Simple System Feeds

Hi, I posted on this the other day in Stable Yard - http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/2563023/an/0/page/0#2563023 in case you haven't seen it... Some general comments on SS on there. The general consensus is very positive, I've just ordered some to try on my mare.
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Like that my horses are 100% more same whilst having them, they all look shiny and have lovely coats/hooves. They are fairly cost effective, and it is super handy that I can ride straight after feeding them!! Also, for horses that tend to run to fat, they can have a much more substantial amount of food than they would if they had mix etc. Plus I can feed all 4 (ranging from a 13hh pony to a 16.2 ISH) the same stuff in varying quantities.
Dislike - having to remember to soak it and having to order in bulk and remember to order in plenty of time!

Have to say though, on balance, moving over to SS was one of the best things I've ever done for my horses. Took them a while to get to like it, but eventually they gave in and now they love it.
 
oh right, ok, thankyou! im hoping to order some soon.

i had read your thread the other day but didnt find out what i wanted to, as your thread specifically (sp) asked about the lunar eclipse and adding that to alfa a- i want opinions on the whole package! thanks tho.
 
Donadea - hope it works as well for you as it has for me - don't forget though, they usually refuse it to start with because they are missing the sugars/starch in the mixes etc, but eventually they do start eating it and will get used to it....and then after a bit more time they love it!!
 
I have heard/read a lot about this and I do struggle to feed my TB but I don't see the difference between this and feeding alfa (a or a oil or the pellets) and speedibeet or even alfa beet??? Can anyone enlighten me?
 
Ok I will bear it in mind, thanks! Did you introduce it gradually mixed in with your other feed to begin with? Would this help them get used to the new taste more easily if it was mixed with the Alfa A initially?
 
Apparently SS feeds don't contain any molasses or preservatives which Alfa A and pellets etc do. Horses are very sensitive to sugar so if you have a stressy fizzy type then they are better without molasses.
 
Simple Systems feeds are all molasses and cereal free, as are all of the feeds you mention, with the exception of Alfa A Original. (Alfa A Oil is molasses free though). SS also do other non-alfafa and beet based products - such as instant linseed and grass nuts.

Personally I like the ethos behind the system, but find it much easier to use Alfa Beet to the same effect, which is much easier to source locally.
 
must admit I tried the instant linseed and didn't find it nearly as effective in promoting shine as the 'real thing' - pain though it is to cook

just finding it impossible to get the real linseed so will re-order the instant stuff

anyone know where you can still get real linseed in the SEast ?
 
Yes, I mixed it in with pasturemix/molichaff initially.
Horsegirl, as I understand it there are two main differences between SS and say, Alpha A. Firstly the process of drying the lucerne (alfalfa) - SS apparently use a different method which means it ends up with more fibre content left. The second difference for me is that alfa a contains molasses, which even in small quantities is enough to make my horse loopy!! Whereas SS apparently doesn't contain any molasses.
I just think the ingredients on SS sound more like what I would want my horses to eat: this is the ingredients for Alfa A on the dengie website....
Alfalfa, Molasses, Mould Inhibitor, Antioxidant Contains permitted EC preservatives and antioxidants: Propionic acid and its salt, Sorbic and Phosphoric acid and Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)
I may be wrong, but as I understand it SS Luciebix is just dried Alfalfa compressed into biscuits? Somebody may know better than me though...
ETS you all goth there before me
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anyone know where you can still get real linseed in the SEast ?

[/ QUOTE ] Try PMing Snow_plough - I know she feeds real linseed and is in the South East!

Personally, though, I think you can get good coat shine by just feeding oil - linseed or otherwise!
 
I see your point about the Alfa A, but for people who want to feed an SS type system with products they can source through their local feedstores things like AlfaBeet and Dengie Alfafa Pellets are a good alternative.

Ingredients for AlfaBeet are: Alfalfa, umolassed sugar beet

Ingredients for Alfafa Pellets are: 100% alfafa
 
My cob wouldn't eat the grass nuts when I bought him some to go in his feed ball. Mind you, I did swap him from cool mix to them - he wasn't impressed!
 
TGM, totally agree, as said in my post up at the top, the thing I find annoying about SS is the difficulty ordering/fact you have to buy in bulk. I can see that with 1 horse to feed that would be really impractical.
Didn't know about the alfa pellets - are they dengie too?

JNB my arab (the most hyper of all )went on hunger strike when I first swapped feeds, for a good 5 or 6 days. He gave in eventually and now wolfs down his luciebix! Did take time though and he still gets on a mission if he can smell any kind of mix bound with molasses anywhere nearby!
 
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JNB my arab (the most hyper of all )went on hunger strike when I first swapped feeds, for a good 5 or 6 days. He gave in eventually and now wolfs down his luciebix! Did take time though and he still gets on a mission if he can smell any kind of mix bound with molasses anywhere nearby!

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Lol poor thing, must be like having the smell of chips wafting over when all you've got is a green salad!!!
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don't suppose anyone has any experience of their chicken & rice dog food? Seems alot cheaper than what I currently feed and the contents appear similar. How much do you have to order then for delivery?
 
Didn't know SS did dog food! That might be interesting... could order with my horse feed.

Donadea, yes, I do feel a bit sorry for him no and again when he looks desperately at the bowls going past wth the pasture mix in - but when I went on holiday in the spring the yard I left him at fed him pasture mix and molichaff....got back on him when I got home and it was like sitting on an unexploded bomb. So he'll just have to cope without his molasses fix!!
 
Cairo and Chancer have lucie stalks and green gold - this means huge feeds which take a long time to eat but no weight gain.

Chancer has more green gold than Cairo as he is younger and still growing.

When I wanted to put Chancer in the summer with a little more weight and topline for the BSPA Champs it was very easy to do by feeding more green gold and adding their grass nuts - I fed the red version as I was trying to get a lot more spark for in hand - more energy than oats.

Both love the stuff and have never looked better. Cairo has far more stamina than he did on mix and molassed chop.

I do feed speedibeet - prefer it to their version and I also give highlight nuts in their balls as they are less fattening than the grass cubes.
 
I have been feeding SS feeds since last January to a cob and have just bought a weaned foal who I have put straight on to it. It is a bit inconvenient to have to order a lot in advance but the feeds have quite a long date on so once you get in the swing of things its not so bad - I would really recommend the Lunar Eclipse for spooky/jumpy mares. It is interestting to see that other companies make a molasses free product as it might be useful to 'top up' in an emergency. I found they like the soaked lucie biks but the stalks are a bit more off-putting (probably 'cos no added sugar! and dry).
 
There are some shops like Chilham horse feeds in Kent that stock SS so you don't have to buy in bulk. Not sure where the others are but I'm sure that they would tell you if you phone the SS helpline.
 
I tried Simple Systems (including their Total Eclipse feed balancer) for about three weeks but I've gone back to "ordinary" feed now since (a) I had to keep remembering to soak the grass nuts, lucerne nuts and sugar beet (usually use Speedibeet) - buckets everywhere! and (b) my daughter insisted I stopped using what she called "hippy sh*t"! As her TB was on box rest for the whole of those three weeks with pus in the foot, we'll never never know whether it would have affected his performance in any way, although he's very laid back in any event.
 
Although I don't feed SS, I do feed AlfaBeet which needs soaking. I find the best way to remember to soak it, is to do it immediately after I have fed the last lot. Mind you, always keep a bag of Alfa A on hand in case I forget!
 
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