Feeding My allergic eventer - Advice please

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Hi,

After having a lesson last night and discussing the plan for the rest of the season with my instructor we have decided on doing both Gatcombe Nov Champs and Hartpury CCI* in August. I have arranged access to a gallop so I can ensure he is fit enough (he is pretty fit already). But what we were worried about is his feeding.

He is allergic to alot of things feed wise inc All compound feeds, Alffa A, sugar beet (but not speedi beet).

He currently has Chaff, Bread and Barley rings, with NAF echinecca, Pure Aloe Juice, a vit and min supplment and Oil and touch wood seems ok on it, he had speedi beet on top when he needs more condition.

I am worried that nutritionally and energy wise he is going to require more for the work he is going to be doing but if I feed him something he is allergic to he will need a steriod injection and will loose alot of him fur from itching (which often he also makes his skin sore and bleeding), plus time depending he may be illegal to compete.

Ideas please people?? I was thinking the safest bet would be to reintroduce the speedibeet and increase the barley rings, vits and min sup and the oil, would this be enough? What would you do?

This is what his skin looks like after a reaction

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Looking at his allergies, I'd consider adding Winergy Equilibrium which is oil-based. Ring the Spillers helpline and consult them but that would be my suggestion: I'd be wary about giving him too many more barley rinngs as they can be intolerant to barley if they are sensitive
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Hi TD that looks like a compound feed? I could be wrong thou? Willesley said not to feed him any compound feed as he is allergic to something used during processing, (he has been allergy tested) so since then he has not had so much as a pony nut!

I have feed him one winter when he lost condition on boiled barley and Linseed, very messy good for condition but again not the best for the sort of work he is doing.
 
The Winergy is mainly alfa too which wuldn't be any good.

I'd either stick to what you know works, upping the quantities as required or I think oats would be a good option too, maybe well rinsed to remove any possible chemicals
 
I agree would tend to steer clear of adding more barley rings as most horses with allergies are sensitive to barley. Yours may be different. Oats are much easier to digest for horses and would suggest you swap to this. Unless you know he has had a reaction in which case stick to your barley rings. You say he is allergic to Alfalfa this is not unusual and in these cases it is sometimes enough to use Graze-on/readigrass/just grass. basically a dried grass instead. It has a lot of poke in it without the fizz. Speedibeet yes. Would steer clear of any mixes or anything as it sounds like he is allergic to molasses.
I would therefore suggest grass, speedibeet, oil, a powdered vit/min supplement or pink powder type product. Would suggest a balancer but probably will contain molasses or something else that may upset him. Plus whole oats (soaked or not - my jury is out) or your barley rings to requirement, This means you can maintain him on the same ration all the time but just adjust the amount of oats/barley rings and oil depending on his work load/condition.

Hope this helps. You will probably get lots of different suggestions so hopefully you can get something to help. Good luck with your CCI*
 
Stand corrected - I'm by no means a feeding expert
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In that case, I'd probably focus on the oil. I've been told you can feed quite a lot of oil a day, far more than you'd expect and this is a great source of slow release energy. Have a funny feeling Frankie could get quite hot on oats?? Someone else will be able to tell you how much oil is safe but it's something amazing like 2 pints a day (don't quote me on this, get an opinion from someone who knows
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Hi,
My Ned has a similar problem to yours by the look of it. He get little volcanoes errupting all over his body but mainly his back and belly which means he cant be ridden when he has a reaction. He cannot have anything with sugars in it. which makes it really hard work trying to keep him in condition and with enough energy to go xc. He cannot have apples or carrots or anything "treaty" either. He's also allergic to timothy grass ( I mean grass of all things!) We have a brilliant feed merchant not far from us who makes all her own mixes from straights. She made us one up which was mainly micronised oats and a few other things in it, not sure exactly what but its all without the rubbish that some mixes contain. We also add Baileys outshine and either soya or vegetable oil in quite large quantities he has 4 small feeds a day because he won't eat the oil if there is too much in one feed. This works for us most of the time until you get someone who does't read the don't feed me signs outside the stable and gives him a polo and he's off work for weeks!!!!
 
Hi,

I feed my fussy TB eventer 'simple systems' feed. All completely natural and allows you to feed a diet based on fibre and oil. All feed is soaked too so keeps them well hydrated.
 
Have a look at Tiger Oats - they could work? I found they gave B extra stamina without affecting his temperament at all. TBH if barley rings aren't fizzing him up then oats won't - barley is far more heating than oats.

