Feed question - speedi beet V fast fibre

Jenna1406

Jenna1406

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What do you use in a feed and why?

Historically I have used speedi beet in the horses feed and never really changed but someone suggested fast fibre to help keep weight on as where the horses are now, there is not alot of grazing and they are in every night and sometimes have to stay in for a few days when its wet.

What do you typically use to feed your horse/pony??
 
Fast fibre is just grass pellets. So not much goodness in it really. I've tried it a couple of times too, and one horse refused to eat it after a couple of days, the other one became pickier and looked poor on it
 
When my horse was poorly - we gave him fast fibre as he wasn't eating his hay/haylage - he absolutely adored it and would gobble it down with great gusto. In fact it was the only thing he had an appetite for.

Both the vet and a friend recommended it to me.
 
LouisCat said:
Fast fibre is just grass pellets. So not much goodness in it really.
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No it is not! Although grass pellets would be better for weight gain!

The ingredients of Fast Fibre are: 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

You can see the main ingredient is straw - presumably the idea being to create a feed that is quite filling yet low in calories. The manufacturers describe it as 'is ideal for the good doer or for horses who tend to be excitable even on low energy feeds.' The calorie count is 8 MJDE/kg. The high straw content would explain why some horse do not find it particularly tasy.

Speedibeet is just unmollassed beet, and has a calorie count of around 12 MJDE/kg - so kg for kg it is more effective for weight gain than Fast Fibre.
 
As already said FF is more straw than anything else and would not really help keep weight on a poor doer, if there is not much grass I would use grass nuts either alone, which is what I feed as my basic ration, or with the speedibeet.
 
FF is a low cal soakable feed, to some extend it is more palatble than unmolassed beet for some because of the additives. I used it as a supplement carrier when wanting to minimise calorie intake so why anyone would suggest it was good to keep weight on I don't know!

I am confused why anyone would think a) it was just grass pellets, b) that grass pellets wouldn't have much in them?
 
I'm surprised that so many horses don't seem to like FF! All of mine are given it in winter, and all of them gobble it up. I actually do find that it's really good for condition, but perhaps that's because mine are fed a relatively large quantity; one scoop swells an awful lot once water is added.
 
Jenna1406 said:
Which do you think is better for putting on and keeping the weight on? As I have only used speedi beet and had plenty grass in the past.
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I moved to France from Scotland and our climate is milder and drier. We have a yard full of good doers. Regardless of need, I feed a base feed of Safe and Sound with non-molasses S/B. Youngsters get small quantities of Mare and Youngstock, stallions get stud mix and at least 1.5k per day and some alfalfa. Working horses get some Pasture mix.

When I lived in Scotland I had two old horses, they were fed 16+ in winter I upped their Alfalfa Chaff (Green Gold not molassed) and fed cooked barley too. Cooked barley is good for weight gain and cheap but should be introduced in small quantities. My farrier who bred champion Fell Ponies only fed s/b in winter + hay.
 
JJS said:
I'm surprised that so many horses don't seem to like FF! All of mine are given it in winter, and all of them gobble it up. I actually do find that it's really good for condition, but perhaps that's because mine are fed a relatively large quantity; one scoop swells an awful lot once water is added.
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I don't think it is that surprising given that the main ingredient is straw! My fatties eat it OK, but I tried it with one of my bigger, more active, fussier horses, he ate it to start with but soon went off it. Although he eats Speedibeet just fine.

You have to bear in mind that any feed will add condition if fed in sufficient quantities and if the horse will eat it all up. The problem being that those that don't keep condition well tend to have smaller/fussier appetites, hence the need to look for high calorie feeds that can be fed in smallish quantities, rather than bigger buckets of low calorie feed that they may not finish eating.
 
JJS said:
I'm surprised that so many horses don't seem to like FF! All of mine are given it in winter, and all of them gobble it up. I actually do find that it's really good for condition, but perhaps that's because mine are fed a relatively large quantity; one scoop swells an awful lot once water is added.
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I have been surprised too, both mine have it all year round (more in winter obviously) I think and they're good weight and their coats shine like mirrors in the sun. I mix it with their meds and supplement and add a bit of carrot, apple and a handful of pasture mix and they gobble it down. I thought it was a nice, simple feed
 
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