Feed Question

jnb

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My show cob is a fairly good doer and generally has plenty of energy. Hence in Summer he has been on Top Spec Anti Lam and has recently gone onto the Top Spec Lite balancer with Happy Hoof, a joint supplement and a calmer.

He has started to go off the balancer, and I usually switch to Rowan Barbary Forage N Fibre as he loves this, but when I do this I also need to feed Feedmark Hardy hoof as he has poor hoof quality without it...I've tried all the others and this is the only one that does anything!

Q1: If I feed approx 1 Stubbs Scoop a day of Forage N Fibre (around 1.5Kg) plus the same a day of Happy Hoof, do I need to feed a general vit/min supplement as well as the Hardy Hoof?

Q2: I also start to feed some Speedibeet around now - literally about 15 flakes (soaked) per feed to damp the feed, this increases during Winter to about 2 handfuls a day soaked. He has ad lib good hay and doesn't cough. Am I giving him enough?

Q3: Do I need to feed Oil / anything else? He can "go off" some feeds and this is why I'm coming off the balancer - he's started leaving bits in the morning as he wants to go out (I assume)./

He is turned out on short grazing from 7.30ish - 1pm at the moment, more than this and he starts to make his own entertainment by having sprinting races with his next door neighbour (TB!!) and getting shoes off.
Thanks for any advice - I have rung Top Spec but they suggest stuffing him full of their Fibre Cubes which appear to be £3+ a bag more than the Forage N Fibre, plus I know he loves that!
 
[ QUOTE ]
Q1: If I feed approx 1 Stubbs Scoop a day of Forage N Fibre (around 1.5Kg) plus the same a day of Happy Hoof, do I need to feed a general vit/min supplement as well as the Hardy Hoof?

[/ QUOTE ] Is the Forage N Fibre supplemented with vit/mins? If so, and the manufacturer's recommended rate for FnF for your horse is approx 3kg, then the Happy Hoof and FnF combined should cover the vit/min requirement.
[ QUOTE ]

Q2: I also start to feed some Speedibeet around now - literally about 15 flakes (soaked) per feed to damp the feed, this increases during Winter to about 2 handfuls a day soaked. He has ad lib good hay and doesn't cough. Am I giving him enough?

[/ QUOTE ] I presume you are asking whether you are feeding enough Speedibeet - the answer is it depends on what you are wanting the Speedibeet to do! If it is to damp the feed, then if it fulfills that requirement it is enough! If it is to maintain weight, then your horse's condition will tell you whether that is enough or not!

[ QUOTE ]
Q3: Do I need to feed Oil / anything else? He can "go off" some feeds and this is why I'm coming off the balancer - he's started leaving bits in the morning as he wants to go out (I assume)./

[/ QUOTE ] Not unless there is an obvious problem! If you find his coat looks a little dull then you could add some oil to combat that. But (assuming the FnF is supplemented) you are supplying vit/mins in his feed, the Hardy Hoof gives all sorts of goodies to maintain his hooves, but also some protein and yeast which are contained in the balancer, so really he shouldn't be lacking much!
 
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