That said, given how important this year is, and given the possible consequences of changing anything, I would not add anything new in, just play with quantities of what you know is safe. Oil and speedibeet will help with energy (slow release).
 
Just a thought

Would it be worth emailing 'the brands' of feed merchant your problem and images and also see what they say????


But i would inclined as SC says not to change alot as it working now
 
It takes about ten weeks for a horse to fully adapt to using oil as an energy source, so if you want to increase the oil you need to start now. Do it gradually and split into several feeds to ensure palatibility. The requirement for vitamin e increases on an oil based diet though, so this will have to be looked at.

Oats have less energy per kg than barley but it is released into the bloodstream quicker following digestion, so is more readily available to the horse for fast work.

If he is ok on barley rings then he should be alright if you increase the amount fed. If hes allergic to them he would react on what hes fed now and as he isnt then increasing them should (in theory!) b ok.

You need to work out the overall energy and protein level of his current diet to make sure that any changes you make are actually havin the desired effect. Otherwise you could change from one feed to another and actually decrease the energy in the diet. Phone dodson and horrell, for example, and get them to calculate your current diet and possible alternatives. With a sensitive horse with exact requirements such as yours the diet is better to be calculated rather than guessed.
Good luck!
 
Although not as severe, I also have this problem with Grace
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At the moment I have her on TopSpec Super Conditioning Flakes, but they are a compound feed I think so would not suit your boy. How about contacting Willesley and see whether they can suggest anything? Or, you could try contacting the various feed companies, but I personally think you would be better with a veterinary perspective because he is working so well at the moment!

Have you tried him on a higher percentage of oil?
 
Thanks for the advice everyone, its defiantly given me something to think about.

I was lucky enough to win a feeding prize in horse magazine where a nutritionalist came to the yard and assesed the four horses, and constructed a diet for them. the diet he is on now is on her recomendation, she said I could feed him up to two pints of oil a day which seems so much! she also said to feed alot of speedibeet in with his meal.

He was only just moving up to Novice when she came out so he is obviously working alot harder now. I think my best bet will be to up the oil and soak him speedibeet a bread, due to the increase in volume of food feed him twice a day instead of once (he is a fairly good doer).

Might be an idea to have a try of different feeds after the CCI*? when the plan is for him to have 6 weeks off.

Thanks again, you were all most helpfull
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Do you think it is molasses he is allegic too?? As Sugar Beet has added molassess whereas Speedibeet does not, most compound feeds are molasses coated too.

I know it's a compound feed, but until I read you post I was going to mention it, and will do so anyway, just in case
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Have you tried Allen & Page Sugar & Cereal Intolerance?
http://www.allenandpage.com/Products/Specialist-Feeds/Sugar-Cereal-Intolerance-Diet.aspx

It says it is for rest/light work though, so you'd probably be better off sticking to what you are feeding now and upping the oil, just remeber though that oil goes rancid quickly, he may not wish to eat 1 pint of oil on his feed so you may need to split it into more than 2 feeds and you may need to up his Vit E intake.
 
He is allergic to so many things Mollases could be on the list (he is most allergic to house dust mites!!)

I have tried the Allen and page and it didnt cause a huge reaction but it did make him itchy so prob best to avoid.

He does seem to quite like oil but i've never fed it in the quantities suggested yet so you're right I may have to split the feeds down more. Would his Mutli Vit supplement be enough to cover Vit E or does he need something else in addition?
 
Could you contact the nutrionalist who recommended his current diet and ask her for a new plan in line with this new work load? If what she suggested worked for you before it may work again. Good luck, it doesn't sound easy
 
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He does seem to quite like oil but i've never fed it in the quantities suggested yet so you're right I may have to split the feeds down more. Would his Mutli Vit supplement be enough to cover Vit E or does he need something else in addition?

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Not hugely sure TBH, my Nutrition lectures seem ages ago!
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The books I have in the house just suggest Vit E, they don't mention how much. I shall have a nosey through my notes.
Your lucky if he likes oil, my boy turns his nose up even if it just has a drizzle on!
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Good job he is such a gorgeous boy, as he seems such a difficult beggar to feed!!
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Thank you for looking Hen I will look into getting some. He is a very difficult horse to manage. luckily we are on a private yard so I dont have to worry about anyone feeding him stuff he cant have!

TPO - great suggestion, I will have her email address in my archives somewhere
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