Nut? Which can be fed soaked or dry? Suggestions please?

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trottingon

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I am looking for a feed ideally a "nut" that will break down to become mushy/sloppy when soaked, but can also be fed dry when required, for my Welsh section A.

He could do with a little bit more energy, however is a very good doer so I don't want to risk him putting on weight if I can, although he will be ridden a lot more this summer than previous years so I'm hoping (fingers crossed) it'll be a bit easier to keep him reasonably trim this year. (I prefer to feed sloppy feeds as I've had to cope with colic in the past and I believe sloppy feeds help to avoid this - this is based on my personal opinion rather than any studies, so if you disagree please just humour me on this subject, thanks).

However he will be living out over the summer, so I will be taking into account the work he will be doing, but ideally will only be feeding him on the occasional night he is stabled, eg: before a show etc so he doesn't feel left out when the others are fed, however if I feel he needs it he'll just get one small feed a day (a handful).

Over winter he has been stabled overnight and had a soaked handful of Fast Fibre morning and night to prevent him feeling left out when all the others are fed.

Does Baileys Lo-Cal Balancer go mushy or stay in nut form if it is soaked? Should I stick to basic pony nuts or grass nuts? Or does anyone have any other suggestions please?
 
You can soak most makes of pony nuts, we do.

Alfalfa pellets can be fed dry or soaked. I soak them. Or feed as nuts for treats. Some horses/ponies can have an intolerance though so ask for a sample bag first to check if I were you.

Grass nuts exactly the same.

Baileys Lo-Cal definitely goes mushy as my friend soaks it in with grass nuts. I am sure most other balancers would probably do the same... why wouldn't they? Most of them have the same basic ingredients.
 
personally I would never feed dry nuts ever unless in a treat ball when they can only get one or two at a time. I would be happier feeding their vitamins in summer by using equibites either from my hand or tossed in a bucket if you dont hand feed
 
Tallyho thanks for your comments.
Windandrain thanks as well, but as i said i also don't like to feed nuts dry, and they would be diaked gif feeding yhe vast majority of the time, I'm just looking for something I can feed on the odd occasion I decide to keep him in overnight at the last minute. I know FF says it only needs soaking for ten mins or whatever, but I like to soak it overnight - try it and see the difference in it's bulk! I might never need to feed them dry but I'm trying to cover all bases just in case! It can be very restricting over the summer if the only feed you have has to be soaked overnight.
Any other suggestions anyone?
 
In which case try grass nuts or pony nuts both will mush up if soaked and both officially can be fed dry. Pony nuts soak up really quickly to a softer feed and dont swell as much as grass nuts
Good luck I hope all goes well and you find what you are looking for
 
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