Does any one feed the basics anymore?

ive been down the route of conditioning mixes etc last yr. found they fizzed my 14yr old mare , my 3 yr old was ok. so changed mare back to hi fi n pony nuts and supplimented with seaweed, she lost condition quite rapidly so put her back on what i have fed her in the 10yrs previous. and she now looks brill, loads of hi fi, pony nuts, soya oil n garlic, sugar beet in winter, she has boundless good energy and looks fab. i dont recon those suppliments too much, we spend a fortune doing what they tell us in case we are being cruel,
if it aint broke dont fix it.
 
None of mine are currently in work, but all are poor doers and came to me underweight.

The TB mares get Calm and Condition, Alfa Oil, Equimins Advanced, and linseed. One also gets a mud fever supplement and charcoal for her digestion.

The WB gelding gets Calm and Condition, Alfa Oil, TopSpec Comprehensive Balancer and linseed.

I like to plan their diets around a balancer so I know that they are getting all of the correct vits and mins. Everything else gets added or taken away depending on weight, workload and energy levels. I'm very keen on high fibre and low starch. They all get adlib hay or haylage - I would normally choose to feed a decent haylage, but the mares are better on hay so I've had to adjust. Hopefully come summer they will be out 24-7 and can pack on some weight.
 
Mynon working or very light working natives get
fast fibre
a small egg cup of linseed
double handful of grazon grass chaff
about 250grms of sugar beet

The one in medium work working 6 days per week gets
a kg of calm and condition
250 grms of fast fibre
alfa oil two double handfuls
double handful of grazon
mug of micronsied linseed
enough sugar beet to dampen the chaff
none eat much hay as it gives them diahorrea

all have equibites and grass in summer
 
Mine get haylage chopped straw , hay blocs ,oats , linseed , speedibeet and Alfafa, amounts depends on the horse and what it's doing.
I do add minerals and vits and salts.
 
16hh ISH, good doer, forward going ride and can be a hot head. Absolutely does not need grains of any sorts!

1 heaped dried scoop of Allen and Page Cool and Collected (min amount needed for vits and mins) I only feed this as I stuggled to find a chaff with no alfafa or molasses which I wanted to try to see how it effected her ridden behaviour. Saw an improvement, so stuck with it.
Agnus Castus
8 kgs hay
has turnout out for 9 hours a day.

I think some people feed mixes etc because it looks interesting personally. But the quantity you would have to feed to get the required vits and mins would be a lot! Personally I think fibre fibre fibre.
 
chestnut cob said:
Adlib hay and a handful of chaff (Happy Hoof but only because I couldn't get Safe & Sound, which I much prefer). If he's lucky he might get an apple!

If he needs more condition and is still on adlib hay then he'll get some linseed meal. If that won't work (too much gives him a runny tummy so he doesn't get much), I'd introduce speedibeet into his diet.
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Just seen the response above with the poster saying they'd like to know what work each horse is doing...

15hh 6yo Connemara type (as in I guess he's a Connie and suspect there's a bit of something else too, probably cob and maybe a bit of ISH at a push..). Working 4-6 days per week ATM depending on time. Lots of hacking; ours is mostly all off roads with loads of steep hills so even 45 mins is hard work if you make them work correctly, which I do. Schooling once or twice a week unless I have a lesson at the weekend too. The odd day's hunting but not had the funds or time for much this season. I also do in hand work and lunge.

Can be pretty sharp, very forward going, loves to work and is a very "busy" pony, brain is always going and thinking. Very intelligent, also very stubborn. Turned out daily from between 8 and 9am until between 5 and 7pm. Goes insane if he's stabled 24/7 (even with work) for more than a couple of days in a row. As long as he's turned out daily then he's nice to ride.

He's a lovely weight atm, no need for more condition. I wouldn't mind if he lost a little more now before the grass comes through but he's got another couple of day's hunting left to do this season which should sort that out :) He'll hunt on his normal feed as detailed above.
 
I have a 16.1 6 yr old ,been brought into very light work over the past 4 weeks.
Came very very poor in mid December, I broke my leg same day.

So, as I was not going to be riding him, the original feeding plan went a little awry.
I got LL to feed him HiFi, chaff & Hi Fibre nuts twice a day, stepping up the amounts slowly, with plenty of ad-lib hay. He was wormed twice over (scarey amount was produced :eek:)

Had I been 'on tap' and going back 20/30 years I would have put him on small but increasing amounts of:
Flaked maize, bruised oats, boiled barley once or twice a week (with also bran added to make a mash), linseed & chaff.
This would have been all introduced slowly, all to give him bulk and slow releasing energy.

