Does anyone still feed a mix?

[poiuytrewq]

You usually have them with liver and a nice chianti.....

I wish I could type the weird freaky noise after...


I bought a bag of D&H pasture mix last year to tempt a pony who used to randomly go off his food, It was lovely!

 

[reynold]

Glad someone else mentioned flaked maize. I used to feed that as well to one horse I had that I worked hard and needed to keep weight on.

I'm old fashioned enough to remember when we went from 'straights' to 'horse and pony nuts'. Then there was a big 'scandal' about what was in the 'nuts' made by some less reputable firms so 'mixes' were born - mainly because the customers could 'see' what was in them. Also the days when no large yard would be without its barley boiler and a saucepan of soaking linseed ready to be boiled into a jelly. (Usually boiled over and made a hell of a mess)

I always avoided mixes as much as possible due to the sugar syrups that tended to be in them. Instead feeding nuts from D&H - also usually cheaper than the mixes!

Latterly I used Equijewel (rice bran) to put weight on - expensive but brilliant.

Current pony is on unsweeted Spillers Happy Hoof and looks brilliant on that with just soaked hay. She (like me) spends most of her life on a diet to prevent weight gain!

 

[Fransurrey]

Technically, yes. I feed Pure Easy and have done for years. It suits both my Exmoor with severe SI and my cob (PSSM1). Some winters I switch to Pure Condition, but this winter has been too mild to warrant it. I supplement only with the odd banana, carrot, hay/haylage and grazing (mixed leys, plus hedges).

I have fed Saracen Releve in the past to add medications, but half a bute in a handful of Pure Easy is acceptable, apparently.

 

[Cragrat]

Field beans are beans grown for animal consumption and will be added for the protein (and carbs/calories)- they have the advantage of being something that can be grown in the UK, unlike soya which has to be imported. (Not to say the ones used by A&P aren't imported, but they're perhaps less likely to be)
I feed A & P mashes- I've also fed barley which does IME make them a bit bouncier, but is an effective and cheap way of getting condition on a poor doer.

Exactly this. I try really hard to avoid anything with soya in.

I've gone back to micronised mixed flakes this year, (peas, maize and barley) which seems to be suiting my TB better than oats ( in addition to his alfalfa, sugarbeet and linseed meal).

 

[GrassChop]

I generally try to feed as simply as possibly but I’ve had a few horses that just haven’t gotten enough fat from grass and beet. I am currently using Ease and Excel with great results.

The Ease and Excel does actually look pretty good. Not disastrous with sugar and starch, ingredients aren't much different to what you get in mashes either and quite a high DE if you need that!

 

[xDundryx]

Another Ease and Excel convert here, started using it about 2 yrs ago for a tb who came to us in a bit of a state, now it's a staple in the feed room, the horses look fantastic on it alongside some healthy tummy chaff.

 

[Britestar]

Does anyone still feed straight oats? In my youth I was at a stables of 100 horses, about half and half private and riding school. 95 % for fed hay and straight oats. Half rations for ponies and vitamins. They were all pretty good looking to be honest

I fed my first horse oats, simply because it was the only type of feed that didn't get stolen at the Livery yard

 

[3OldPonies]

They are fava beans, you are right. I just don't know why a horse would need beans!

Sorry everyone, misread the thread and now can't delete my post

 

[KC31]

Feed the Spillers Veteran Mix to my old boy with Dengie Healthy Tummy. Feed Rowan & Barbary Calm & Comfort to them all. Which is a great feed as can be fed dry or as a mash and even the fussiest lick their bowls clean.

 

[AppyLover1996]

I used to feed mix and a chaff - till it sent Rabbit my 3 year old absolutely stark raving mental and made Baggs my 20 year old go so footy I thought I'd have to have him put down.

I know for a fact it was the mix cause when I took them off everything bar hay and grass, then slowly reintroduced each thing one by one, they were fine at each step till I gave them the tiniest amount of mix.....

It's a shame as a mix does have its place when needed - for hiding meds etc x

 

[mariew]

Same here whehn I was young but generally fed oats, chaff plus sugar beet in the winter. But I bet those horses worked far mnore than most of ours do these days?

Riding school ones, yes, they did 3-5 hours / day but the private ones generally only one hour or so of work. And not great turnout in winter. Not many of them were nuts or fizzed up, but I guess they got worked most days.