Fast Fibre

[Bertolie]

My daughter's horse has turned into the pony from hell in the last few months. He's bolshy, bargey, a nightmare in the school, and generally just being a little s**t! My daughter changed his feed to fast fibre about 2 months ago and we wondered if it was this? Does anyone have any experiences of fast fibre turning their horse into a headcase?

 

[zaminda]

I've been using it with mine, and haven't had any problems. I do know a lot of people are struggling with behaviour at the moment though.

 

[LeannePip]

I didn't find that with FF, Try taking it out of his feed and see if there is an improvement?

It could also coincide with good grass coming through, at this time of year it tends to have a high sugar content which can make them a bit loopy?

 

[mairiwick]

Quite the opposite, but her feed prior to that was full of starch and sugar.

What was the pony getting before FF?

 

[tallyho!]

Since the rains started and everything literally shot into life, we've all had loopy horses. I wouldn't blame it on FF...

God knows why people waste their money on it. It's literally blended pellets of floor sweepings from the "proper" feed they make... as if a horse is going to go loopy on soaked dust!!

 

[Bertolie]

Horse was previously being fed spillers lite balancer with a handful of mollases free chaff. We were given two bags by the Allen & Page nutritionist and just wondered if it could have been the cause. He's never been this bad with the spring grass before although we have changed paddocks this year. May remove it from his diet to see if that makes a difference. He tried to double barrel me tonight.....first time he's ever tried to kick anyone!

 

[Clodagh]

Magnesium! Unless he already has it I would get some magnesium oxide. My boy is so senstive when the grass comes through if he isn't on it.

 

[mairiwick]

God knows why people waste their money on it. It's literally blended pellets of floor sweepings from the "proper" feed they make... as if a horse is going to go loopy on soaked dust!!

Well thankfully soaked floor dust and its components quite suit mine.

 

[Bertolie]

Magnesium! Unless he already has it I would get some magnesium oxide. My boy is so senstive when the grass comes through if he isn't on it.

He used to be on mag ox as were told it's good for helping to shift fat pads! He hadn't had any for a while though so might have to reintroduce it and see if it helps.

Well thankfully soaked floor dust and its components quite suit mine.

He actually loves the fast fibre so don't want to take him off of it if we don't have to!

 

[skint1]

Well thankfully soaked floor dust and its components quite suit mine.

mine too!! I've never heard it heating a horse up but the grass is super duper at the moment!

 

[wills_91]

FF turned my horse into the horse from hell, never again.

 

[indie1282]

One of the ponies up our yard goes off her head on it. Ive fed mine Calm and Condition and it made him bolshy and very rude! I dont know if its something in that brands soaked feeds that can wind some horses right up.

 

[criso]

Not speciifically FF but I have had behavioural problems with unmolassed sugar beet as this is high in calcium and so is grass/hay in my local area. It's one of the main ingredients in FF so could be an issue, especially if you've also dropped the magox.

 

[skint1]

FF turned my horse into the horse from hell, never again.

What do you feed instead? One my boys is pretty bolshy to ride and this has got me wondering now

 

[wills_91]

What do you feed instead? One my boys is pretty bolshy to ride and this has got me wondering now

She gets unmolassed chaff, beet and a simple systems balancer. Honestly she was like the devil - whole yard was shocked by the change in her behaviour.

I also saw a huge difference in behaviour when I stopped feeding her carrots.

 

[splashgirl45]

my mare can be a live wire and I have found fast fibre keeps her weight on without making her loopy during the winter. I don't feed it once the grass has come through as she doesn't need any help with weight. on the other hand calm and condition sends her really nutty. I would think its the grass which is making yours lively as it seems to have come through quite quickly at our yard. I think its trial and error with feeding as they seem to affect horses differently, I also cannot feed my horse lots of carrots ...

 

[JJS]

I've fed it to three different horses to date, and haven't experienced any behavioural problems as a result of it.

 

[hayinamanger]

I have used FF for years, it's good as a carrier for mag ox, brewers yeast etc as it's damp, l put a bit of Hi Fi molass free chaff with it to make it more palatable.

Just wondering what other people give their good doers for this purpose?

 

[Deltic Blue]

I've fed it to 2 of mine, didn't have any adverse effects! My current mare can be a live wire and very easily wound up and she wasn't effected by it.

Does the pony need hard feed? I'd take it all away completely, then you'll be able to see if it is the grass that's causing his behaviour.

 

[Damnation]

I've been using it with mine, and haven't had any problems. I do know a lot of people are struggling with behaviour at the moment though.

