Feeding suggestions for Myka

Ample Prosecco

Ample Prosecco

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Hi she’s super sensitive and I wondered if she’s on the right feed. She’s on Simple Systems: Lucie Nuts, Sainfoin chaff and Total Eclipse balancer.

She’s not got excessive energy - she’s unpredictably spooky rather than constantly wired. Her pattern is react first, ask questions later. If ever. And those reactions can be explosive. But the rest of the time she’s calm and works well.

Not sure if feed can change that really. But I’m covering all bases!
 
I only added hard feed in because she needed more calories. She’s always had access to quality ad lib hay but isn’t greedy.
 
One of mine was like this as a young horse.

It is kind of innately him. Very strong flight reflex. It’s taken a lot of time and work to help him have different coping mechanisms. And he really has had to trust that I will keep him safe and that’s taken time.

He always had a very simple feed based on hay and good grass in summer and a powdered balancer in some chaff. Only in the last year have I started feeding him and then it’s very forage based (Sainfoin nuts and linseed.) I haven’t dared try straight alfalfa yet. As that was too much when he was younger.

He’s best living out. And it gets much worse and he will revert if his tummy and or gut flares up.

Which he seems to manage just by getting himself in a mental pickle.

So he now gets marshmallow root and slippery elm if he’s going and doing anything that he might deem stressful even though he’s actually very chilled and seems very okay with it.
 
I certainly wouldn't be feeding her alfalfa. My saintly appyx stoved my hat in with a front foot when on less than 100g alfalfa a day. He was as bad with linseed but in bigger quantities. And photosensitive on any other legumes than alfalfa as well.
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Mine don’t have a hard feed now grass coming through. But if I want a carrier for something I use soaked grass nuts.
 
Another vote for no hard feed here, at least for a few weeks to take stock of energy levels when ridden and at weight change. Then introduce a small feed back in, I’m a fan of grass pellets and soaked beet.
 
Tiddlypom said:
Lucie nuts are alfalfa.

Alfalfa can turn some horses loopy. Including my saintly IDx who took 48 hours to come down off the ceiling when accidentally fed a single mugful of alfalfa pellets meant for another horse.
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this, and sainfoin is high in protein which can send some horses nuts as well. I'd scrap the lot. If she needs calories feed something like grass nuts and add linseed and/or rice bran for calories. The "balancer" is rubbish and a waste of time. Your better feeding something from progressive earth or similar. Their basic ones provide a good base coverage. Id be adding salt and extra magnesium as well. But Id add things in one at a time so you can identify if anything is an issue.
 
I gave my 4yo lo cal balancer , she became much more spooky/snorty and almost sharp . Which was totally out of character. Stopped the balancer and back to normal . I checked the ingredients and it has alfalfa in it .
So I’d definitely remove all feed as everyone has suggested .
 
Sainfoin and alfalfa are both legume family, which for some horses can make them skittish, which i think is more to do with the type of protein they have, in comparison to protein in other forages. Legume proteins tend to be hind gut metabolised, whereas others foregut.

I grew sainfoin for my 2 to have as a natural wormer addition, just a small amount added here and there as i cut it. Simple systems marketing spiel made me interested to try to grow it myself for them. They didnt like it! I was shocked….no interest in it fresh at all….although they happily eat clover legume if given the chance. Strange i thought, as they’re not fussy eaters, but they have good instincts with what to not eat, so i do question sainfoin as a daily forage addition for horses.
It’s traditionally been fed to cows…but then almost everything has been in the past fed to cows! Only relatively recently has it become a ‘fad food’ for horses, but i’d be interested in the temperaments of those that are on it as forage daily.
 
PurBee said:
Sainfoin and alfalfa are both legume family, which for some horses can make them skittish, which i think is more to do with the type of protein they have, in comparison to protein in other forages. Legume proteins tend to be hind gut metabolised, whereas others foregut.

I grew sainfoin for my 2 to have as a natural wormer addition, just a small amount added here and there as i cut it. Simple systems marketing spiel made me interested to try to grow it myself for them. They didnt like it! I was shocked….no interest in it fresh at all….although they happily eat clover legume if given the chance. Strange i thought, as they’re not fussy eaters, but they have good instincts with what to not eat, so i do question sainfoin as a daily forage addition for horses.
It’s traditionally been fed to cows…but then almost everything has been in the past fed to cows! Only relatively recently has it become a ‘fad food’ for horses, but i’d be interested in the temperaments of those that are on it as forage daily.
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Mine gets a big old scoop of sainfain nuts and chaff each day. Hasn’t changed his temperament at all, he’s a sweetheart.
 
Interestingly, I’ve got a mother and son who are super feed reactive. She competed to medium dressage and he is intermediate eventing. Both primarily compete(d) off grass and hay. Both are off their rockers on most commercial feeds and linseed. Interestingly, If/when they need a little extra both of them are safe on plain alfalfa.
 
Ambers Echo said:
Hi she’s super sensitive and I wondered if she’s on the right feed. She’s on Simple Systems: Lucie Nuts, Sainfoin chaff and Total Eclipse balancer.

She’s not got excessive energy - she’s unpredictably spooky rather than constantly wired. Her pattern is react first, ask questions later. If ever. And those reactions can be explosive. But the rest of the time she’s calm and works well.

Not sure if feed can change that really. But I’m covering all bases!
Click to expand...
I would take her off the Lucie nuts. Feed can certainly make horses unpredictably spooky, I've seen it many times, and alfalfa is a well- known catalyst
 
Simple Systems hay cobs are pretty benign if you're after a carrier. I feed the sainfoin chaff to my gelding in full work and it absolutely makes him more sparky.
 
There is grass now - so I would drop back to basics. Powdered vitamin and mineral mix, magnesium just in case, in a base of something benign like Fast Fibre or applechaff that has no alfalfa or anything heating. Fast Fibre is a safe way to add more calories - I have one who loses her mind on half a handful of cereals but puts on weight calmly with fast fibre!

Sometimes it is just them though. I feed the ultimate no excitement diet and have every temperament from laid back and unflappable to spooks at own shadow.
 
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