Simple systems - opinions?

[frb]

As the title states really. Been trying new boy, 15.1 gelding, on calm and condition ec as he needs topline but sent him spooky. Have decided to go for simple systems as it contains nothing heating. Have got the green gold and top nosh. Just wondered what people's experiences were with simple systems. Just want him calm!

Thanks!

 

[Baileyhoss]

I found the green gold quality to be really changeable. Sometimes you would get a nice crunchy fresh smelling bag. More often, it was dusty stale crap that looked like barn sweepings, complete with small stones! I returned 2 or 3 bags before giving up and going onto top chop.

Other than that, I think it was total eclipse I used and found that while it was non heating, it didn't really promote top line and wasn't very palatable for the horse. As soon as the grass came through, he would turn his nose up at his feed in favour of grazing around the bucket.

B is now on Top Spec & top chop and LOVES his dinner and looks great!

 

[fizzer]

Love it. so do my horses. I use Metaslim for one thats prone to getting fat pads ( havent had them since being on it). Lucie pellets or nuts, Total Eclipse and pura beet through the winter. I add some hi fi light in also. For youngsters I use the Red Grass Nuts mixed with purabeet.

I find it very economical, easy to feed, and best of all horses all have good topline and fab coats, all have dapples.

 

[Bethie]

I used to use SS and the horses were fine on it, but stopped as getting hold of it was a bit of a pain (needed to order a lot at once to get a delivery), and the cost was much more than comparable products from other companies I could pick up from the feed store as and when needed. If its A&P calm and condition, then despite them having it in the low starch range it contains a lot of maize which is very heating, hence the reaction you've seen. Most companies now have caught on that the customers are very interested in feeding fibre based products and have brought out higher energy forages that can be used in place of mixes/cubes, and also things like topspec cool condition cubes that don't have any whole cereals in them. I'd have a read around the various manufacturers websites to see which products would suit, but make sure you check the ingredients lists not just the claims they make about the products.

 

[Theresa_F]

I use green gold, just grass and red grass nuts (latter for go go for Stinky) for Stinky and Farra and they do very well on it. For condition, you can use Lucie cobs or nuts. I also feed linseed and brewyers yeast, but this I get from Charnwood Milling as I use a lot of it and they are cheaper.

Cost - not a huge difference and I am able to get it from my feed store locally.

Never had a problem with the quality and have feed this way for the past seven years or so.

If you do want just a plain grass chaff, then you can get D&H Just Grass.

For fatties, then you need lucie stalks and ruff stuff chaffs instead of the green gold and just grass. I have used this products in the summer for Cairo when he was looking a little porky and once Stinky and Farra stop growing, will probably use them on these two as they are the type to be good doers.

 

[kazhar]

my horse hated the stuff....ennded up selling it on to someones else I had the lucie nuts and the grass nuts. will eat other alfalafa and wolfs down the graze on grass nuts so not sure why he didnt like it. he is a fussy thing though.

 

[dressagecrazy]

Hate it im afraid, i had my horses on it for over a year & they looked very poor, especially my TB. I tried every product the recomended & nothing helped niether did the emense quantities they wanted me to feed.

I now feed Topspec Products which are brilliant all my horses are thriving & my TB is blooming.

 

[Bosworth]

Love it - have used it for over 10 years on loads of different horses and everyone has been great on it, sane, calm and lovely condition. I feed Lucinuts as the base feed, then add red nuts, pura beet as needed and they are all on Brewers Yeast and Linseed. Never come across a horse that doesn;t eat it all. Initially they are rather unsure - normally because their existing feeds are molassed, but once they realise that is it they love it. i feed about a quarter of the recommended amounts, have never needed to get up to that amount as they all seem to put on condition when they go on to it.

 

[frb]

Thank you., will see how I get on. Gave him two scoops of green gold tonight with half a scoop of the top nosh. He did not wolf it quite as fast, and picked out all the bits of apples. He stopped eating it when his haynet arrived, but hopefully he will go back to it and finish it, he is a bit of a piglet. Hopefully he will get used to the less sweet taste.

