I'm looking for the perfect nutritious feed for my haffy.

[ahorseyreality]

Routine: She is fed haylage and has 2hts of turn out during the day
She is laminitus prone so needs a low starch sugar and feed, but is in decent work so needs something slightly substantial. I'm trying to fix the issue of her mane and tail being fragile and falling out, which I know is down to lack of lack of nutrition (haffies get fat very easily).
Open to combos of feeds that won't break the bank. Chaff, pellets, supplement suggestions etc welcome

Thank you!

 

[ihatework]

What is her weight like?
I’m feeding Smart Zero Mix to mine, which is low sugar/starch.
It is reasonably conditioning at 12-13mJ though so wouldn’t naturally suggest it for a native, but you say you want more?

 

[ahorseyreality]

She is literally right on weight at 455kg, so really all I need is something to regulate weight and build fitness. The only feed she has right now is a 1/2 a scoop of pony nuts.

 

[be positive]

More feed will not build fitness and 1/2 scoop of pony nuts will not provide enough nutrients to make up for very restricted grazing, I would get her turned out more so she is moving about which will help her fitness to a degree, muzzled if necessary, replace the nuts with something less high in sugar/ starch that can carry a broad spectrum supplement, high fibre cubes, speedibeet or an unmolassed chop would be a better choice , add some linseed to help improve her coat or use a balancer.

 

[ihatework]

She is literally right on weight at 455kg, so really all I need is something to regulate weight and build fitness. The only feed she has right now is a 1/2 a scoop of pony nuts.

Something like pure feeds fibre balance then.
Fitness will come from work, maybe consider a track turnout

 

[ahorseyreality]

I understand that pony nuts is not enough, nor will it build fitness. That is why I am making the change. I simply want a diet that is more nutritious to support muscle growth and all round health. More turnout isn't an option, as the grass is very rich in my area, and her having had laminitus twice before, I can't risk it. I am. Moving to a yard with poorer grass, so maybe in the future.
Thank you for the suggestion of fibre cubes, will do some research.

 

[Leo Walker]

Mine was in hard work but had restricted grazing. He also reacted like a lunatic to starches. The best things I found for him were pink mash as a base, a powdered no iron mineral supplement and build n glow or the similar one that was mainly rice bran oil and 40gms salt

 

[Bob notacob]

I would feed speedi beet (watch out for the molasses in other beets) Maybe a Dengie chaff with low sugar. a balancer .and for energy micronised linseed as required. I would not feed haylage but rather a good quality meadow hay. With haylage at 35% moisture content tne temptation to feed too little fibre worries me . Feeding enough can cause other problems.Haylage has its place but not for most horses.

 

[Micky]

Agrobs chop for fatties , can’t spell it! And micronised linseed for her mane and tail..

 

[windand rain]

If she can eat it alfalfa molasses free is great its higher in protein and lower than grass in starch and sugar so helps build muscle rather than fat. There are quite a few dengie, emerald green, pure feeds etc that make both molasses free chaff and nuts. A small amount of linseed will help her mane,tail and hooves

 

[Chinchilla]

Isn't feeding a low calorie feed and micronised linseed somewhat contradictory, as the latter is used to put weight on? Also, I thought you could feed biotin for manes and tail health (as well as hoof health)?

 

[windand rain]

Isn't feeding a low calorie feed and micronised linseed somewhat contradictory, as the latter is used to put weight on? Also, I thought you could feed biotin for manes and tail health (as well as hoof health)?

Depends on the quantity, a small amount has all the benefits of oil and protein without too many disadvantages. as little as a 35ml scoop will help hair and hooves. most biotin supplements have a little linseed in them anyway

 

[Morgan123]

Any evidence for that, Wind and Rain?!

OP, you'll probably notice you've got lots of different views here - hopefully you know it is speak to some nutritionists about your horse, it's free and you can consult different companies (or pay for an independent one) about your horses' specific requirements, for qualified advice. I recommend following Clare McCleod independent nutritonist on facebook for helpful advice too.

 

[TGM]

If it was mine I'd be swapping the pony nuts for a low starch/sugar balancer. A balancer contains the recommended daily amount of micronutrients in a small volume of feed (typically about 500g). Pony nuts will contain similar micronutrients but spread through a bigger amount of feed - typically something like 3kg. So if you feed half a scoop of nuts, then that won't supply her RDA, but if you upped the feed to 3kg then that would supply too many calories. Hence a low starch/low sugar balancer being a good option for this type of pony.

 

[ahorseyreality]

Don't worry, I'm not going to follow someone's advice blindly on a subject as important as nutrition. I have Co ducted my own research and contacted a few nutritionists. I simply wanted to find out about different products on the market.

 

[DabDab]

Isn't feeding a low calorie feed and micronised linseed somewhat contradictory, as the latter is used to put weight on? Also, I thought you could feed biotin for manes and tail health (as well as hoof health)?

Linseed appears to have a positive effect of hooves when fed at a relatively low level with a minimal overall impact on the animal's calorie intake.

Biotin is a funny one, it goes in cycles of being in or not as a hoof supplement. Most of the advice on dosage rates are extrapolated from other species. Personally I have never seen any effect of feeding it in the couple of horses I've fed it to, but it is likely that if it does work then the effective dosage rate varies a lot from one horse to another, so I may have just been getting the dosage rate completely wrong. But in any case, linseed I know and understand so that's what I feed.

 

[ester]

Most healthy horses should make enough of their own biotin.
I feed linseed with a low calorie feed, at a rate of a mug a day no observable weight gain (and I am careful as we treat him as metabolic)

My own preference has been low sugar/starch grass chaff (usually agrobs), equimins adv complete and linseed + oats when in hard work (as never had lami). (and 2 mugs of linseed a day).

I honestly really wish I had started feeding my native sooner than I did, he was much better and more energetic on less grass (but adlib hay) and more hard feed. I just don't think I was meeting his needs for his work levels before even though he looked ok.

 

[GeorgiaR95]

I have two and know your struggle with weight. Mine are out in a paddock with virtually no grass and have a small amount of hay at night, for nutrition they simply have treat balls with pony nuts and lots of veg. Their manes etc are in perfect tact. In winter they have a small amount of speedi beet (sugar free sugar beet), a small handful of happy hoof chaff (normal, I dont bother with molasses free) and a scoop of pony nuts. They dont gain weight on this, dont fizz up and get everything they need. Ideally she shouldnt need haylage if she has enough grass just give small amount of hay, so would probably turn out for a bit longer each day?. Hope it helps.

 

[Yardbird]

I would feed speedi beet (watch out for the molasses in other beets) Maybe a Dengie chaff with low sugar. a balancer .and for energy micronised linseed as required. I would not feed haylage but rather a good quality meadow hay. With haylage at 35% moisture content tne temptation to feed too little fibre worries me . Feeding enough can cause other problems.Haylage has its place but not for most horses.

What do you mean by your comment on haylage? Thought there were different sorts of haylage, some high fibre, low energy types being suitable for natives.