Feeding dilemma

[tamsinkb]

I'm not the most regular poster on this forum, but I really respect everyone's advice, so would love to hear your ideas about what you think I should feed my warmblood gelding. I'll not mention what I'm feeding currently as I would like your ideas without any preconceptions. There are a few issues that need to be considered:

The horse has amazingly dry and sensitive skin - not sweet-itch , but very dry itchy skin.

He also has a sensitive digestive system - he's on good grazing, but in the growing periods his droppings are very loose ( almost cow - like!!).

He is sensitive to pollen and dust.

He is a fairly good do-er, but not a fatty, and is ridden at least 5 times a week for 1.5 - 2 hours mainly off-road, so (ground conditions permitting) he does a fair amount of trot/ canter/ gallop.

He is in at night in winter, and out 24/7 at the moment.

Any amazing suggestions?!?!

Thanks TKB

 

[TGM]

If he was my horse, this is what I would try first of all. Whilst he is on grass I would probably feed Alfa A plus a vit/min supplement or a balancer. The amount of Alfa A to be varied according to how well he is keeping condition and perhaps changing to Alfa A oil if more condition needed. In my personal experience I have found Alfa A to have a 'firming' influence on horses that tend to be loose! If he needs more than fibre alone then you could add either a straight grain such as oats, or a commercial mix or cube. If you feed the recommended amount of mix/cube then you can drop the vit/min supplement or balancer.

(Must say I have never had a horse with a skin problem, so don't know how beneficial this diet would be for that problem, although I would have thought oil in the diet would help. I have heard of a few cases where alfafa has been linked to skin conditions, but never experienced it with any of mine.)

 

[AmyMay]

Agree with TGM. And oil will very definately make a difference to his skin.

 

[Evil_Cookie]

I've never used it myself but friends have had good results with NAF pink powder to help digestive problems. I'm using NAF D-Tox at the moment because my mare has a slight skin problem, apparently due to a build up of toxins. So hopefully after a 1 month course... you only need to do 1 month of Naf D-Tox or Pink powder apparently.... We will see a difference. I've also cut my mares feed back to basics incase she was intolerant to one of the ingredients. It might be worth having a look at whats in your current food, things like barley or mollases might affect him, shown in the loose droppings and less than perfect coat. Just ideas. And oil can only have so much affect... just worth considering.I've just cut out soya oil from my mares diet as it wasn't helping at all.
Hope he's looking better soon.

 

[K27]

you could always phone a nutritionist at Allen and page for advice as I think they make feeds for horses that are intolerant to certain ingredients....

 

[tamsinkb]

Thanks for all your suggestions - I am currently feeding him and alfa based chaff, soya oil, ultimate balance and suppliments for his skin, breathing allergies and a calmer. Whilst this diet has helped him, his digestion and skin are still an issue. I've tried Pink powder, but it makes no difference to his digestion at all, so have just stopped using it. It's quite re-assuring to me that the suggestions given are close to what I'm doing - I'm now in the process of e-mailling the various feed companies to see what they say - but have already had some conflicting responses! - Any other ideas greatfully received!!!

Tamsin

 

[K27]

Also meant to say that you could try feeding a probiotic such as Protexin Bio Premium from your vet- one of my horses went thru a sensitive stage with digestion and this sorted it out.