Older fit but fizzy horse

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Michelle1109

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Hi all

So I’ve been recommended to feed my 21 yr wb stud mix and speedibeat
He is looking ok for his age and is active - retired from Comps and ridden in light work one hours per day 6 days a week
he has lost his top line some what but is a bit of spooky fizzy ball so I need to keep the weight & condition but loose the fizz

He was on baileys everyday but the high starch seemed to fire him up
I can’t drop his feed as he will drop the weight

Previous total feed split in to 2 feeds
2kg baileys everyday
2kgs wet speedibeat
Cup of linseed oil
Feramo every horse vitamins (as directed)
Ad-lib hay

recommended feed
Total split in 2 feeds
4 or 500g stud mix (for its high protein)
3kg wet speedibeat
Cup linseed oil
No feramo vitamins
Ad-lib hay

I feel this is missing something :/
I’ve had 2 experts recommend this to me and I’m sure This will be fine

I wondered if anyone has a similar feed schedule

He drops weight quite easy so i can’t afford for him to do that at his age

I live in dubai so some feeds are hard to come by I was recommend lo-cal balancer but I can’t get it here so baileys said use the stud mix as it’s has a similar effect (which I am going to try)

Would be nice to hear other people’s experiences

Thanks
 
I think I've replied to a feed thread you posted before, and you didn't seem very interested in my comments - but I'll try again.
Baileys Stud mix, like virtually EVERY other mix available, is full of sugar, soya, and other crap. Mixes are the ready meals of the horse world, and I wouldn't recommend feeding them to any horse, particularly one in light work. If starch was causing problems on the Everyday mix, be prepared for things to get even worse on Stud mix! Also- If a Baileys rep told you it would be a suitable alternative for their lo-cal balancer - they should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves. Polar opposites!

The best thing you can do for your horse is to keep it as close to natural as possible. Grass chaff, linseed, speedibeet, and a balanced vit/min mix would do him just fine, and he won't be off his head on starch/sugar. Linseed is brilliant for condition - and far healthier than molassed mixes
 
Auslander said:
I think I've replied to a feed thread you posted before, and you didn't seem very interested in my comments - but I'll try again.
Baileys Stud mix, like virtually EVERY other mix available, is full of sugar, soya, and other crap. Mixes are the ready meals of the horse world, and I wouldn't recommend feeding them to any horse, particularly one in light work. If starch was causing problems on the Everyday mix, be prepared for things to get even worse on Stud mix! Also- If a Baileys rep told you it would be a suitable alternative for their lo-cal balancer - they should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves. Polar opposites!

The best thing you can do for your horse is to keep it as close to natural as possible. Grass chaff, linseed, speedibeet, and a balanced vit/min mix would do him just fine, and he won't be off his head on starch/sugar. Linseed is brilliant for condition - and far healthier than molassed mixes
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What she says, spot on!
 
Hi
I don’t think I’ve posted about feed before but anyhoo!

One was a bailey rep
One was a total independent

Can you give me examples of the problems you have had with the feeds mentioned and about your horse so I can get an idea, of what you mean by problems with the feed?

Also he isn’t a good doer so he needs help in the weight and muscles department

Hay is very low quality here as is most chaff and of course we have no grazing so we have to have a diet of formulated feeds
We live in a very dry hot country which also means limited turn out as much as I would like to go natural the environment around doesn’t always allow.
 
Michelle1109 said:
Hi
I don’t think I’ve posted about feed before but anyhoo!

One was a bailey rep
One was a total independent

Can you give me examples of the problems you have had with the feeds mentioned and about your horse so I can get an idea, of what you mean by problems with the feed?

Also he isn’t a good doer so he needs help in the weight and muscles department

Hay is very low quality here as is most chaff and of course we have no grazing so we have to have a diet of formulated feeds
We live in a very dry hot country which also means limited turn out as much as I would like to go natural the environment around doesn’t always allow.
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You did - here http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?754768-Weight-gain-older-horse

I can talk about my horse til I'm blue in the face, but it would be irrelevant, as he has different needs to yours. Happy to explain in greater detail what's wrong with molassed feed, full of soya/wheatfeed/other rubbish - I thought I'd already done that above, but let me know what bits aren't clear, and I'll try and help you.
 
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I would agree about not putting a veteran on a stud mix - and perhaps particularly not on the Bailey's one. But there are conditioning mixes that are more appropriate. Auslander is absolutely right about going toward a forage based feed solution with support from linseed or a speedibeet version. But if your horse has dental problems this can be a challenge.

You don't say what country you are in. Advice here is likely to be UK specific and I know -having had horses for many years in SA - that solutions in other countries can vary considerably. As can availability.

It would probably help to post the country you live in -and the region if large. (Feed availability varies massively in SA at least). Otherwise I would suggest you look toward Allen & Page if you can get it. They have a good range of forage based veteran feeds.
 