 

[Leg_end]

I found that my lad loved it and it meant that he wouldn't wolf down his dinner and wood 'graze' on it over the evening.

 

[doris2008]

I tried it with my TB and although he liked it for a while, I found I had to feed a lot of it and he just lost interest in it. Although I believe they market it as a product the horse can 'graze' on during the night, my horse would rather have his eye and didnt keep on the condition I expected.
For the past couple of years he has been on calm & conditon or no 4.
This year I will be trying Top Spec Cool Cond Cubes. This are fibre based and cereal free - the same idea as Simple Systems.
Personally I wouldn't recommend it - but thats just from my experience with my TB - he is usually a greedy beggar but just didnt seem to take to it.

 

[AndySpooner]

I recommend it. It is true that lots of horses don't take to it straight away but this is because there is no molasses in it or extra salt. I have introduced lots of horses to it and most take about a week to get over the craving for what I now call 'junk' food.

Total eclipse is our base feed, which lasts a long time because you don't need much.

They promote forages as organic hence the price, but if you can find an a cheaper alternative, guaranteed not to have added sugar or salt then great.

 

[mystiandsunny]

Am not an alfalfa fan so stay well away as most of their feeding plans include it!

 

[mrussell]

Ive used it for 7 years on and off, having the odd sack of other mixes to "try" but sticking with a base feed of SS products.

I found thier additives expensive and bought a sack of brewers yeast, linseed and seaweed from Charnwood Milling at HUGE saving on the SS Eclipse mixers.

If you need calm.. feed brewers yeast straight from the sack at a tablespoon twice a day. AMAZING results and sooo much cheaper than any other calmer on the shelf.

I like the Lucie Nuts (soaked up similar to sugarbeet as a filler) as my base feed. I then add blue bag grass nuts (summer grass based) and a small amount of green gold (alfalfa). The alfalfa isnt treated with anything - unlike Dengie versions - so isnt "spooky". Its a high quality protein so helps with crap feet etc.

Now heres were I depart from the SS vision ;0) I add A&P Ride and Relax for the older horses and Spillers ADF Power Mix for the fitter TB's.

Works a treat ! even the TBs are putting on condition on this regime !

 

[Blondie01]

Ive had mixed experiences of it! My very sharp and spooky mare went fabulously on it, only thing I could really compete her on as it allowed me to get her fit but not crazy! However I have had her and one other both get choke on it, im sorry but i cant remember which one of the feeds it was but it was one you had to soak, I was very precise with it and did the same thing day in, day out but on two separate occaisons it happened. I stopped feeding it after this as I couldnt take the risk anymore, I was also finding it very hard to get hold of and as someone else said, it was of mixed quality.

Use with care, it can be brilliant on certain horses!!

 

[spottydottypony]

I had my 3 horses on this the lucie nuts, unmollased sugar beet and eclipse. Even the most greediest of my boys wouldnot eat it they all didnt like it and i stopped buying it.

 

[Brandy]

I have used it for a few years now. I admit I was dubious to start with as I wasn;t sure one of mine would like it - elderly TB, and also wondered if he would eat the huge quantities fed. However, someone else at the yard was using it so i tried a bit of hers and he loved it so I changed them all onto it.

I feed Lucie nuts, blue bag grass nuts, greengold, pura beet and total eclipse and instant linseed as supplements.

My old horse has a history of choking and has never choked on this by I am uber careful on my soaking. A friend of mine feed hers very dry in comparison to me, I would worry about feeding it like she does.

I haven;t ever fed the recommended quantity but they all seem to do very well on it.

Admittedly the greengold can be variable - I just have it in case of freezing etc - so I have something that doesn;t rely on water to be fed!

Re the availability - I order and get it delivered. Yes you have to order £80 for free delivery but with supplements thats easily done!

I actually find it more economical than feeding mix, chaff, sugar beet, blue chip and cortaflex that I was feeding before!