Feed advice please!

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Cloudcomet

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Hi! I’m after a bit of advice regarding the most cost effective way of feeding (bucket feed) to maintain/increase condition without fizzing them up. My feed bill is huge and I’d like to reduce it, if possible. I have 2 17.2+ warmbloods who I’d like to have a bit more condition on. One needs a bit of an energy boost (I thought I could add oats, when necessary) and the other really does not 🫣. I’m thinking unmollased sugar beet and micronised linseed, but wondering if anyone else had some great cost effective ideas?
Many thanks!
 
I have a oldie that needs help maintaining condition and find Fibre Beet and basic Grass Nuts a very economical way of feeding him. I soak a stubbs scoop of each together every other day which makes 2 days worth of twice daily feeds. I've also piled condition on to a very poor TB successfully with the same combo.

I also think D&H Cushcare is the holy grail of conditioning feeds. Ignore the marketing for veteran/cushings horses, it's basically just a great low sugar and starch feed that works really works to get condition on. I was previously feeding a whole stubbs scoop of conditioning cubes/mix twice a day and adding linseed, I am now on 1/2 scoop of Cushcare twice a day, have cut out the linseed and oldie is fat in the middle of winter. I will need to cut right down in spring/summer! I don't know why it works so well as it has a similar D/E to previous feeds I was using but I just assume because all the calories are derived from oil sources they can perhaps metabolise them better than starches, either way it works.

I have previously used Equijewel as well for a concentrated/cost effective source of calories but haven't needed it since I switched to the Cuschcare.
 
Cloudcomet said:
Hi! I’m after a bit of advice regarding the most cost effective way of feeding (bucket feed) to maintain/increase condition without fizzing them up. My feed bill is huge and I’d like to reduce it, if possible. I have 2 17.2+ warmbloods who I’d like to have a bit more condition on. One needs a bit of an energy boost (I thought I could add oats, when necessary) and the other really does not 🫣. I’m thinking unmollased sugar beet and micronised linseed, but wondering if anyone else had some great cost effective ideas?
Many thanks!
Click to expand...
I'd go with Speedibeet and linseed (and a suitable balancer / vit & min supplement).
 
Cloudcomet said:
Hi! I’m after a bit of advice regarding the most cost effective way of feeding (bucket feed) to maintain/increase condition without fizzing them up. My feed bill is huge and I’d like to reduce it, if possible. I have 2 17.2+ warmbloods who I’d like to have a bit more condition on. One needs a bit of an energy boost (I thought I could add oats, when necessary) and the other really does not 🫣. I’m thinking unmollased sugar beet and micronised linseed, but wondering if anyone else had some great cost effective ideas?
Many thanks!
Click to expand...
For the one that needs an energy boost, micronised barley is a very cost effective feed (and, anecdotally, less heating than oats- still can make them fizzy though).
Are they on ad lib forage? if not I'd start there and swapping hay for haylage can help increase the calories a little. Depending on the volume of hard feed required, veteran feeds (such as veteran vitality) can be a good way of putting condition on without fizz. Vegetable oil is also a good high calorie/low sugar option to add to feed.
Micronised linseed is a good high calorie feed, but not all horses find it palatable.
I'd also worm count and treat as appropriate. I feed oily herbs and a probiotic to mine to try and ensure they can make the most of their feed.
 
I feed my warmblood on thunderbrooks meadow nuts, linseed and add a handful of dengie healthy herbal to bulk it out as she's a pig and scoffs her food like she's never eaten before.
I use the small top spec scoops about 300g. she gets 2 scoops of the nuts and 3/4 of a scoop of linseed, twice a day! because I'm feeding so much linseed I also supplement her with calcium, 20g a day.
I keep a spreadsheet for costs and how long the feed last. the nuts last me 3 weeks per bag. linseed about 6 weeks and the chaff is about 5 weeks, but my gelding also shares that, so would probably last 7 weeks if it was just for my mare.
 
KikiDee said:
I have a oldie that needs help maintaining condition and find Fibre Beet and basic Grass Nuts a very economical way of feeding him. I soak a stubbs scoop of each together every other day which makes 2 days worth of twice daily feeds. I've also piled condition on to a very poor TB successfully with the same combo.

I also think D&H Cushcare is the holy grail of conditioning feeds. Ignore the marketing for veteran/cushings horses, it's basically just a great low sugar and starch feed that works really works to get condition on. I was previously feeding a whole stubbs scoop of conditioning cubes/mix twice a day and adding linseed, I am now on 1/2 scoop of Cushcare twice a day, have cut out the linseed and oldie is fat in the middle of winter. I will need to cut right down in spring/summer! I don't know why it works so well as it has a similar D/E to previous feeds I was using but I just assume because all the calories are derived from oil sources they can perhaps metabolise them better than starches, either way it works.

I have previously used Equijewel as well for a concentrated/cost effective source of calories but haven't needed it since I switched to the Cuschcare.
Click to expand...
Thank you for this. Which grass nuts do you feed, please? I do know some of them are surprisingly high in sugar, which I don’t think would suit the fizzy mare! Totally agree with you regarding the cushcare, I feed this to my oldie and also feed the fizzy mare on it. It’s just SO expensive. She’s 18hh and needs a LOT!
Thanks very much for your input 😊
 
