Feeding straights advice please.

[Doormouse]

Ok, could really do with some here please as I am getting very confused!

My ISH has a dust allergy so can't have any chaff / chop in his feed. I would like to take him off his current diet of top spec balancer and ulsakind nuts for 2 reasons, his feet are poor on it and expense. He is a fussy eater and refused to entertain Simple Systems apart from the pura beet. He is also quite a sharp horse so am keen not to add too much fizz.

I would like to feed a forage plus balancer and micronised linseed (which he already gets) but what do I feed with that? Soaked oats, copra, rice bran? Just seem to be going round in circles at the moment and can't work out what is best.

I also have an ex racehorse who just potters at home as a nanny and a 19 year old 12hh pony with cushings.

Please help wise HHOer's, my brain is turning to mush with all the info out there.

 

[milliepops]

may be a daft question, but seems the obvious thing in the first instance - can he not have dampened chaff?

Secondly, does he need the extra calories in addition to his balancer and linseed, or can you fill him up on hay? My 2 love copra but don't *need* anything more than their basics until the second half of the winter when they start to drop off

 

[be positive]

I changed all my horses onto grass nuts a couple of years ago, mainly because my fussy ISH kept going off various low sugar/ starch feeds after a while, he is barefoot as is the ex racehorse who is also doing well on just grass nuts and linseed, they get relatively small amounts, about 1 scoop after soaking, eat up well and all look good so for now I am sticking with it as a simple and cheap way of getting supplements into them with no fuss apart from remembering to soak each day.

 

[Doormouse]

I changed all my horses onto grass nuts a couple of years ago, mainly because my fussy ISH kept going off various low sugar/ starch feeds after a while, he is barefoot as is the ex racehorse who is also doing well on just grass nuts and linseed, they get relatively small amounts, about 1 scoop after soaking, eat up well and all look good so for now I am sticking with it as a simple and cheap way of getting supplements into them with no fuss apart from remembering to soak each day.

Interesting, I was feeding simple systems grass nuts which suited them well physically but they were very picky with them. What type do you feed?

 

[Doormouse]

may be a daft question, but seems the obvious thing in the first instance - can he not have dampened chaff?

Secondly, does he need the extra calories in addition to his balancer and linseed, or can you fill him up on hay? My 2 love copra but don't *need* anything more than their basics until the second half of the winter when they start to drop off

He had a chronic lower lung inflammation and the consequence is we have to manage his wind very carefully. Sadly one big trigger seems to be chaff even when very wet.

 

[spookypony]

If he likes Purabeet, would he like just plain old Speedibeet? I used to add SS Lucie Nuts or Lucie Cubes (alfalfa) to Speedibeet to entice my pony (who didn't like plain Speedibeet) to eat his ForagePlus. Now, I use Fibrebeet, which is like Speedibeet, but with some alfalfa added (so basically the same thing as the SB + SS, just cheaper). Some horses seem to react badly/go loopy on alfalfa, but others are fine; only one way to find out.

If he likes Copra, that would work too, and should be non-heating (though high energy). But it's a more expensive option.

Another common base is Allen & Page Fast Fibre; my pony didn't like it, but others are ok with it.

I think in your case, as you mainly seem to want to use the feed as a base for the FB and linseed, and as he liked the Purabeet, I'd just try plain old Speedibeet. Cheap and cheerful!

 

[Doormouse]

If he likes Purabeet, would he like just plain old Speedibeet? I used to add SS Lucie Nuts or Lucie Cubes (alfalfa) to Speedibeet to entice my pony (who didn't like plain Speedibeet) to eat his ForagePlus. Now, I use Fibrebeet, which is like Speedibeet, but with some alfalfa added (so basically the same thing as the SB + SS, just cheaper). Some horses seem to react badly/go loopy on alfalfa, but others are fine; only one way to find out.

If he likes Copra, that would work too, and should be non-heating (though high energy). But it's a more expensive option.

Another common base is Allen & Page Fast Fibre; my pony didn't like it, but others are ok with it.

I think in your case, as you mainly seem to want to use the feed as a base for the FB and linseed, and as he liked the Purabeet, I'd just try plain old Speedibeet. Cheap and cheerful!

I think you are absolutely right, he eats vast quantities of hay and although he can run up a bit light he generally holds his weight ok. I think I have just become a bit set in my ways that they must have something 'more' but in fact the more is in the linseed and balancer anyway!

I suspect alfalfa upsets his skin, we had lots of skin problems last year when he was having it.

 

[okepunya]

I think you are absolutely right, he eats vast quantities of hay and although he can run up a bit light he generally holds his weight ok. I think I have just become a bit set in my ways that they must have something 'more' but in fact the more is in the linseed and balancer anyway!

agreed with you

 

[BethH]

My horse had exactly the same on SS feed, he has gone from being the easiest good doer to utterly allergic to lucerne/alfalfa, he came out in hives and didn't want to eat the feed etc etc, I am also convinced it caused some sort of ulcers, my horse has struggled with lethargy ever since. I have just put him on a 14day course of protexein recover aid and he does seem to have perked up a bit over the last couple of days so that may be worth thinking about???? You can call and chat to protexein, they were very helpful.

I now feed Agrobs Museli and Aspero. It is grass based no binders, fillers etc and fantastic quality, there doesn't seem to be any dustiness at all and it smells wonderful, the museli has lots of herbs and bits in too - might be worth looking at a sample, they also do grass nuts as well. It is very well priced.

PS mine was gorging on hay too, I think it was his hindgut needing to be full as he was uncomfortable.

 

[catkin]

I feed my ponies soaked grass nuts as a carrier for a forageplus supplement and linseed - bowls are licked clean. They only have small amounts, but very simple to increase quantity a bit if required. The grass nuts I use are from the local agri merchants.

Sugar beet doesn't agree with all horses, particularly if they are a bit food-sensitive - might be worth experimenting with cutting it out for a while just to see (coming out in lumps on alfalfa and running up light may be clues that he's a bit sensitive in his tum)