Feeding

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Sarah6

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Hi everyone, ive got an 18 year old horse who suffers from colic from time to time, at the moment he is on hifi, hi-fibre light nuts and 16+, ive been told too much fibre isn't good for horses? any ideas or experiences of good feeds for older boys in competition?
Thanx
 
HI, your horse's diet sounds very sensible. Too much concentrate feed (eg. course mix) can lead to gut problems, especially if fed in large quantities, due to undigested starch in the cereals reaching the hindgut (which is only suitable for digesting fibre) . So the pony nuts are a sound option as they are high in fibre and low in starch. A high fibre diet is recommended for horses prone to colic and is essential for gut health, and keep the horses warm internally due to the slow digestive process of fibre digestion. A diet for an older horse in work is best being based on slow release energy sources based on fibre and oil. Perhaps change him onto Alph-A-Oil for increased condition and controlled energy. Speedibeet is good to mix in if he has problems chewing, or just to increase palatability. If you choose to replace his current pony nuts to a conditioning feed, you could try Allen and Page's Calm and Condition, this feed is high in oil and very low in starch due to it being barley free ( unlike most conditioning feeds out there). The only time ive heard that too much fibre is bad for a horse, is a race horse. If they are fed hay before a race, it compromises performance due to the bulk in their tummy slowing them down! Hope this helps!! sorry about the lecture!!! good luck!!!
 
Quote: ive been told too much fibre isn't good for horses?

Who told you that?? Are they mad? Horses are designed to eat predominently fibre, in fact over two thirds of their digestive system is designed to digest fibre alone.

I always increase the fibre in older horses diets and also the variability of that fibre so that their hind gut, which may not be working as well as it did when they were younger, has plenty of support.

I think what you are feeding sounds fine
 
umm, fibre is the best thing for horses! it is cereal and starch and protein that cause the problems. they are designed to eat fibre, the more the better, within reason.
i would feed 1/2 scoop of wet bran twice a day in his feed to any horse prone to colic, with hi-fi, readigrass, sugar beet, alfa a, and very little coarse mix/nuts at all, tbh.
whatever you may have heard about bran being an unbalanced feed for horses, it is very good for their gut, and colic will kill them a lot faster than a potassium/calcium imbalance! a vet assured me of this, btw.
 
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