Oats for horses??

You Wont Forget Me

You Wont Forget Me

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Does anyone reccomend feeding their horses oats? I have considered giving my boy a bit but keep getting mixed views so rather unsure now! So would you feed your horse them and if not why not?
 
It really depends what you want to achieve from the oats

Oats are high protein, carbohydrate & fibre. They will help in the building of muscle and provide energy without putting on too much additionial weight.

With any feed given you need to consider the amount of work you are giving the horse. Feed more oats than needed and you may have a bouncy horse full of energy.

They are great to give the heavier breeds because they supply energy without too much extra weight.
 
why do you want to? what effects do you want from them? no point feeding them if you dont know why?

they can make some horses very energetic and sometimes a bit of a handful, probably not best if you have something already fizzy, must admit never made a difference with my gelding but i have seen some horses unhandleable on it so yeah depends on the horse.

im not sure if this is right but i think it may be good for horses who drop off weight but then again so does barley so you could feed just good ol' mix or pony nuts (mix mashed together with no malasses) but depends what you want it for :)
 
they are only good if your horse needs them ;) if you feel you need to give your horse something good for them give them a general supplement :)
 
Oats are highly palatable and will often encourage even the most picky of eaters to gobble their grub :)

I have recently started feeding Ellie just a double handful a day; her diet is quite low-energy otherwise, and at a couple of recent competitions I just felt she needed a bit of a boost. I would say they've definitely made a difference - she's getting fitter as well so that is helping, but I've noticed a bit of extra bounce (although not too much!) since I started feeding them :)

(That said, she was so on her toes tonight on the way in from the field that I had to wrap the rope around her nose - perhaps the oats are jazzing her up afterall :eek::p:D)
 
I am old enough to have been around when the first ;nuts' were brought onto the market (Spillers) but was always around people who fed straight feed and stuck to the old rules of feeding.
I did for several years start to feed the prepared mixes but found that the youngsters were getting overgrowth problems even though I was feeding a lot less than recommended. I also found that the ridden horses were being silly over things they had no right to be silly over so, I went back to feeding straights.

I now feed Equilibra and Tiger Oats and could not be more pleased with the way the horses go, the way the youngsters grow and how they all look.

I am very against feeding mixed feeds because of al the sugar there is in them.
 
yeah when i worked on an sj yard in france most the horses had a healthy portion of soaked oats to keep them ticking and digestion working nicely as well as a bit of kick : P
 
Foxhunter49 said:
I am old enough to have been around when the first ;nuts' were brought onto the market (Spillers) but was always around people who fed straight feed and stuck to the old rules of feeding.
I did for several years start to feed the prepared mixes but found that the youngsters were getting overgrowth problems even though I was feeding a lot less than recommended. I also found that the ridden horses were being silly over things they had no right to be silly over so, I went back to feeding straights.

I now feed Equilibra and Tiger Oats and could not be more pleased with the way the horses go, the way the youngsters grow and how they all look.

I am very against feeding mixed feeds because of al the sugar there is in them.
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DITTO :D
 
Oats are brilliant. Far less starchy and heating than maize or barley they are also highly digestible. My very buzzy TB mare is prone to low grade colic and my vet told me that it was most likely the cubes I was feeding at the time that was causing it. The cooking (is it called micronising? Can't remember) the cubes go through can make them indigestible to some horses. She has never colicked when fed oats. Many mixes are full of sugar which is also FAR more likely to make a horse buzzy than oats. However, it is VERY important to balance oats with a calcium high supplement or alfalfa. If feeding alfalfa general wisdom suggests feeding twice as much alfalfa (by weight) as oats. I love 'em. Will never feed anything else again.
 
Foxhunter49 said:
I am old enough to have been around when the first ;nuts' were brought onto the market (Spillers) but was always around people who fed straight feed and stuck to the old rules of feeding.
I did for several years start to feed the prepared mixes but found that the youngsters were getting overgrowth problems even though I was feeding a lot less than recommended. I also found that the ridden horses were being silly over things they had no right to be silly over so, I went back to feeding straights.

I now feed Equilibra and Tiger Oats and could not be more pleased with the way the horses go, the way the youngsters grow and how they all look.

I am very against feeding mixed feeds because of al the sugar there is in them.
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I use Blue Chip and Tiger Oats and they all look great on them:0
 
PapaFrita said:
The cooking (is it called micronising? Can't remembebr ) thed cubes geo throughk can makeo thoem indicgestible to some hors es. .e
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Cubes are cooked by the heat generated during the pelleting process.As such,it is a pretty hit and miss afair and protein can be denatured (technical term for B++++++D up)Micronising is the use of microwaves to cook for example Barley. This is a much more controlled process and is used to make the starch granules more digestable.:cool:
 
Mike007 said:
Cubes are cooked by the heat generated during the pelleting process.As such,it is a pretty hit and miss afair and protein can be denatured (technical term for B++++++D up)Micronising is the use of microwaves to cook for example Barley. This is a much more controlled process and is used to make the starch granules more digestable.:cool:
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Thanks for that :)
 
I feed oats, have done for years. I have tried other feeds on various occassions but have always been disappointed with the results and returned to my usual combo of oats, sugar beet, alfalfa chaff, high fibre cubes and a broad spectrum supplement.

