Feed suggestions for VERY stressy, hot, spooky nutcase

Andiamo

Andiamo

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Hi,
I need a feed for a stress-case, hot-headed belligerent, nervous type. He is a dressage horse, Spanish, 6 years old.

He cannot have molasses, sugarbeet, barley, oats or alfalfa - these all make him even more nutty.

It should be low starch.

He won't go near Simple Systems feeds - tried it, but he'd rather starve ;)

I've tried A&P Calm & Condition, and Cool & Collected - both have made him worse.

I've tried every possible calmer with no effect.

Feet, back, teeth, saddle everything - is all fine.

Even trying to groom him yesterday was like a suicide mission - he was throwing himself back and forth and up and down, and almost mowed me down several times - this is on a sunny, beautiful day, no wind, 20C, on the exact same yard where he's been since July 2011. He was turned out during the day. Maybe it's the Spring grass?

I am really struggling to find a feed for this horse. His condition is fine, but in the past he has been a poor doer, possibly down to being an anxious type.
He looks good, but he has WAAAAAAAAAAAY too much energy.

Can anyone suggest anything?

I've tried looking at feed company websites, but they don't state the actual ingredients, they only put the nutritional analysis :(

Thanks
 
I just took a second look, it has molasses in it...

Grassmeal, Distillers’ Grains, Wheatfeed, Micronised Soya Beans, Dicalcium Phosphate, Molasses, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamins and Minerals, Sodium Chloride, Calcined Magnesite

Also, what is Distillers Grains?
 
I was warned that my horse would go nuts on hard feed - he is a KWPN show jumper competing at 1.15-1.20m. I have found that Happy Hoof (marketed at laminitis-prone horses and ponies) was good.
 
I used to feed my horse baileys lo cal and it is very good! You can feed it with a straw chaff if you like. Honeychop chaff doesn't have any mollasses or anything in it, it is literally chopped straw.
Other then that have you tried adding a biotic supplement, sometimes that can help as it settles their stomachs.
Is he on grass? I find if anything is going to make my horse nuts its the spring grass!
I would be worried that its something else other than the feed. A very small amount of feed whatever it is shouldnt have that much of an effect, sometimes they can be very stressy when they are in pain somewhere. Just a thought.
:)
 
@ Firewell, Believe me, I have spent a lot of money on physio, osteo, vets, saddlers in the past 3 months, he is not in pain. That I can be 100% sure of. He is definitely on Spring grass, it's unavoidable I'm afraid ;) - it's Spring! :)

@woodtiger - someone else suggested Happy Hoof - a Grand Prix trainer actually. But when I called the Spillers company to enquire about it, they told me it wouldn't be suitable...maybe I will call them again on MOnday.

@Kiristamm - he is on haylage - same stuff he's been on for ages. Obviously different bales etc. I think he would be hyper on thin air!
 
That might be where your problem lies.
Jag at Oldencraig who specialises in PREs told us that they are intolerant to sugar and not great with starch. When haylage was changed to hay, the mare who was off her rocker changed into a beautifully behaved, very sane dressage horse. Might be something you could think about.
 
I have found safe and sound chaff without any hard feed, hay and 24 hour turnout has helped a few nutters I've had, also not riding everyday has helped.
 
wonkey_donkey said:
Good hay (not haylage) fed adlib and no hard feed at all should do the trick.

No reason why a hyper horse needs any hard feed if getting plenty of decent hay.

Offer a good quality vit/min lick if you want reassurance your horse is getting everything he needs.
Click to expand...

This is absolutely the best suggestion,we had a pony who went loopy on hard feed but was a saint without it.They don't need hard feed.
 
Hi Andiamo,
Not sure about the starch content etc but have you looked into the Cavalor range? They have a feed called "Pianissimo" which is designed for very hot, spooky nutcases ;) in full work / competing, so could be a really good solution :)
 
I have heard of several owners of Iberian horses getting very good results with Pure Feeds - condition without any fizz.

The spanish stud where I got one of my PREs from also said that they are intolerant of sugar.
 
