Feeding Advise Please

[Finns Mum]

I would like to pick you brains please

I have an over sensitive horse both in body and mind, finally, guided by a lot of what I have read on H&H forum I changed onto Allen and Page feeds sticking with the molasses and barley free range, huge improvement in behaviour and digestion, this then bought on another issue of changing him into a good doer!

I have struggled a bit this spring with the grass and keeping him sane so have ended up giving him Fast Fibre as think whatever he was getting from the grass covered the energy levels, anything else on top was sending him loopy.

I am now happy with his brain, his weight is ok and energy levels ok though sometimes could do with a little more stamina, we compete at BE90 but he is quite thick winded so we do a lot of canter work, I'm a bit worried that perhaps he will not get enough goodness from the Fast Fibre for his workload.

I might be just be basing that on feed companies spiel rather than what I am seeing in my horse

Another concern is that he has started to go off the Fast Fibre, he picks at it but there is always some left, and Im worried he is not getting all the balencer and joint supplement he should be.

Just wondering if I should look at adding something to the Fast Fibre to encourage him to eat it or think about changing to another feed if he should have more for his needs? The next feed in the range would be Cool and Collected which I tried over winter and he didn't do very well on it and didn't eat it too well either

 

[Ella19]

Sounds like my fussy mare! I changed her to pure feeds and haven't looked back. I was worried by the hype about it all and the cost but it turns out she needs FAR less than they state on the bag! She only has a round stubbs scoop a day of the pure easy and for bulk I can add honey chop oat straw (just plain straw, honeychop is the brand name). I took her off it as she was getting fat and her engery levels dropped through the floor! Back on it again and she was bucking this morning so obviously feeling well again! I'm now looking at getting the balancer as she is still fat but I wouldn't change from pure feeds now. It's the only feed she's not gone off eating and licks the bowl clean.

 

[Finns Mum]

Thanks I tried Pure Feeds but it sent him nuts, I still have bags of the stuff in my shed if anyone reading wants to take it off my hands

 

[Shay]

We've switched to Allen & Page recently to control feed related fizzy behaviour - we've found them totally brilliant!

What they reccommended for us was Cool & Collected as a base feed with a little Power & Performance on top. That way the gut was adjusted to both and we could up the P&P as needed to support ned who competes most weekends at affilliated SJ.

The effect has been great - but we have found the cool & collected (even though the same calorie level as the pasture mix he was on) is just not enough. We're now almost totally on power & performance with no behaviour problems and no weight gain (he can be a porker!) And we don't have to feed a balencer as we're feeding up to manufacturer's amounts.

You don't have to soak the P&P either - although they reccommend wetting it. So if it the wet mush that puts him off this looks and feels more like "normal" pony nuts.

 

[Waltzing Matilda]

I am trying to get the honey chop oat straw chaff but finding it really difficult. They sent wrong stuff first time with molasses. Will take a month to arrive from suppliers now so ordered 5 bags!!

 

[Finns Mum]

Funny you say that Shay as I tried P&P and after a while he was pretty horrible and spooky and ended up with me having a horrible fall. It was then I put him soley on Fast Fibre and he went back to normal, but I am thinking about adding a small amount of the P&P again although he wasn't on that much last time I think I'll start with a mug full and see if I can get the balence right, I have a bag of the stuff left over so might as well try and use it I guess and any signs of dodgy behaviour I will be quicker to take him off it this time!

 

[TwoStroke]

A horse should get the vast majority of the 'goodness' you mentioned from the forage (grass/hay/haylage) they are eating. If you are also feeding a balancer, then the horse shouldn't need vast quantities of hard feed (indeed this can be counterproductive, as horses haven't evolved to cope with large feeds).

If its more calories you want, I'm a massive fan of micronised linseed, for sugar/starch free, high oil calories with minimal bulk added to the bucket feed. Most horses love it too, so will increase palatability, as would a handful or two of spillers high fibre cubes.