Even more at a loss with my mare now...

[Diddleydoo]

My brain is scambled! What should I feed as a base for the supplements?

I'm not surprised, she's really keeping you on your toes.

I really am not an expert. I keep barefoot so the diet was originally focused around achieving great hooves and has been tweaked to accommodate the PSSM requirements.

I use Copra, Micronised Linseed and grass nuts as my base. I can't feed Alfalfa as it sends her footy. The Copra is less <10% starch and sugar so fits well for the PSSM. The grass nuts and Linseed are because she's not hugely feed motivated so these two make sure the expensive stuff goes in.

I use the Forage Plus balancer and will add in Equishure when I think she needs it

It makes my bank account cry when she doesn't finish her bucket and I work out how much money is being thrown on the muck heap!!

 

[Ellietotz]

I'm not surprised, she's really keeping you on your toes.

I really am not an expert. I keep barefoot so the diet was originally focused around achieving great hooves and has been tweaked to accommodate the PSSM requirements.

I use Copra, Micronised Linseed and grass nuts as my base. I can't feed Alfalfa as it sends her footy. The Copra is less <10% starch and sugar so fits well for the PSSM. The grass nuts and Linseed are because she's not hugely feed motivated so these two make sure the expensive stuff goes in.

I use the Forage Plus balancer and will add in Equishure when I think she needs it

It makes my bank account cry when she doesn't finish her bucket and I work out how much money is being thrown on the muck heap!!

She is quite exhausting!

I've opted for the Dengie Alfa A Molasses free so I hope this doesn't have a bad effect on her. She was fine on alfalfa before and it was only when she went loopy on the Dengie Hi Fi Lite that I put it down to that but having looked into it, it's a mix of that and cereal straw which I have no idea if that could have had some sort of effect or the molasses. So fingers crossed this feed will be okay.

Do I need a balancer? So far I am using an abundance of supplements so I was hoping to drop this down to ones I definitely need. At the moment, it is Coopers Gut Support which I will change to Equishure if it has no effect (been 2 weeks and no change yet), Topspec Calmer which I've only just started too and no effect yet either - not sure whether to carry on with it when the tub runs out and as of today, Equimins Vitamin E oil as well.

On the vit e oil subject, I didn't realise it was going to be so thick! I thought it would be easy enough to pour into a measuring cup and tip onto the feed but it doesn't seem to want to do that in a hurry! I was thinking I could pour it into the measuring cup and then syringe it up then squeeze it onto the feed but if there is an easier way, I would love to know!

 

[Slightlyconfused]

She is quite exhausting!

I've opted for the Dengie Alfa A Molasses free so I hope this doesn't have a bad effect on her. She was fine on alfalfa before and it was only when she went loopy on the Dengie Hi Fi Lite that I put it down to that but having looked into it, it's a mix of that and cereal straw which I have no idea if that could have had some sort of effect or the molasses. So fingers crossed this feed will be okay.

Do I need a balancer? So far I am using an abundance of supplements so I was hoping to drop this down to ones I definitely need. At the moment, it is Coopers Gut Support which I will change to Equishure if it has no effect (been 2 weeks and no change yet), Topspec Calmer which I've only just started too and no effect yet either - not sure whether to carry on with it when the tub runs out and as of today, Equimins Vitamin E oil as well.

On the vit e oil subject, I didn't realise it was going to be so thick! I thought it would be easy enough to pour into a measuring cup and tip onto the feed but it doesn't seem to want to do that in a hurry! I was thinking I could pour it into the measuring cup and then syringe it up then squeeze it onto the feed but if there is an easier way, I would love to know!

Vit e.
Wash out a old squeezy sauce bottle and funnel it in there then just give a huge dolop. Thats what i do, was recommended that way on here by someone.

 

[Ellietotz]

Vit e.
Wash out a old squeezy sauce bottle and funnel it in there then just give a huge dolop. Thats what i do, was recommended that way on here by someone.

Thank you. How do you measure it out this way though? In fact, I could probably fit the syringe nozzle in the hole to do it without pouring it everywhere... will give it a go!

 

[Slightlyconfused]

I was told a three second burst is about 10,000iu

 

[DabDab]

My pssm1 horse is happy with good movement on 6000iu in winter, and down to as little as 2000iu in summer when in little work. He also has Alcar only when worked.
Arty mare also has had 3000iu per day this winter, which seems to keep her cheery - I dropped it out for a bit at the beginning of the year and she got some of last year's winter angst reappearing so popped her back on it (mainly seen in her field and stable behaviour rather than ridden). Will probably drop it down to 1000iu from spring.

I believe that too much vit e can also interfere with vit a take up.....but I can't remember where I read that now.

 

[Diddleydoo]

She is quite exhausting!

I've opted for the Dengie Alfa A Molasses free so I hope this doesn't have a bad effect on her. She was fine on alfalfa before and it was only when she went loopy on the Dengie Hi Fi Lite that I put it down to that but having looked into it, it's a mix of that and cereal straw which I have no idea if that could have had some sort of effect or the molasses. So fingers crossed this feed will be okay.

Do I need a balancer? So far I am using an abundance of supplements so I was hoping to drop this down to ones I definitely need. At the moment, it is Coopers Gut Support which I will change to Equishure if it has no effect (been 2 weeks and no change yet), Topspec Calmer which I've only just started too and no effect yet either - not sure whether to carry on with it when the tub runs out and as of today, Equimins Vitamin E oil as well.

On the vit e oil subject, I didn't realise it was going to be so thick! I thought it would be easy enough to pour into a measuring cup and tip onto the feed but it doesn't seem to want to do that in a hurry! I was thinking I could pour it into the measuring cup and then syringe it up then squeeze it onto the feed but if there is an easier way, I would love to know!

If she does ok on Alfalfa then that's great. I think a balancer is a good idea, personally I think ensuring the correct vits and minerals go in is important. Equishure works quite quickly so if you've not seen an improvement by the end of the tub then I'd spend the money elswhere.

I'm not a great believer in calmers I feel if the horse is happy, comfortable and well managed then they are usually pretty relaxed. Obviously there's always an exception to the rule

Yes, the vit e is an interesting consistency. Sticky, very very sticky. I have a 10ml and 5ml syringe. I decant it in to a small pot and draw the dose in to the syringe then squirt it on to the top of the feed just before I hand it over.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

When I was giving my mare Vit E in came in powder form, I mixed it in with soaked grassnuts/haycobs. It's a while ago but I think it was ForagePlus, could have been Equimins though. I know it was the 'real' version, rather than synthetic. The powder was much easier to deal with than oil.