Shay said:
I would agree about not putting a veteran on a stud mix - and perhaps particularly not on the Bailey's one. But there are conditioning mixes that are more appropriate. Auslander is absolutely right about going toward a forage based feed solution with support from linseed or a speedibeet version. But if your horse has dental problems this can be a challenge.

You don't say what country you are in. Advice here is likely to be UK specific and I know -having had horses for many years in SA - that solutions in other countries can vary considerably. As can availability.

It would probably help to post the country you live in -and the region if large. (Feed availability varies massively in SA at least). Otherwise I would suggest you look toward Allen & Page if you can get it. They have a good range of forage based veteran feeds.
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Hi shay
I’m in dubai
He teeth are still ok so he can still chew :)
A and P we can’t get we are extreamly limited here baileys is prob the highest quality available that is easy to get there are some others but it can be hit and miss on stock levels which is not great some times they run out and the shipment is delayed etc etc

I’m trying to understand why the stud balancer I s not suitable and get info on anyone who has tried it in a similar circumstance
The stud balancer does have a high protein % but less energy and mixed with speedibeat and oil + hay seems to be a sensible idea
As it’s the ability keep his condition over summer and not create more fizz

The heat here really zaps the horses weight over summer (not just mine we all suffer in summer with weight and condition)
I was told a conditioning mix could be to much energy for him but a higher protein mix in small amounts along side Max forage and oils could help with the condition and weight:muscles issues ......and control the starch which = fizz
 
Michelle1109 said:
I’m trying to understand why the stud balancer I s not suitable and get info on anyone who has tried it in a similar circumstance
The stud balancer does have a high protein % but less energy and mixed with speedibeat and oil + hay seems to be a sensible idea
As it’s the ability keep his condition over summer and not create more fizz
Click to expand...

Just read this , and you've said stud balancer, not stud mix, which was what you said in your original post. They are two different products, and the balancer is not full of rubbish in the same way that the mix is. So - I withdraw my comments about sugar and starch, based on the new info. It's still not what I'd choose, but I understand the challenges of getting decent feed where you are.
 
Auslander said:
Just read this , and you've said stud balancer, not stud mix, which was what you said in your original post. They are two different products, and the balancer is not full of rubbish in the same way that the mix is. So - I withdraw my comments about sugar and starch, based on the new info. It's still not what I'd choose, but I understand the challenges of getting decent feed where you are.
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Sorry I did realise after re-reading I put mix instead of balancer (so used to talking mixes)

Yes balancers / vitamins and oils are held in high regard due to the lack of pasture and low quality hay
 
Michelle1109 said:
Yes balancers / vitamins and oils are held in high regard due to the lack of pasture and low quality hay
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Balancers are great - I use Saracen Stamm 30 on my old dressage horse, specifically for the high protein levels, and he looks great on it. I add a bit of linseed if he needs more condition on (rare occurence for him) but I do have the benefit of good quality hay, and lots of grass!

Can you get alfalfa/lucerne hay out there?
 
Auslander said:
Balancers are great - I use Saracen Stamm 30 on my old dressage horse, specifically for the high protein levels, and he looks great on it. I add a bit of linseed if he needs more condition on (rare occurence for him) but I do have the benefit of good quality hay, and lots of grass!

Can you get alfalfa/lucerne hay out there?
Click to expand...

We can but again it can be hit and miss OR it’s bad quality

Fresh al Falfa is easy to get here
 
Auslander said:
I used to work with international event horses, and they had alfalfa hay instead of normal hay - they looked fab on it.
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It’s not hay it’s the actual fresh plant alfalfa plants!!
That is easy to get here

There are versions of the hay blend over here but again full of sugar and they seem to have problems with keeping it due to heat, so they don’t like to stock it, same as some feeds they do not stock due to it not keeping well.

The biggest sport in the UAE is racing showjumping and endurance
So high energy high sugar formulas are in high demand
The feed here is cheap and nasty with to much sugar so you have to get very imaginative with what you can get

Hence why I opted for a stud BALANCER ;)
Lots of speedi beat
A good linseed oil
Ad-lib hay (it’s Burmuda hay) we also get Timothy but it makes horses quite loose

Less fizz less sugar good essentials and plenary of fibre and correct protein to help him out where he is missing this from good old field time

I just felt I was missing something as the pellets are in such small feed quantities he would prob look at me as of to say “emmmmmm where’s the rest of my dinner”
I suppose the bulk would come from the Speedi beat (1.5kg per feed)

It’s actually quite interesting learning how to feed based on different location, environment, availability of feeds etc

Ad not just based on work load and size of horse (which is what we can do in the uk.... for the most part that is as we know generally we have grazing/we know weather/ has turn out etc etc)
 
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