Firm Foot
NAF Biotin
Salt
Ad lib meadow type grazing (will be out in huge hilly field 24/7)
Ad lib haylage (in the winter/snowy season)

I am wary of feeding him too many cereals, so may end up underfeeding the D&H Mare & Youngstock, and supplementing it with NAF Mare, Foal & Youngstock, or indeed replacing it altogether. I also have a tub of Equivite Bodybuilder on standby...if I don't use something, I will donate it to the local sanctuary :)
 
My cob is barefoot - all she gets is unmollassed chaff and hay in the winter and is turned out 24/7 as long as possible - she had laminitis about 6 years ago so is restricted on grazing. The only supplement she has all year round is Lifeforce - live yeasts, organic minerals and mycotoxin binder - she has great hooves that grow all year round - has them trimmed every 6 weeks and has never had another bout of lami since.

Lifeforce is made by Alltech who make YeaSacc - some of you are doubling up on supplements containing YeaSacc but they do not necessarily contain enough to have an optimal effect on the gut - they also add other things which is why I chose Lifeforce - it is approved for use by the FEI for levels of competiton and it works!
 
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