Feeding sugar beet also helps balance the calcium :)
 
bakedbean said:
Me too.

Mixes are for lazy horse owners who dont understand how to feed their animals correctly.
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Not fair to say its for lazy people but more for those brainwashed by advertising and also lack of training in how to feed horses.

The majority of trainers I've worked for over the years have successfully fed just oats and chaff with supplements. One did feed mixes and had tying up problems with several horses.

I remember the first Meusli type feeds and I remember the havoc it played with some horses I knew that were being fed it. They went from sensible young riders horses to monsters in a matter of days. One ditched his rider so hard the child never rode him again and he came to me for schooling. I had no problems with him once back on the basics and grass.

I swear that modern feeds are the reason we have so many lamanitic horses, insulin problems and allergies. These situations just were not around in the 60's - 80's and I worked in yards with 100 horses or more. You would think that statistics would have put some of these problems in at least one of the yards. Head flicking was barely heard off - I knew two, one definately photophobic and the other resulting from a fall and damaging the tri geminal nerve - was in the days before equine chiro's.

Currently mnie get fresh air and grass 24/7 - this is their third winter without having any hard food. They have occaisionally had some hay when frosts have been heavy.
 
I feed soaked oats to everything, mares, stallion, youngstock, riding horses, ponies. Never fizzed up our ponies and my extremely fizzy arab actually calmed down on them!

I feed quite high % alfa hay and my pastures are planted with alfa too.


This may be of interest:

http://www.thehorseshoof.com/oats1.html

This article was published in The Horse's Hoof Magazine Issue 14, Winter 2004.

*Note: Some horses are grain-intolerant or sensitive to oats. Avoid feeding oats if you suspect EPSM/PSSM, muscle problems, or metabolic disorder.
 
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Evelyn said:
They have occasionally had some hay when frosts have been heavy.
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Ruddy hell!

Try doing that when there is at least 8" of snow on the ground for 3 or 4 months every year:(

I have forgotten what it is to have grass in winter! I knew we should have gone to NZ rather than here ;)
 
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Enfys said:
Ruddy hell!

Try doing that when there is at least 8" of snow on the ground for 3 or 4 months every year:(

I have forgotten what it is to have grass in winter! I knew we should have gone to NZ rather than here ;)
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I'm in an area that doesn't get snow! EVER..............:D

I did think of you all last winter, struggling to manage in that awful weather - be thankfull it wasn't 1963 all over again - I remember it snowed on Boxing Day '62 and the snow stayed to Easter of 63 we were kids then and built snowmen & igloos and were able to walk on top of the snow it had frozen so thick - its a long time since I had a winter in UK I wonder why? :D. Snow is very pretty - for a few hours then I'm seriously over it.

I've been lucky - 1 five acre paddock and 3 horses - there is always food! Even after the horrendous drought we had a few years ago I had grazing. I don't know yet how I'll fare this winter though - my paddock was sold and I've moved to a smaller place, but I have one less horse now Milo has gone to boarding school - he's with his competition rider and learning lots. We are having a very mild but currently wet winter and the grass is still growing.
 
Evelyn said:
I'm in an area that doesn't get snow! EVER..............:D and we can guarantee it!:D

I did think of you all last winter, struggling to manage in that awful weather - be thankfull it wasn't 1963 all over again - I remember it snowed on Boxing Day '62 and the snow stayed to Easter of 63 we were kids then and built snowmen & igloos and were able to walk on top of the snow it had frozen so thick
That sounds familiar, when we have a bit of a thaw and then a freeze again we can (and have done so) skate on our garden and fields! I take it that you weren't born in NZ then? -

its a long time since I had a winter in UK I wonder why? :D.
I haven't had one for 6 years now either, bliss, very little rain, no mud...except this Spring has been dreadfully wet

Snow is very pretty - for a few hours then I'm seriously over it.
Bizarrely, I adore the snow, love, love, love our winters, everything about it, blue skies, sunshine, powder snow (not that godawful slushy muck the UK tends to get for a week or so each year - past two years excepted of course;)) our average temperature - for months is -10C (on a warm day) and we live in the warm part ;)

I've been lucky - 1 five acre paddock and 3 horses - there is always food! Even after the horrendous drought we had a few years ago I had grazing. I don't know yet how I'll fare this winter though - my paddock was sold and I've moved to a smaller place, but I have one less horse now Milo has gone to boarding school - he's with his competition rider and learning lots. We are having a very mild but currently wet winter and the grass is still growing.
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I forget, you are in winter now, so easy to do that when I am sweltering and thanking the powers that be for my a/c. What sort of temperature do you have?
 
