Ideas to get fussy horse to eat feed with supplement in :(

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BarneyTheChestnutOne

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Hi all,
So my horse had a change of diet in april to try and improve the quality of his feet. He has been fine up until now eating up but the last week he has decided to pick through his feed and leave his (expensive) supplement :(

He is fed once daily at the moment while living out:
1 scoop hifi molasses free, 1 mug spillers high fibre cubes, 1 mug micronised linseed, 1 scoop progressive earth's pro hoof.

I normally water down so its quite wet.
He isn't a fan of speedibeet/fast fibre type feeds.

Does anyone have any ideas to get him to eat up? He was previously on a pelleted balancer but his feet weren't great and still need some improvement.

Thanks in advance :)
 
I would change the HiFi for dried grass, which might tempt him a bit more. I can never see the point of feeding a straw-based chaff along with other hard-feed, just cut out/adjust the hard feed, imo
 
Pearlsasinger said:
I would change the HiFi for dried grass, which might tempt him a bit more. I can never see the point of feeding a straw-based chaff along with other hard-feed, just cut out/adjust the hard feed, imo
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Thank you :) yes I think maybe swapping the chaff may be a good idea. He was previously fed happy hoof (with top spec leisuretime balancer) but heard it had molasses and sugar in it so not essentially good for feet. I did wonder if I would need something higher calorie for winter though As he does tend to drop a bit.
 
I sympathise because I have a very fussy eater and the list of things she won't eat just keeps getting longer & longer, if I have to add bute or wormer then it's absolutely impossible to get her to eat and it's so frustrating!

I haven't tried the Halley's Timothy chop but I have tried their Timothy Blox which is essentially the same thing albeit in a different 'format'. I used to soak it so it was like wet chop and she would actually eat some of this so it might be worth a try. My other 2 would eat it with no issues although they eat most things but I found it to be quite succesful all round.

Good luck!
 
Thank you both some things to try out definately. I had forgotten cubes could be soaked I think I will try this first as I like how he looks on this diet so minimal changes would be preferable :)
Having a fussy eater is such a pain, he gets bored easily :/
 
My fussy one loves TopSpec FibrePlus cubes soaked so that could be an option - I know there are a million feed suggestions out there but having lived with a fussy for years these are always eaten readily and not a million miles away from what you feed now. There are no vits & mins in them but your Pro Hoof should be giving you that I guess so if soaking your cubes don't work these could be an option. I've recommended them to a few people and they've been eaten with relish every time.
 
Mine will only eat supplement if feed made up night before with some molasses water (bit like squash) and left to soak overnight, doesn't seem to matter if pony nuts or topspec lite as long as its something which will expand! to hide taste!
 
If you are concerned about sugar/molasses then I would rid the high fibre cubes as last time I checked they had molasses in.

The only thing that works for Nugz to mask strong flavours is peppermint essence :D
 
If he like Peppermint then try using peppermint oil. Prolonged soaking can have an effect on the vitamins in the supplements.

TBH the amount of sugar/molasses in a supplement will be so minimal that it shouldn't hurt to feed.

Pearlsassigner, feeding chop/chaff with concentrates is important to ensure the horse chews the feed properly to add saliva to the mix to reduce the acid level in the gut. Chaff slows the food through the whole system improving digestion and nutrient uptake.
 
Tnavas said:
If he like Peppermint then try using peppermint oil. Prolonged soaking can have an effect on the vitamins in the supplements.

TBH the amount of sugar/molasses in a supplement will be so minimal that it shouldn't hurt to feed.

Pearlsassigner, feeding chop/chaff with concentrates is important to ensure the horse chews the feed properly to add saliva to the mix to reduce the acid level in the gut. Chaff slows the food through the whole system improving digestion and nutrient uptake.
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Such a minefield, but I think my plan of action for now is to pre soak the cubes with hot water for 20 mins and then mix the chaff and supplement in well and feed straight away. It is normally sloppy as I don't like to feed too dry, so will I need to add more water once all mixed together do you think?
 
Try a dash of apple cider vinegar?

Or if it is the boring chaff he is objecting to try readigrass. Mine is barefoot and i moved over to readigrass last winter as he got very bored of the chaff.
 
stilltrying said:
Try a dash of apple cider vinegar?

Or if it is the boring chaff he is objecting to try readigrass. Mine is barefoot and i moved over to readigrass last winter as he got very bored of the chaff.
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Thank you seems like dried grass has worked for other fussy horses. I had some success with pre soaking the cubes tonight though they weren't completely soaked to mash just partly soaked and then mixed in :)
 
My fussy sod isn't keen on fast fibre, fibre cubes, just grass ... we've now got him on a very small amount of ReadyMash Extra (200g) with his supplements mixed in and the bucket is licked clean on a daily basis!

He's a good-doer so is really only fed for the supplements.
 
Probably not the best idea for you, due to sugar content, but I add a splash of apple juice to my fussy mares feed. its enough to disguise the taste of her supplement :)
 
dibbin said:
My fussy sod isn't keen on fast fibre, fibre cubes, just grass ... we've now got him on a very small amount of ReadyMash Extra (200g) with his supplements mixed in and the bucket is licked clean on a daily basis!

He's a good-doer so is really only fed for the supplements.
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Thank you i have tried fast fibre and didn't even touch the bowl! He has had readigrass before when he has been in on box rest/stabled more in the winter and he will eat it but its a slow process. So hard to feed a fussy horse and the most annoying thing is he absolutely loved the topspec diet (cool condition cubes, leisuretime balancer, happy hoof and micronised linseed) its just that it didn't seem to do his feet any favours :(

The last couple of days he has finished his feed, albeit slowly. But I'm not sure how long this will last :(
 
My horse decided to be fussy when the grass came through in the Spring time and stopped eating any feeds with supplements in, so I added NAF mint which he loved, and then later on changed to the NAF Mint and Garlic combined supplement, works a treat. It's so strong, you can still smell the garlic hours after he's been fed.
 
Mine gets hifi molasses free, linseed, probalance, yeasacc and spearmint. I bought a 900g bag from progressive earth of the spearmint and he certainly prefers his feed with the mint in. It smells amazing and that bag has lasted me 4 months at least now, and there's still loads left. The hifi also has mint and fenugreek in which helps too. He gets a handful of the hifi so I think a bag of that last for months too :)

Spearmint all the way :)
 
Thanks mint does seem popular fir the fussy type :) and I need to order some pro hoof anyway so may grab a bag whilst I'm ordering in case.
I have very slightly upped the cubes to 1 and 1/2 mugs and decreased chaff to 3/4 scoop with the linseed and pro hoof and he licked his bucket clean :)
I am thinking of feeding ers pellets over the winter but don't want to start these too early before he needs the additional calories so hopefully he will be happy with the adjustments I've made for now.
 
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