Mash Feed

AdorableAlice

AdorableAlice

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Can anyone guide me regarding mash feed that can be diluted to a soup consistency which allows the fluid to be consumed as a drink.

I have a mare that is a problem to get enough fluid into and without the fluid she impacts. So far we have has success with grass nut soup but she has now given up with that. Sugar beet juice was a favourite but that is ignored now. Currently having success with Saracen Recovery banana flavour in warm water, but I need to have something else for when that goes out of fashion.

The horse is out of work and a good doer, has M/S so I need to watch sugars, but all the above feeds can be soaked at the rate of 1/2 to 1kg in a 2&1/2 gallon bucket of fluid so the calories are not huge.

All ideas gratefully received.
 
Apparently Equidgel is good for getting fluid in.

Also, as an added incentive, have you tried Horse Quencher in a bucket of water, it gets my "refuse to drink when away from home" horse to down half a bucket at a time....does have some molasses, but the amount would be minimal overall.
 
You can now get Saracen Re-Leve in cube form which is great for soaking. I use it for taking to shows as one of mine refuses to drink. It smells lovely, my lot think its very tasty and low starch and low sugar so great for good doers.
 
I like the rowan and barbary mashes. I currently feed my good doer on the fibre mash and she looks really good on it, fits in well with the cushings and the other bits I have to manage.
They do a few other ones as well which may be more suitable but can make it as soupy as you need too and only takes a few minutes
 
Mine go nuts for the Spillers Speedy Mash Fibre. Even my fussy little old lady who does NOT appreciate the taste of minerals... she has chaff currently but would knock me down flat for the dregs of MrT's Spillers Mash. So much so that I've started mixing her some Mash into her chaff. ? And will probably start getting her her own mash once I've worked my way through the chaff.
 
PapaverFollis said:
Mine go nuts for the Spillers Speedy Mash Fibre. Even my fussy little old lady who does NOT appreciate the taste of minerals... she has chaff currently but would knock me down flat for the dregs of MrT's Spillers Mash. So much so that I've started mixing her some Mash into her chaff. ? And will probably start getting her her own mash once I've worked my way through the chaff.
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The equine hospital, for which the mare has a season ticket, uses the spillers speedy mash, it is on the shopping list for tomorrow.
 
Little Dragon likes it so much that she insists on drinking the half bucket of warm water I have just used to rinse out the feed buckets. I tried to stop her for a while as it seems a bit gross but it was like wrestling a very angry bear... this only started after the Spillers came on the scene. Little Dragon is definitely well hydrated now! ? whatever makes an old lady happy!
 
PapaverFollis said:
Little Dragon likes it so much that she insists on drinking the half bucket of warm water I have just used to rinse out the feed buckets. I tried to stop her for a while as it seems a bit gross but it was like wrestling a very angry bear... this only started after the Spillers came on the scene. Little Dragon is definitely well hydrated now! ? whatever makes an old lady happy!
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Any water down the gullet is good for my horse. I have never had this type of problem before and I've had horses for over 45 years.
 
sugar free ribena in her water? Even better if you slightly warm it so the smell is stronger. You could try mint cordial and apple juice/squash as well. If you juiced some carrots you could try that. It should make carroty soup with water added.
 
Baileys aqua aid (it's an electrolyte) with a handful of alfa in goes down well here.
Or pink mash, or pelleted balancers also sort of seem to dissolve in water
 
Youre probably doing this already, but will mention just in case - i notice after mine have their minerals mixed with soaked beet pulp, i also mix in a level-ish dessert spoon of fine salt - and after that 1 meal they noticeably drink more than they do on their forage feeds - so salt can really encourage drinking.

I accurately gauge their drinking habits as i fill back to top multiple times a day/night, whenever i feed them…so can easily gauge how much they drink after each feed. They drink more after 1kg soaked beet with salt, than 3kg hay/lage mix.

Im the same after chips with liberal salt sprinkled to be honest! Its the only time after food i can easily down a pint of water ?
 
I'm Dun said:
sugar free ribena in her water? Even better if you slightly warm it so the smell is stronger. You could try mint cordial and apple juice/squash as well. If you juiced some carrots you could try that. It should make carroty soup with water added.
Click to expand...

Yep, I’ve used any sugar free squash in the past.
 
Thank you all so much. She is drinking the Saracen Recovery today and I have stocked up on a few other varieties. The Lamigel and Equigel look interesting but possibly too expensive to use several times a day.

Why any animal won't drink enough baffles me, it is a basic need after all.
 
Have you tried adding mint? Just literal dried mint to the water. I've seen it work on quite a few, especially when they aren't drinking cod it's cold
 
20 odd years ago my mare didn’t drink for a month. Not a drop. She was monitored very closely as she had EGS. Fortunately she never stopped eating. I wet her hay, turned her out on pretty good grass and twice a day fed her ‘equine minestrone soup’. This was everything I thought might tempt her in one of those round polythene mangers half filled with water. She chased the feed and got the water.
I don’t think all the other suggestions were available then.
 
Could there be something hormonal going on AA? Just thinking about how PPID makes them drink a lot... could she have an under-active pituitary gland or something? I don't even know if that might be a thing. It just seems very odd. Very stressful and difficult for you.
 
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