My mare sounds like yours and when her weight is good I don't give her any hard feed. She's out on good grass or has haylege
 
Sorry pressed post reply without looking (on iPhone!!)

She always has a mineral lick in the field.

If she does look a bit thinner she gets normal bog standard pony nuts, hifi and occasionally sugar beet.

She does perfectly with no hard feed mostly and she works very hard, out jumping, galloping etc
 
It does have molasses in but fed in very small quantities so dosnt cause a problem to my horse who is extremely food sensitive he's a fussy eater I do mix it with a bit of chaff to make me feel better more than anything!
I feed outshine for extra non heating calories he's a tb in medium work and at 16 looks the best he ever has
 
My TB is on equillibruim low and brewers yeast, she's a different horse since she went onto these - much more rational about life in general than she was when she was on other feeds. The starch is really low and the brewers yeast helps with her gut. I don't need to feed a lot of it either for her weight to stay the same.
 
i' try the just soaked hay thing,

i've got part spanish horses, they need very litte feed, just good hay, i only feed to work it off, to get the energy i want to train and nothing more, i also find they so different to other races, they just love you put your arms around their head and stand and be cuddled, its a if they need close contact with their riders, they then make a connection with you as and will give so much more than any other horses i have had, they are very intelligent, get frustrated by humans, who can blame them!!!! but get it right and they will give all.
 
If he were mine he would be on hay and a feed balancer and that would be it. How much turn out is he getting? Can he go out 24/7 to try and calm him down? It works to take the worst out of mine.
Mine are now out all night and come in for a few hours during the day and have hay only.
If you need any help try www.supplements4horses.co.uk as they offer nutritional advice.
Good luck :)
 
All great answers, thank you all.
I checked with the yard - he is on soaked hay, not haylage (my mistake).

So, just hay and fresh air is one suggestion...I'll need to give him something in a bowl at feedtimes though - to stop him from getting upset when all the others are fed. Any suggestions?

PureFeedCompany - I had a look at this website, and the feeds looks really good - I was encouraged to see that Jason Webb from Australian Horse Training uses these - he's a very knowledgeable chap, I've been on his courses.

Holistic Horse Feeds & Cavalor Pianissimo - thanks for these suggestions - I will look at these.

Winergy Low Energy - also a possibility - I'll speak to the company on Monday.

The only other constraint is that my yard need the product to be stocked by the local feed merchant, or they won't let me have it! Feed is included in livery (up to a max amount per week), which is fair.

He lost a lot of weight at my previous yard, back in 2011, so I am keen to keep him on a (albeit minimal amount) of a hard feed that doesn't add fizz, but just keeps him supplied with nutrients and keeps him glossy.
 
@ FrodoBeutlin - Cavalor Pianissimo - Here's some info from their website. I can't find an actual ingredients list though? Ooops, just found a nutritional analysis - it is 30% starch! , therefore might not be an option....I want to keep starch low since it breaks down into sugar. I've been told to keep it under 10% for a spooky nervous sensitive horse.


Pianissimo is specially formulated for horses and ponies prone to stress or horses that are hard to handle. Pianissimo contains herbs and other elements that counteract excessive sensitivity. In addition it contains all the nutritional components for a complete and balanced feed for sports horses. It is highly suitable for horses at rest. To reduce the level of energy ingested; these horses are usually given less feed concentrate and more roughage. However this results in a nutritional imbalance which can lead to other problems for the horse in the long term.
Pianissimo has a very low protein content: (7,5 % digestible protein horse) which makes it very suitable for use in addition to roughage that is very rich in proteins (like silage or spring grass). After all, an excess of protein in the feed ration can cause stress in horses. With its low protein content, Pianissimo is an excellent feed for horses cutting down on training after a season, horses who are temporarily at rest (for recovery), horses sensitive to high levels of protein and given pre-dried grass as roughage. In addition Pianissimo is enriched with omega 3; this supports the general fitness of the horse. Florastimul also guarantees the efficient absorption of all nutrients and a healthy digestion.
 
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