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Years ago when none of these specialised? feeds existed whole Oats were given to speed up horses and would only be given if they were in work. Horses loved them they would have one scoop!

Any old elderly retired poor weight keepers would be given a scoop too. I remember big lumps of linseed for a nice shiny coat as well.

It seemed feed in its more natural form and not so processed but hey I dont really know if it was better then?
 
My boy gets Calm and Condition when he is working, no cereal no barley no molasses, no sugar added. I would not recommend anyone to feed oats unless they had good reason and were able to make up a balanced diet.
In Ye Olde days I could buy Scotch Oats and Broad Bran (from the last mill in Cumbria to make the real stuff). I bought a bag of Equivite from the saddler (he made and repaired saddles), sometimes a hunting farmer would give me a (hessian) sack full of chaff made from clean oat straw and good horse hay.
 
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Evelyn said:
Not fair to say its for lazy people but more for those brainwashed by advertising and also lack of training in how to feed horses.

The majority of trainers I've worked for over the years have successfully fed just oats and chaff with supplements. One did feed mixes and had tying up problems with several horses.

I remember the first Meusli type feeds and I remember the havoc it played with some horses I knew that were being fed it. They went from sensible young riders horses to monsters in a matter of days. One ditched his rider so hard the child never rode him again and he came to me for schooling. I had no problems with him once back on the basics and grass.

I swear that modern feeds are the reason we have so many lamanitic horses, insulin problems and allergies. These situations just were not around in the 60's - 80's and I worked in yards with 100 horses or more. You would think that statistics would have put some of these problems in at least one of the yards. Head flicking was barely heard off - I knew two, one definately photophobic and the other resulting from a fall and damaging the tri geminal nerve - was in the days before equine chiro's.

Currently mnie get fresh air and grass 24/7 - this is their third winter without having any hard food. They have occaisionally had some hay when frosts have been heavy.
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Agree totaly.
 
I currenlty have a 14 2 cob mare who gets stay power cubes as she does endurance (yes it's not just arabs who can do that!!), she also get oat's when she's had a hard ride, and does really well on them!! I used to feed her alfa a, but she went absolutely psycho on that, so it just goes to show that oats aren't always the fizz inducing food that people expect them to be!! I also have a 29 year old TB who is fed on calm and condition and oats, he is only ridden quietly about once a month, but the oats help keep the weight on him without making him fizzy!! I'm a big fan!!
 
You Wont Forget Me said:
Hmm thanks everyone for your opinions, still getting mixed opinions just gonna keep him on them and see how we get on, if he gets to fizzy i'll take him back off them :)
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you have to feed a mix of straights if you are going down that path, oats are not the best feed if that is the only feed, you need a min and vit supplement, and some good chaff to ensure mastication. Rolled oats are usually fed in preference to whole oats as they may otherwise go straight through, but then you need to get them rolled every week, I assume you check poo daily?
Australian oats are pretty good, they need to be cleaned to remove dust, so by the time the processor has his margin you don't save much. I suggest you could go over to Mare and Youngstock, but feed at least half recommended weight, M&Y has oats, peas, and all sorts plus minerals and a milk powder, I feed my boy on this, but not when I he is in work as he is too spooky!
I worked for the champion trainer for a few years, and our jump horses were rested over the summer, but fed a scoop of oats daily to keep hard muscle on them.
 
Enfys said:
I feed soaked oats to everything, mares, stallion, youngstock, riding horses, ponies. Never fizzed up our ponies and my extremely fizzy arab actually calmed down on them!
This may be of interest:

http://www.thehorseshoof.com/oats1.html

This article was published in The Horse's Hoof Magazine Issue 14, Winter 2004.

*Note: Some horses are grain-intolerant or sensitive to oats. Avoid feeding oats if you suspect EPSM/PSSM, muscle problems, or metabolic disorder.
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WOW I was digesting this article till it came to the bit about quantities.... five pounds of oats at every meal, that could be 15 to 20 lbs, even with a bit of exercise and a 18.00 hand horse, that is ridiculous....
I note that later on they gave more realistic feeds.
Did you know that TB stallions who are working hard (covering three times a day) sometimes get laminitis due to their rich diet, and they are not fat, just fit.
 
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MrsD123 said:
WOW I was digesting this article till it came to the bit about quantities.... five pounds of oats at every meal, that could be 15 to 20 lbs, even with a bit of exercise and a 18.00 hand horse, that is ridiculous....
I note that later on they gave more realistic feeds.
Did you know that TB stallions who are working hard (covering three times a day) sometimes get laminitis due to their rich diet, and they are not fat, just fit.
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They did say it was a maximum and not the reccomended amount.Oddly enough these figures are similar to those given in the old British Army animal management book. I also suspect that their idea of a horse in "hard work" is greatly different to our modern view.I quote"With horses in strong work the amount which they may be given is practicaly as much as the animal cares to consume".
 
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