Since the rains started and everything literally shot into life, we've all had loopy horses. I wouldn't blame it on FF...

God knows why people waste their money on it. It's literally blended pellets of floor sweepings from the "proper" feed they make... as if a horse is going to go loopy on soaked dust!!

I feed my hot, anxious, loopy WB I feed Oats and Alfalfa. She is nice and calm on it. Straights all the way

I have fed CC and FF in the past to no huge adverse effects but she was certainly spookier/fusser on it than the oats and as much as she is anxious and hot she is well mannered, she was a bit bolshy on it which is unlike her but nothing unmanageable. I also didn't like the fact it stank if I soaked it 24hours in advance (Cold winter, no warm water, couldn't wait around for it to soak).

 

[rowan666]

I never had any problems with any of mine on FF, it was great for lard arsed, hot headed luso, calm and condition on the other hand... never again!

I think OP it's more likely the spring grass and reduced magnesium of coarse there could be many other reasons but that's what I would personally start by reintroducing magnesium

 

[HashRouge]

Mine was fine on it but never very keen on the taste. Eventually she stopped eating it all together and would just turn her nose up at it with a "God are you trying to poison me" look on her face. She has a very good dying martyr expression that she pulls out when she doesn't like her dinner which drives me round the bend

 

[MrsNorris]

I have used FF for years, it's good as a carrier for mag ox, brewers yeast etc as it's damp, l put a bit of Hi Fi molass free chaff with it to make it more palatable.

Just wondering what other people give their good doers for this purpose?

q
Soaked grass nuts, hardly need any as they're so yummy he'll eat his horrid supplements in a small handful. With FF, I had to feed loads to dilute the supplements enough to get him to eat it, I guess because the FF doesn't really taste great to start with!

 

[Follysmum]

FF is great for hydration as you can make it like soup. I use it after an event as a drink/slop

 

[dollyanna]

I have used FF for years, it's good as a carrier for mag ox, brewers yeast etc as it's damp, l put a bit of Hi Fi molass free chaff with it to make it more palatable.

Just wondering what other people give their good doers for this purpose?

Agrobs hay cobs, just a tiny handful soaks to make a decent amount of damp feed perfect for mixing powders into and smells lovely - mine will eat it even when they have good grass around them. Grass nuts make one of mine loopy, this is just hay so doesn't have the same effect.

 

[hayinamanger]

Agrobs hay cobs, just a tiny handful soaks to make a decent amount of damp feed perfect for mixing powders into and smells lovely - mine will eat it even when they have good grass around them. Grass nuts make one of mine loopy, this is just hay so doesn't have the same effect.

Thanks dollyanna, they sound ideal, where do you get yours from?

 

[Casey76]

You know, looking at the ingredients list for FF, I'm not sure I'd want to feed it:

Nutritionally Improved Straw, Oat Feed, Unmolassed Beet Pulp, Linseed Expeller (7.4%), Grass Meal, Di-calcium Phosphate, Expelled Soya Oil, Calcium Carbonate, Mint, Salt, Fenugreek, Yeast, Fructo-oligosaccharides

Sounds like a load of floor sweepings and highly processed to me :/

 

[tallyho!]

You know, looking at the ingredients list for FF, I'm not sure I'd want to feed it:



Sounds like a load of floor sweepings and highly processed to me :/

As we know the first ingredient on a list is the main ingredient.

Well, I suppose dust is just about all some horses need. Personally, I'd rather feed lesser amounts of a good quality wholesome ingredient or a mixture of wholefoods.

Each horse is an individual, but as most horses eat grass with no ill effects, grass pellets is my choice of soaking material. I intersperse with herbs and magnesium and salt as I see fit.

I'm not a routine type of feeder, it all depends on what I feel the horse needs (easy when barefoot), climate, weather, work etc...

I can't see why we would all want to monoculture what we feed our horses as they are not monoculture animals.

 

[Bertolie]

Have put devil pony back on the Spiller's lite balancer today so will see if removing the fast fibre makes any difference. He doesn't really need hard feed but gets a small amount to mix his supplements in.

Another thought....my mare is quite a scurfy horse and when I went to Badminton I was advised (by the person selling it) that a copper tonic is very good for coat health. I purchased said product and both horses have been on it for 2 weeks. Guidelines are to add to feed for 30 days twice a year. Could this be having an effect on devil pony?

Edited to add that my mare's coat is looking loads better!

 

[turnbuckle]

I've found both fast fibre and ordinary fibre beet make mine edgy. But many people much wiser than me love the stuff (not for their own breakfast, I hasten to add...)