Please could I have some feed advice?

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nemo_

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I currently feed my 14.2hh Connemara gelding, who weighs 400kg and has a condition score of about 5;
1 scoop Alfa A
½ scoop Dengie Good doer
And a total of one scoop of a High fibre nuts and Spillers Response Slow release energy mix, in varying amounts depending on his workload. He’s lunged for 30 mins twice a week and hacked/ competed/hunted at the weekends, or he would be if it weren’t for the snow!!
And my retired 12hh mare, who weighs about 275kg, with a condition score of about 5 and who has previously suffered from laminitis, is fed:
1 scoop Dengie Good doer
½ scoop High fibre nuts.
Both get fed this split between 2 feeds, with ad lib hay overnight and turnout for 10 hours a day with reasonable grazing and hay if necessary.
Although they both look well on this, I don’t think this is really the best arrangement; I’m not feeding any of the feeds at the recommended amounts, I’m worried that they’re not getting all the vits & mins they need. Also, my Connie isn’t really keen on the Alfa A but will eat it if mixed with Good doer and my mare ‘s teeth aren’t great so she would probably benefit from something softer/soaked. So I don’t think this is the most efficient way of feeding them or the most cost effective!
So do you have any suggestions as to what might be a better, more balanced diet for them both?
Thanks!
 
I agree your feeding regime is a bit fussy. I've got a 13.3 Connemara and they are usually good-doers. I'm no expert but if they were mine I would probably feed something simpler as follows:

Connemara - a scoop of Hi-Fi lite, half scoop equibeet/kwikbeet/speedibeet and a general purpose vitamin/mineral supplement such as Feedmark Benevit or Top Spec balancer/powdered supplement twice daily. Does he really need the Spillers energy mix (my Connemara is as hot as hell).

Mare - a scoop Hi-Fi lite, scoop equibeet/kwikbeet/speedibeet/half scoop high fibre cubes all mixed together to make more of a mash. Also general purpose vitamin/mineral supplement twice daily.
 
Contact allen and paige they do good calm and condition feed and fast fibre feed which would be great for keeping your horse calm .I feed this plus chaff and it has all vits and mins needed for very highly strung tbx.Its very soft and palatable mixed with water.My mare can lose weight easily but is worked fairly hard and ott with wrong feed this suits her very well.
 
We feed Top Chop Lite chaff, Top Spec Anti Lam balancer and in this weather have added some Speedibeet to keep their fibre and moisture intake up. Very simple and gives the horses all they need.

Simple System feeds are good if you can get hold of them locally to you, especially as with them being soaked they are easy for the horses to eat.
 
Thanks for the advice all! Have emailed Allen and Paige and they have suggested fast fibre, so I'm thinking that might be worth a try. My connie is normally very calm, hence the mix and it does seem to make a bit of a difference but I think we'd manage without it! He also does drop weight quite easily in the winter, so is maybe not so much of a good doer as one might expect.
If I were to feed speedibeet which has 12.4 MJ/Kg of digestible energy compared to the 11.3MJ/kg, he would have more energy? As both are slow release energy? Sorry that's a real numpty question!
 
alfa a now comes in a sugar free format which has fenegreek and another herb , this might be more tasty for the pony
if you want more calories for less money then either go down the added oil route or add micronised linseed. this would help the oolder one i buy my linseed from charnwood mills
as for vits just add a balancer or general vit supplement
 
I am a recent simple systems convert and think it is fantastic. I feed my 17hh mare and 12.2 pony it. A lot of horses at the yard I'm at are fed it and they all look amazing and complete at affiliated level dressage/ jumping and eventing. It is as it says simple and much more natural than a lot of concentrated feeds. It is soaked which would be good for the teeth. I emailed them and got a lovely email back recommending a feeding regime for mine. They do a supplement too.
 
Keep it simple I say! My very good doer is on (per day) 2 scoops hifi lite or good doer and the recommended amount of baileys low cal balancer and a good amount of hay. I swear by a balancer for fatties who live on feash air. Last year he was on alfa beet aswell as he lost a bit of weight but this year he is still fat so Im keeping it simple with minimal calories.

I think with the weather this way as well you cant always get to exercise them as much as we would like, so keeping them trim is all the more important!
 
hoggedmane said:
I am a recent simple systems convert and think it is fantastic. I feed my 17hh mare and 12.2 pony it. A lot of horses at the yard I'm at are fed it and they all look amazing and complete at affiliated level dressage/ jumping and eventing. It is as it says simple and much more natural than a lot of concentrated feeds. It is soaked which would be good for the teeth. I emailed them and got a lovely email back recommending a feeding regime for mine. They do a supplement too.
Click to expand...

sorrry it probably sounds like a silly question but what is the simple system??
 
horsey mad matt said:
sorrry it probably sounds like a silly question but what is the simple system??
Click to expand...

Simple Systems is the name of the company - some would argue that their system of feeding is not really that simple! It is based on different types of alfalfa, grass and beet products, supplemented with things like linseed, seaweed, brewer's yeast etc. Feeds are fibre-based and cereal and mollasses free.

You can create your own version of the diet using products available in your local feed store - for example, Dengie alfalfa pellets, Dengie's new unmollassed Alfa A and unmollassed beet such as Speedibeet.
 
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