Do we have any nutritionists who are able to offer me some advice?

luckyhorseshoe

luckyhorseshoe

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Might be a long shot - but thought it worth a go!

Horse in question is a 13yr old, 15.2 Connemarra.
Weighs around 438kg.
Regular work, focusing on Novice Level Dressage.

Currently being fed Spiller slow energy release cubes, with dengie hi fi light x2 day.
Supplements - NAF General Supplement, NAF D-Itch and Garlic.

Horse now fitter, working harder and gone a a bit flat. We are now in need of something for more energy, good condition and not the exictable sort.

Just wondering if anyone could suggest anything?

Any advice, greatly appreciated.
 
swap the dengie hi fi lite for alpha a. long stem fibre energy gained from hind gut so not fizz. replace quantity same for same and adjust accordingly over next few weeks. sugar beet is good again long stem slow release. intriduce gradually. i would try the alpha a route first. oil (soya, corn, veg) good for energy and weight gain and shiny coats! up to a large mug a day for his size. will be a trial and error for a couple of weeks to find the balance. no horse of equal weight and height have the same temperament!
 
Ditto, change hi fi light for alfalfa. You could also change the cubes to D&H staypower cubes. They are low starch like the spillers ones but are higher in energy. Therefore you get more energy per kg of feed, which will help when you are reaching maximum meal sizes.

As another point, if you have an itchy horse i would not feed garlic. Garlic boosts the immune system and if the horse is itching its usually because of an immune reaction to an allergen. So boosting it by feeding garlic makes the horse itch more. You also have to be careful with your choice of oil because some of them are pro-inflammatory. Linseed oil is anti-inflammatory, so that would be a good choice. Having said that it takes approx 10 weeks for a horse to adapt to using oil as an energy source anyway.
 
Thank-you i will look at those cubes.

Yes he does have sweet itch - i was feeding garlic as i thought it would help keep the flies away. I didn't realise it could have that effect. Thank-you.

Ok maybe it would be worth changing to alfa and/or cubes before i go down the oil route.
 
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