SpeedyPony said:
For the one that needs an energy boost, micronised barley is a very cost effective feed (and, anecdotally, less heating than oats- still can make them fizzy though).
Are they on ad lib forage? if not I'd start there and swapping hay for haylage can help increase the calories a little. Depending on the volume of hard feed required, veteran feeds (such as veteran vitality) can be a good way of putting condition on without fizz. Vegetable oil is also a good high calorie/low sugar option to add to feed.
Micronised linseed is a good high calorie feed, but not all horses find it palatable.
I'd also worm count and treat as appropriate. I feed oily herbs and a probiotic to mine to try and ensure they can make the most of their feed.
Click to expand...
Thank you! Yes, they are on ad lib forage. The lazier chap doesn’t eat as much of his lovely haylage as I’d like though. The mare scoffs hers 🤣
And thanks for reminding me re veg oil and oily herbs 👍
 
kerrieberry2 said:
I feed my warmblood on thunderbrooks meadow nuts, linseed and add a handful of dengie healthy herbal to bulk it out as she's a pig and scoffs her food like she's never eaten before.
I use the small top spec scoops about 300g. she gets 2 scoops of the nuts and 3/4 of a scoop of linseed, twice a day! because I'm feeding so much linseed I also supplement her with calcium, 20g a day.
I keep a spreadsheet for costs and how long the feed last. the nuts last me 3 weeks per bag. linseed about 6 weeks and the chaff is about 5 weeks, but my gelding also shares that, so would probably last 7 weeks if it was just for my mare.
Click to expand...
Thank you! I think half my trouble is that they are huge and need so much to eat! Interesting re the linseed and calcium, I’d not heard that before, what’s the reasoning there, please? 😊
 
Cloudcomet said:
Thank you! I think half my trouble is that they are huge and need so much to eat! Interesting re the linseed and calcium, I’d not heard that before, what’s the reasoning there, please? 😊
Click to expand...
yeh same, my mare has 4 times to volume of feed compared to my gelding.

there is a really good nutrition lady on FB who has posted a few times about needing to balance the calcium when feeding linseed. here's the link, she'll explain it way better than I can :)

clare macleod msc rnutr independent equine nutritionist

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=24610302031953698
 
Cloudcomet said:
Thank you for this. Which grass nuts do you feed, please? I do know some of them are surprisingly high in sugar, which I don’t think would suit the fizzy mare! Totally agree with you regarding the cushcare, I feed this to my oldie and also feed the fizzy mare on it. It’s just SO expensive. She’s 18hh and needs a LOT!
Thanks very much for your input 😊
Click to expand...

I just use the cheap Emerald Green ones and haven't found them to hot them up, they are around 10% sugar but less than 2% starch but I'd guess that's calculated on a dry basis so as they are soaked I tend to think those levels are diluted by the amount you actually feed if that makes sense. I've had more problems from feeding carbohydrates and high starch feeds than sugar in grass nuts, I think Emerald Green is made from mature grasses rather than spring grass so not too bad.

Cushcare is expensive and the 15kg bags annoy me! but it's worked out quite economical for me as I'm feeding a lot less than I was on other conditioning cubes/mixes.

Just a note on the calcium and linseed - aflalfa is actually high in calcium so if you feed linseed alongside something like Fibre Beet (or any other high alfalfa feed) it balances itself out.
 
I prefer forage based feeding wherever possible. Do they eat well? Hay or haylage? Even on an 'as fed' basis haylage has more protein, on a dry matter basis it can have 30% more so worth considering.

Some grass pellets are high protein too, I think simple systems Red bag might be close to 20% protein. Their alfalfa /lucern might also be a good choice if your horses tolerate it.
 
Soaked grass nuts and micronised linseed are my go to for weight.
I use Emerald grass nuts (good protein) and Charnwood for linseed.

I then add oats if they need more oomph.

This is for a 17hh tb X Warmblood and an 18.2hh warmblood x ID, who runs light and doesn't show much ID!
 
Jambarissa said:
I prefer forage based feeding wherever possible. Do they eat well? Hay or haylage? Even on an 'as fed' basis haylage has more protein, on a dry matter basis it can have 30% more so worth considering.

Some grass pellets are high protein too, I think simple systems Red bag might be close to 20% protein. Their alfalfa /lucern might also be a good choice if your horses tolerate it.
Click to expand...
Hi! Yes, I agree re forage based feeding. They are fed ad lib high quality haylage, but my gelding doesn’t eat as much of this as I’d like. So I do actually feed him simple systems red bag grass nuts too, to make sure he gets plenty of nutritious forage. But even these grass nuts prove expensive with the amount he gets through!
 
millitiger said:
Soaked grass nuts and micronised linseed are my go to for weight.
I use Emerald grass nuts (good protein) and Charnwood for linseed.

I then add oats if they need more oomph.

This is for a 17hh tb X Warmblood and an 18.2hh warmblood x ID, who runs light and doesn't show much ID!
Click to expand...
 
A friend whose (not old) horse struggled to keep weight on had very good results with Veteran Vitality. When my oldie suddenly needed a bit more help during his last winter (he'd always been a good doer until this point and ate Fast Fibre and bog standard pony cubes) I switched him to it and added linseed and Bailey's Ease and Excel and he did very well on that.
 
Sugarbeet is great for fibre but I’ve never had much luck using it for weight gain as it just ends up being such a massive feed for the amount of it that you need.

I’ve found Baileys Ease and Excel excellent this winter, I’ve also had really good success with Equerry Conditioning Mash.

The Baileys one I like as there’s no cereals.
 
Annagain said:
A friend whose (not old) horse struggled to keep weight on had very good results with Veteran Vitality. When my oldie suddenly needed a bit more help during his last winter (he'd always been a good doer until this point and ate Fast Fibre and bog standard pony cubes) I switched him to it and added linseed and Bailey's Ease and Excel and he did very well on that.
Click to expand...
Thank you, yes my old boy is on veteran vitality and he’s come through this winter looking the best ever and he loves it which is amazing as he’s SO fussy. It is expensive though and I have been giving it to my big gelding, but he needs so much of it that it has almost bankrupted me 😩
 
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