Feeding Straights

mini-eventer

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So I am looking to cut down on feeding junk-fillers sugar etc. So I am looking into feeding straights along side a mineral balanced from progressive earth.

currently my two do well on chaff, own brand pony nuts, sugar beet and micronised linseed.

I was thinking change chaff to a grass based chaff, unmollassed beet, micronised linseed and ditch the pony nuts.

This would be fine for my old boy. If my younger horse needed a bit more energy would you add oats? Grass nuts? - or am I just double up grass?

they both get ad-lib good quality hay in at night and there is still plenty of grass in their winter fields.
 

Hallo2012

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mine gets 4 scoops of readigrass, 1 scoop of oats and a mug of corn oil split in to 2 feeds currently.....in summer it goes down to 1 scoop readigrass and 1 mug oats and a dash of oil.

he is very different summer to winter, goes from being porky to running up light quickly.
 

mini-eventer

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Thanks it sounds like I am along the right lines. I have an old pony and an Irish/TB. The pony only has a token feed to add supplements to as he is semi retired and prone to porkyness 🐷

the Irish/tb sounds similar to yours Hello, he gets chubby in summer but it can drop off quickly this time of year if I'm not careful.

would rolled oats be the best thing if he needs a bit more?

I understand that oats are not thought of as rocket fuel now as much as they were in the past
 

Hallo2012

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Thanks it sounds like I am along the right lines. I have an old pony and an Irish/TB. The pony only has a token feed to add supplements to as he is semi retired and prone to porkyness 🐷

the Irish/tb sounds similar to yours Hello, he gets chubby in summer but it can drop off quickly this time of year if I'm not careful.

would rolled oats be the best thing if he needs a bit more?

I understand that oats are not thought of as rocket fuel now as much as they were in the past

no ive never had one get buzzy on them :)

yes i tend to up/down the oats as the grass grows or dies off
 

Carrottom

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Ensure you introduce the oats slowly, with some horses it can be a fine line between the right amount for energy and a little to much making them silly.
 

ohmissbrittany

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I was switched on to straights after a friend of mine had her GP horse start having seizures due to a severe amnio acid deficiency- a lot of horse feeds are not "fixed formula" so whatever makes the crude analysis goes in (ie, no respect for types of amnio acids as long as total proteins add up to label). This high end pellet also had traces of heavy metals. My friend switched her horses to straights, right after I moved away. I came back to visit after 2 years and they were different animals- shiny, healthy, hoof wall thickness doubled and no aggravation/kicking at feeding time.

I witnessed this and have seen similar results with my own horse. I cut out anything g with "wheat middlings" and any soy and shes a different animal. I've been very pleased.

That said- in the US we started feeding alfalfa and rice bran in a 2:1 weight ratio (with electrolytes bc Texas is hot). Here you cant get plain rice bran and all the processed stuff has added calcium. I've been using alfalfa pellets and WHOLE OATS (important bc lower glycemic index, fine for horses with good teeth) with similar success. Protein is your friend when you're trying to keep health/condition. Low sugar will keep their tummies and hooves healthy.
 
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