simple system feeds

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BobbyMondeo

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I am thinking of changing my boy onto simple system feeds has anyone had any experience with them how do the horses react to it ect? Any information would be greatly appriciated
 
I swapped my 3 TB's onto SS at the beginning of winter. They have really thrived on it, and infact I have had to cut their feeds back because they all got too fat. They all have just the right amount of stamina/energy and havn't got at all fizzy on it at all.

My only issue was that ordering from them was a pain, however I did like the fact that the feed would be delivered directly into my feed room! I have now found a local stockist so I can go pick it when I need or if I havn't had the time to order direct.
 
Personally I struggle with the concept of feeding a horse a completely natural diet such as SS that is supposed to replica how they would eat and forage in the wild but then still expect them to work and perform in an un natural setting. Yes horses digestive systems work best with high levels of fibre which is often over looked in modern feeding regimes, but simple systems has no added vits or mins and it is difficult to find the levels of protine and DE in the feed. Secondly they have a BB date of a minimum of 2 years time, ow can any natural vits and mins still be present in the feed after 2 years and the heat process used to dry the feed. Lastly when the feed is soaked it is very heavy and so i can not see that it is good for the horse to be working on such a heavy stomach and that certainly is not natural. I think that there are real scientific advances in modern feeding and the balance between the different ingredients in feeds that can help the horse to work and look better and still maintain a near natural way of feeding. A horse in the wild is not asked to undertake the work load that it is when it is domesticated and so the feeding pattern can not be replicated, there has to be some level of change or additives in the feed to compensate. Sorry this sounds like a bit of a rant and funnily enough i know several people who's horses are fed SS but equally i know many that have swapped from it because there horses just didnt have that extra bit of condition or coat gloss or stamina that thay wanted.
 
Whilst I am a firm believer in fibre first, I do worry about the amount of alfalfa they advocate feeding.

Both alfalfa and beet contain high levels of calcium, which is fine until you feed large amounts of it, you then run a real risk of calcium overload.
 
I have fed this for about 5 fives to both past and present clydesdales and gypsy cobs.

They do very well on it - I use the chaff products and some grass nuts with a bit of speedibeet. Cairo had more energy and stamina than he did on mix and mollased chaff when I swopped him over.

I do not feed anything like the amounts they say though. They each get 2 - 4 stubbs scoops of chaff products a day depending on the grass and turnout with nuts in their ball in winter.

I also feed linseed - which I get from Charnwood along with my brewers yeast as I get through a lot and it is far cheaper.

Finally I also get them feedmark's benevit which is an excellent vit and min supplement.

Stinky has been feed it from when I bought him home at 16 months and has thrived on this way of feeding, ditto all our horses.
 
I switched my Connemara onto it, he started off eating it very well but after about a month didn't really show an interest in it and ended up kicking his feed bucket across the stable every time I fed him. More ended up on the floor than in him and he rapidly lost weight and condition, my vet recommended that he was under weight and to change feed so I moved him over to Happy Hoof and High Fibre cubes. He has been fine ever since. I think it is a bit like everything with horses - what suits one won't necessarily suit another.
 
I know JoC , you just never know what they are going to do well on, my boy is doing well at the moment he is lovely and shiny but he is on box rest and just far too full of himself even on D&H "box rest mix" cant remember the exact name, just looking for something that might keep a little bit less hot headed
 
I love it - feed about 16 on it. from competition horses to happy hacks an d retired. All calm, all sane, all healthy with glossy coats. Non have ever gone off it and all have more than enough energy. i event off it. But actually use about 30 % of reccomended intake alongside haylage as they are actullly all fine on lower quantities. because it is digested as hay/fibre in the hind gut they tend to graze on it rather than stuff it down which is far far healthier for their gut than hard feeds. Also the energy released is slow sustainable energy rather than the quick burst they get from mollasses and carbs. it works out far far cheaper than good quality hard feeds and I have an entire yard of sane healthy animals. We get about a pallet load at a time which lasts me a month with 16 horses so easy to get delivered and no wasteage at all
 
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I know JoC , you just never know what they are going to do well on, my boy is doing well at the moment he is lovely and shiny but he is on box rest and just far too full of himself even on D&H "box rest mix" cant remember the exact name, just looking for something that might keep a little bit less hot headed

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Just cut out the mix altogether. You are putting in fuel he isnt able to use. If he is on box rest he needs fibre and a vit/min supplement and thats all.
 
I was looking at the very same thing today as a few people at my yard feed this. I emailed the company and got a lovely email back explaining what i should be using how much and the cost. They couldn't have been more helpful so have placed an order.
 
Agree they are very helpful but they do overestimate how much you will need to feed. I only fed about 30% of what they recommended and horse was sane and had more than enough energy.

However, after about a month, he "went off" his food - he would eat a bit, kick it around his stable a bit, sometimes put feed bowl in water bucket and refuse to drink. Also, various things need to be soaked for different times and it was such a faff and being on livery it was really difficult. I switched him to hi-fi lite and spillers fibre cubes and ad lib hay and he was still fine. I did really like their linseed though, but again got it somewhere else as was cheaper.

It is quite cost effective as you dont have to feed half as much as they recommend. Mine werent keen on the grass nuts when I soaked them but really liked them unsoaked. They liked the pura-beet which I continued to buy for a while afterwards as was cheaper than speedi-beet but now just use speedi-beet as more easily available.

It is good for making sure your horse is continually hydrated as well, because of the water that you have to add to everything.
 
I feed my two heavies SS. They do brilliantly on it. Recently, when one of them had to have a tooth out and couldn't eat hay, he had 3 trugfuls of it a day which kept his weight on and kept him happy. Mine have Purabeet, lucienuts, Blue grass nuts and Just grass. The founder of SS has bred Anglo Arabs and then Arabs for years. She competes in serious Endurance races (rides of 50 miles plus), her horses live out 24/7, so her horses are proof that the feed is good. Give them a ring, they are very helpful and I also find it really cost effective.
 
I feed all the TB's it; they eat up happily, and the red bag grass nuts provide plenty of energy/ calories etc for youngstock or hard work.

They all hold condition well and have enough energy for work....... you can have horses race fit on this diet, so it has plenty of DE when required
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I started using SS about 3yrs ago now. All my 5 love it. I have SJ, XC, hunted everything on it and ive had no problems with stamina or way of going etc.
The WB wasnt too fond on it first off as she was a sugar lover, but soon starte dto lick the bowl clean when she realised thats all she was getting - it didnt take her long to realise the sugar wasnt coming back into her feed bucket.
 
My two growing youngsters adore the stuff and look absolutely fantastic on it.

Never leave even a trace in their feed buckets. Love it!
 
we had our mare on this for a while but the amounts we were told to feed her seemed ridiculously large!she's not a big eater anyway and we found it a struggle to get her to finish it all. she seemed to go off it after a bit aswell becuase it was a bit bland and there was always soooo much! i think its ok if you havent got a fussy eater who enjoys biiig meals!
 
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