For the last 4 weeks he's been currently on Alpha-A with oil, Hi Fibre nuts, moli-chaff & with a linseed/garlic additive once a day. He's put on 2 inches on his girth in 10 weeks, the quarters are now not boards (but remember I was not hands on for 6 weeks) and a general improvement all round. He's now just looking 'lean' and not the hatrack he was :)

OK, I'm from the dark ages :o but I do like my straights but understand that some feeds these days have their place :)
 
My horse currently gets a scoop of Alfa A oil, a scoop of cheap mix, some cheap sugar beet and a cup of micronised linseed twice daily.
She gets haylage when she wants it and is turned out most of the time. She is only doing light hacking atm and I cant afford to pump her full of expensive suppliments she doesnt need!
 
My oldie can't have cereals, he's intolerant, I'm actually changing his feed to basically fibre and oil and hay as of next week as he's went off the only commercial feed he could haveand liked :rolleyes:

My other she's a good doer and gets oats and a handfull of alfalfa for energy in summer and alfalfa and beet when not in work :)
 
One of mine works now and then due to lack of time and the other is in what the feed companies class as light work.

Both get a handfull of timmy chop (simple systems), a topspec mug of fast fibre, micronised linseed, pro balance and a joint supplement.
 
My mare (Sec D, 8 years old) is in regular work, 5 - 6 days a week, mostly schooling with a couple of hacks. She gets dampened safe & sound chaff with forage plus winter balancer added and the recommended amount of micronised linseed to go with it plus ad lib hay. She is looking the best she ever has.:D
 
None of mine are in work atm and they're all good doers. I have zero grazing so the big uns have a scoop of speedibeet and a scoop of hifi molasses free twice a day whilst the pony has a large handful of each. They have a small haynet at lunchtime and a full haynet at night.
 
17.1hh, 15 year old Shire/TB cross.Not in work at the moment, but fed the same when he is in light work (hacking in walk/trot, up to 30 mins schooling in w/t/c. Does well in the summer, but can drop off very quickly in the winter.

2x hard feeds per day
Vast heaped stubbs scoop of HiFi Light
Stubbs scoop of unmolassed sugar beet
Mug of Equijewel
Glucosamine and MSM

20kg steamed hay
10kg haylage
1 Lucie brick

On this feed regime, he has held his weight well over the winter, always has a bit of hay left in the morning, and has more than enough energy for his workload.

I firmly believe that far too many people have no idea what light/medium/hard work is...
 
AdorableAlice said:
I really hope this turns into an interesting and informative thread.

Correctly feeding horses is a tricky subject and getting it right is real skill, especially if you own a widely differing range of types/ages/work levels etc.

Very few horses would be kept on grazing that provides all the nutrients required. Apart from a few in Ireland, the vast majority of youngsters bred will have been raised on inferior pasture.

So come on everyone, lets see what can be learnt from how we all feed our horses.
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We feed meadow haylage (not ryegrass), and selection as appropriate from; oatstraw chaff, grassnuts, dried grass (Graze-on) and Speedibeet in different proportions to our 3. 2 are on a diet and the other is a retired cob who needs feeding to maintain her weight.
The oldie also has linseed oil, cider vinegar and a dollop of molasses. The other 2 have a tiny amount of bran as an appetant and they all have wheatgerm for their hoof growth.

We are very pleased this winter because the obese horse has lost weight and is now within normal range for her type and the oldie is also a good weight.

The 2 riding horses have only been in very light work over the winter because of the atrocious weather.


Having had horses which have been highly sensitive to different feed ingredients, we are very careful to monitor what we feed.
I don't consider coarse mixes to be basic, as it is well nigh impossible to know exactly what is in them. And I certainly don't feed 'as a token after riding', our feeds are carefully worked out to suit each horse and given t the same time everyday. I'm not sure that every-one understands the old saying about feeding after work. It doesn't mean literally, it means feed for the work done, not in anticipation of an increased work-load.
.
 
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Mine has a couple of handfuls of chaff and just changed to hi fibre nuts but she was better on micronised linseed instead so will go back to that. She also has mag ox because it works and agnus castus which I am trialling, oh and salt. It's more things than I want to give but they all have their individual purposes and I'd rather that then feed pellet foods :-)
 
tallyho! said:
I don't consider coarse mix a basic... :confused:
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Me neither.

To me, the basics are a feed balancer and hay. Then any other calories needed should be added on top of those 'basics'.
I add Alpha A and linseed meal. Others might add a more energy-dense feed if required.

But to me, the 'Basics' are the feed balancer and good quality hay.
 
21yr old mare cob in very light work just now.

As it's winter she's stabled at night out on grass during the day.

Twice a day she gets a handful of Alpha A, a handful of speedibeet and a mug of Bailey's lo cal balancer.

She gets a black bin stuffed with haylage every day (broken into three portions).

Looking very healthy on it and has enough energy for a bit of light hacking.

In summer she'll be out 24/7 on grass and just get the balancer and a whisper of Alpha ;)
 
My 5 are all fed the same diet but in different amounts.

Fast fibre, speedi beet, Hifi original Hi Fi and micronised linseed plus ad lib mixture of good quality hay and haylage.

