Poll.. who still feeds a hot bran mash?

[MissDeMeena]

As the title says really...
Just intrested really.. who still feeds a hot bran mash, say once or twice a week??
I don't mean just bran, or wet bran.. but who bothers to boil the kettle etc...

 

[Haniki]

My horses wouldn't eat them even if I wanted to feed them!

 

[Eira]

I do .
Had it drummed into my head by YO to do it about 3 years ago .

 

[Henbug]

I do after hunting

 

[brightmount]

Yes I fed it like that after my horse had colic, then for a few weeks afterwards but let it go cold and mixed in other feed like Alfa. My horse loved it, maybe she's odd. I would have continued to feed it but I heard it upsets the nutrient balance, can't remember the exact details, but I think it's high in phosphorus which makes a horse calcium-deficient unless limestone flour is added in.

 

[MissDeMeena]

I think that's only if you feed it on a reg. basis, once poss. twice a week is fine

 

[Tinker_Belle]

Yes. I do. If she's done a hard days work through the winter or is a bit sniffly & quiet then I will feed it hot, yes.

And she adores it.

 

[pocket]

I dont feed them every week, but tend to feed them if Ralph is poorly or as a treat

 

[sunlover]

I do occasionally feed a mash, post hunting, under the weather, days off etc. and love the ritual of boiling the kettle, tea towel over the bucket while it cools, and that gorgeous smell. I love the taste too....

 

[SirenaXVI]

Nope, upsets the gut flora if fed once or twice a week

 

[SAL66]

I used to as a matter of course years ago , everyone did, but now I never do. I guess its changing times, like hoof oil I was always told to slap it on the hoofs as a child, now you are frowned upon if you do!

 

[MagicMelon]

I dont, never have done. Dont see the point TBH.

 

[gothdolly]

I do if he has had colic, after getting soaked with rain, or if he has a chill or is on box rest suddenly (a frequent occurance for us...)

its always in my tack room.
I know its old fashioned but i would not be without it.

 

[MissDeMeena]

[ QUOTE ]
Nope, upsets the gut flora if fed once or twice a week

[/ QUOTE ]

care to explain further?

 

[fruity]

I've fed it after hunting and when my old mare had a virus,i'd def use it again when i start to hunt my current mare.Great for when they come back from a wet days hard work and you put them to bed with a warm rug and bran mash,all the horses i've given it to have loved it!

 

[mrdarcy]

Never.

The bacteria living in a horse's digestive tract is balanced to deal with the horse's normal diet. That's the reason you only introduce a new feed or a change of feed very gradually - giving the gut flora a chance to adapt.

Suddenly feeding something on an irregular basis or even once a week - like a bran mash - upsets the balance of the bacteria/gut flora and can cause diarrhoea and/or colic.

Plus there's no actual benefit of feeding a warm bran mash. The 'warming' effect for the horse after eating it lasts maybe five-ten minutes at most. A horse will get much more warming benefit by eating lots of forage... the very act of eating and digesting forage (fibre) warms the horse up better than anything else.

A better way if you really do want to feed a warm meal to your horse is to take it's normal mix/cubes and pour the warm water onto that.

 

[TGM]

I don't bother with bran mashes. My horse's feeds are all based on soaked fibre foods anyway, so don't need the laxative effect of a bran mash. If I really felt that the horses would benefit from a warm feed, then I would soak their normal feed in hot water rather than cold.

 

[wormhugs]

Well said! That is what I would have said, but in a much more coherent way

 

[SirenaXVI]

[ QUOTE ]
Never.

The bacteria living in a horse's digestive tract is balanced to deal with the horse's normal diet. That's the reason you only introduce a new feed or a change of feed very gradually - giving the gut flora a chance to adapt.

Suddenly feeding something on an irregular basis or even once a week - like a bran mash - upsets the balance of the bacteria/gut flora and can cause diarrhoea and/or colic.

Plus there's no actual benefit of feeding a warm bran mash. The 'warming' effect for the horse after eating it lasts maybe five-ten minutes at most. A horse will get much more warming benefit by eating lots of forage... the very act of eating and digesting forage (fibre) warms the horse up better than anything else.

A better way if you really do want to feed a warm meal to your horse is to take it's normal mix/cubes and pour the warm water onto that.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thankyou! Saved me the bother!

 

[Titchyfarter]

A well known competition horse stud/training centre owned and run by possibly Britain's leading female equestrian, feeds (or certainly did 4 years ago) bran to every single horse, every single night. She also thought that feeding SB was empty calories, as horses 'melt' on it at competitions.