Recommend me low sugar feeds please

[GLEEK]

My horses are barefoot and are feeling there feet a bit at the moment. I have done a lot of reading and understand about the spring grass etc. However my girlies still need feeding at the moment. I would like some ideas for feeds to be giving them that are low sugar. I have 2 children so dont have that much time to stand in the shop reading all of the bags!! Thank you in advance

 

[Fransurrey]

The only thing mine get is Hi-Fi Lite, with Brewer's Yeast and a little Linseed for the laminitic gelding (my mare gets more). BY is also good for Lami prone ponies. So far, he isn't footy at all and he's also barefoot. Normally by now he would need shoes for hard work (beginning of March, actually). I started him on the BY in December, I think it was.

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

Allen & Page Fast Fibre or Topspec Topchop - is like Hifi lite but has no molasses on it but is lightly coated with soya oil instead.

 

[ThePony]

Annoyingly hifi lite does contain a low sugar molasses dressing so I avoid it with mine.
Topchop lite from topspec and Badmington horse feeds alfafa lite (the same product actually so just see which is cheaper from your supplier!) are free of added sugar. My super sweet tooth mare loves those chaffs and they suit her well - she goes nuts and gets warm feet on the smallest amount of sugar - spring grass is a total arse at the moment!
http://www.simplesystem.co.uk/ are also really good for no added stuff food, they are also handy for info on useful supplements (brewers yeast, seaweed, linseed, magnesium etc), though they aren't the cheapest tbh.
Good luck with your feed hunt, trying to find something that doesn't have sugar sprinkled all over is a real pain.
This forum is good for feed help and allsorts http://www.equineonline.net/horseforum/barefoot-horses/

 

[NOISYGIRL]

Spillers Happy hoof
Spillers High Fibre cubes
Alfa A Lite
Hi Fi Lite

Thats all I can think of at mo, you could look on laminitis trust website, they recommend low sugar feeds

 

[Achinghips]

mollichaff calmer

 

[belle31]

Hi Fi Lite
Hickstead Paddock Cubes
Hickstead Hi Fibre Cubes
Ready Mash

 

[_daisy_]

id highly recommend simple systems feed. I know a lot of people who are barefoot and they all feed simple systems grass nuts. All my 5 are barefoot and are fed lucienuts & blue bag grassnuts
becareful of things like hi fi, happy hoof etc as although they are supposedly made for laminitics they have a lot of molasses in

 

[ThePony]

scarily mollichaff calmer is 7% sugar, I still consider this quite high. If I were you I would try and avoid sugars as much as poss with barefoot horses. They don't need it and their general and hoof health can only be improved with a reduced sugar diet. There is enough sugar in the grass currently without adding to feet troubles by feeding more of it. I would check carefully the sugar content of lami and low sugar products, it isn't often as low as you might hope and most of them add sugar - such a pain!!

 

[palomino_pony]

lo-cal balancer

Hi -fi light

Spillers do a chaff+balancer ..think it is calm fibre or something?

 

[Shysmum]

My boy adores Healthy Hooves (Dengie). In fact so does my labrador to .... sm x

 

[Kenzo]

Try looking for feeds with the 'LAMINITIS TRUST' approval mark on the bag, this will give you indication of the feeds which are suitable to use because they minimise the risk of laminitis, once you see this, then have a gander at the small print, this will help when stood around choosing feed when you kids wanting to go off and do other things

 

[GLEEK]

Thank you all so much you are a very informative lot arent you?!!!! Its just annoying that from the name you think it would be ok then you start reading about it, its really not ok. So confusing. Thank you all so much

 

[tinkam]

My cob had to be on low sugar diet and I found the best feed was Badminton mix, but I can't remember the exact name of it. I am sure if you were to call Badminton horse feeds and ask them about the low sugar mix they will tell you exactly which one it is.

 

[dilbert]

I would go for simple systems or fast fibre.

My cob has simple systems lucie stalks (alfalfa) which I add his naf slimline and magnesium too but I thikn when it runs out I will go for the fast fibre with the supplements in it.

If you contact allan and page they will send you a sample

I think I read on a barefoot forum that the lami trust approved feeds aren't necessarily the best?

 

[GLEEK]

Thank you all very much i finally decided on hi-fi lite and fast fibre i also have a bag of magnesium in the post! Fingers crossed this will do the trick. Both my mares live out 24\7 and not really the easiest to do restricted grazing as my ID mare has no respect for electric fencing so it would be a waste of time as she makes a b line for it!!!