Only 2 of them are fed decent amounts of linseed the other 3 just enough for feet/coat.


Three of them are worked as in schooled, jumped or hacked for at least an hour a day but are on minimal turnout. Fast work has been stepped up and have started competing ready for the event season. The other 2 are out most of time but are not ridden.


They all look really well but as the fast work increases I am looking to add something to give the TB a bit of oomph without sending him nuts (anyone help with this would prefer to keep it simple and no mixes it does him in) and may add this to the other 2 that compete but the old guy and youngster will be turned out 24/7 as weather improves so am happy with their diets.:D
 
The thing about basics is, its very easy to get it wrong. If a feed is unbalanced in its vits/minerals, it starts to show very quickly. Also, a lot of local tack shops rarely stock the basics and so have to be bought in.
 
Section D, one 9 years, one 11. Not rugged, not clipped.

In at night with as much hay and straw as they want to eat. Out in the day.

Fed a handful of fruit/veg in morning and evening. Access to mineral lick at night.

One is ridden 5-6 times a week, hacking from one to three hours each time plus a bit of schooling. The other is ridden 2-3 times a week, basic schooling mainly at a walk and trot.

Both look in excellent weight and condition considering the awful winter we have been having. I thought I may have to feed them more over the winter but both look great and are full of beans. I'm intending to gradually increase the work with both of them over the spring so will be monitoring to see if I have to feed with doing more work.
 
showaddy1 said:
Do you soak your oats crabbymare? Only because my vet is of an older generation who thinks the supplements are a waste of money. He told me to feed sugar free beet, chaff ( I use alpha) and oats, but soak them to prevent scattiness?!
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I do soak them in hot water then let it cool for an oldie but leave the water in so its more like a porridge as I want her to get as much of the goodness as possible. otherwise I just damp feeds. Oats are rolled and there is barley or peas for the ones who want extra energy! they all get yeast added and have adlib hay or haylage and access to rock salt. the amounts fed depend on what they are as there are mares in foal youngsters and riding horses of various temperaments doing anything from light to hard work.
 
Winter feed: Ad lib hay, so that is some left over in the morning - two big haynets with small holes. Non molassed chaff, Stubbs scoop in each feed (2 feeds a day). D&H pasture mix, half Stubbs scoop each feed. Speedi beet half Stubbs scoop in each feed. Garlic and Global Herbs Skratch in recommended amount. Turn out on good grazing from 7am - about 5 pm atm. Summer feed: ad lib hay, as above, but much less used, as t/o is about 10 - 12 hours. Half Stubbs scoop chaff, quarter Stubbs scoop D&H, garlic and Skratch. Horse 15.3hh 9 yr old Arabian in light to medium work. Muscled, shiny and consistent appropriate weight.
 
finding this post super super interesting thank you every one for sharing.

I actually feed a handful of alfa A oil and a about half a scoop of coarse mix

can someone explain what micronised linseed is?

Hope i dont get slated for asking that.... :o
 
basilbrush2009 said:
finding this post super super interesting thank you every one for sharing.

I actually feed a handful of alfa A oil and a about half a scoop of coarse mix

can someone explain what micronised linseed is?

Hope i dont get slated for asking that.... :o
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Its just linseed thats been micronised (cooked) and is in a powder form thats fed at about a mug a day per horse. it is good for putting on weight and having a super coat.
 
I knew it would get interesting !

Science and research have certainly changed the way we feed horses and the feed companies have made a mint. Just reading through all the posts there must be 50 plus names/types of food mentioned.

I have just fed and I counted 9 different types of feed plus 5 different supplements in my own feed room, but out of that lot I only have 3 'basics',

Bran, unmollassed chaff and linseed meal, maybe 4 if unmollassed sugarbeet is classed as a basic. If I turn the clock back 20 years my feed room only ever contained, rolled oats, barley and peas, broad bran (lovely stuff not the dust available now) full monty sugarbeet, homemade chaff and codlivine. I did cook my own linseed for tired hunters but my mother banned me eventually because I made such a mess ! Twenty years ago I concentrated on not overfeeding and underworking for fear of a hunter tying up, I certainly did not know what cushings was and the only pony I ever saw with lami was a welshie that had been grazing on a nitramed field.

Feeding the horse has changed no doubt, but has the horse changed ? no he has not, but very few horses actually work anymore, a previous post picked up on this. I purchased a cob recently and after trying her for an hour on the roads and trotting in the school for 15 minutes I handed her back to the owner. I stayed to watch her attitude in the wash box and then being put away. She was fed 3/4 of a bucket of 'cool mix' because she had worked 'hard'.

The poor thing has just gone to bed with half a scoop of soaked grass nuts, a handful of unmollassed chaff and half a bale of good hay. She did 2 hrs on the roads which included climbing our fittening hill twice in trot.

I hope the thread keeps going, it is really interesting. I have a question for you - many mentioned feeding vits and mins, how do you choose or identify the most suitable ?
 
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