simple systems - worth it?

[TarantuLove]

Im looking to take my boy off ALL starches/sugars/molasses/cereals etc as he is just too sensitive. SS have recommend Total Eclipse and Lucie Cobs, but this will work out quite expensive (they have told me to feed 300g of TE to start him off and my pennies are tight at the moment!)

Can I do it another way but still naturally?

 

[Tempi]

I feed my mare a simple systems type feed. She has topchop lite which has no molases/sugars etc in it,its just chopped hay, and then she has stud balancer by Baileys which is also molases etc free. The only reason she has the stud balancer though it because she is being put in to foal. Otherwise i would be feeding her something similar to grass nuts.

Shes like a different horse now i have changed her diet, she is much more supple through her body and much calmer than she was before. Where she was getting a build up of bad toxins from her startchy/molassed feeds it was making her hold herself really tightly. I also put her on a months liver detox suppliment from Global Herbs which helped a lot too.

 

[irish_only]

Yawn - sorry, but I know a couple of people who feed SS's, and quite honestly I cannot find a difference between their products and other less expensive products readily available. A couple of others I know started on SS's and then changed to ordinary grass nuts, available at most feed stores, and are cheaper. Plain alfa alfa (unmolassed) can be sourced, you can also use hay chaff. For a balancer if you are worried about vits/mins, there are plenty around

http://www.equilibra.co.uk/prod_equilibra500/index.htm
http://www.bluechipfeed.com/?gclid=CPP76I-8x6ECFVKX2AodCR6FDg
http://www.topspec.com/basket/
http://www.dengie.com/
http://www.horsesupplementsdirect.c...ments/?zenid=d606af997ef1adbcabf942f5d6e20e12


There is an unbiased article here http://www.horsefeeds.co.uk/feedbalancers.html

 

[Tempi]

Agree with irish_only that there are cheaper alternatives to the actualy simple systems feeds - you just need to have a look around for them.

 

[TarantuLove]

thanks so could i feed something like dengie's alfalfa nuts instead of the lucie cobs and something like globalvite for his vits/mins? Then top up with linseed if needed?

 

[irish_only]

Yes, dengie nuts, or probably cheaper straightforward grass nuts. You can feed them dry like horse & pony nuts or soak them if you want, although soaked as advised by SS's they are sludgy and I think it looks awful ( I've seen ponies leave this and eat haylage instead).

 

[TarantuLove]

Thanks why is this feeding lark so complicated! and potentially expensive :O

 

[KatB]

Agree there are a lot cheaper alternatives out there! Have a look at Winergy feeds, they are complete so no need to feed vits/mins with them, and are low starch/sugar. My mare is on the low and looks fab on it, and has enough energy for the work she is doing. She is also the type to get hyper quite easily, and has a much improved level of silliness since she has been on Winergy

 

[TarantuLove]

Thanks i used to feed winergy actually, but it worked out too expensive! Its a shame because he loved it

 

[AngieandBen]

You Have to soak the Dengie Alfalfa nuts; Alfalfa A Oil has no sugar;

I feed mine Fast Fibre because they are sensitive to alfalfa, but its very low in starch and only 2% sugar.

 

[jessicabeau1]

Agree there are a lot cheaper alternatives out there! Have a look at Winergy feeds, they are complete so no need to feed vits/mins with them, and are low starch/sugar. My mare is on the low and looks fab on it, and has enough energy for the work she is doing. She is also the type to get hyper quite easily, and has a much improved level of silliness since she has been on Winergy

Ted is fed on winergy low energy too! fab stuff!

 

[Bosworth]

I have fed Simple Systems for about 12 years and it is fantastic. It is actually a very cost efficient feed. I spend about £150 every 6 weeks feeding 5 horses which equates to about £5 per week per horse. Mine are on Luci nuts £9.50 a bag, Red grass nuts £9.50 a bag, Pura beet £7.50 a bag. Plus Linseed £23.00 a 25kg bag ( lasts 2 months) and brewers yeast (£39 a bag which lasts 4 months) I tried Total Exclipse - and decided to by my own Brewers yeast and linseed as I find that more effective than the Total Eclipse.

 

[Equinimity]

Look at Dengie products, also try feeding brewers yeast and Micronized Full Fat Linseed Meal. I feed my pony on a low sugar, starch etc diet as worried about laminitis in her old age - initially looked into SS but found that Dengie were better value. I feed Alfa A, Alfa-Beet and then BY and Linseed Meal which I buy online. I now feed all my horses the same way and all look fab including pony at 32. No offence to SS, I like their philosophy but every penny counts!

 

[eoe]

There have been loads of posts on here in recent months about Simple Systems, the theory behind their feeding is okay but I have tried some of their products over the years and have not had any success with them as have a lot of my liveries. I use Dengie grass nuts (as and when required, normally at the start and finish of winter), Hifi Original and our local saddlers own brand of mix and cubes which are £5.85 and £4.85 a sack respectively, and it costs me around £5 per week to feed all three of my horses and in this current climate every penny counts. My horses are up to weight and look in really good condition especially since the two older ones are 16 and 20 and people think they are a lot younger when they see them.

 

[little_flea]

There is a horse at our yard who colics extremely easily - SS is the only thing that keeps him healthy.

 

[Lollii]

I have never fed SS but I have heard their feeds are good.

I just wanted to add that I have had 8 horses to feed this winter, a couple of them were in hard work (hunting) but the rest are just hacked a couple of times a week, I wanted to try feeding less hard feed this winter.

So I fed more haylege spread over the day/night and more or less cut out the hard feed just feeding chaff, a handful of cheap mix, vits and a little speedibeet, the hunters getting extra mix when going out.

I have halved my feed bill and I have noticed no change in the horses, they still look great & they have survived on good hay/haylege & chaff (and vitamins) I do think we are 'pushed/sold' into feeding expensive feeds when they are not necassary!

 

[irish_only]

I have never fed SS but I have heard their feeds are good.

I just wanted to add that I have had 8 horses to feed this winter, a couple of them were in hard work (hunting) but the rest are just hacked a couple of times a week, I wanted to try feeding less hard feed this winter.

So I fed more haylege spread over the day/night and more or less cut out the hard feed just feeding chaff, a handful of cheap mix, vits and a little speedibeet, the hunters getting extra mix when going out.

I have halved my feed bill and I have noticed no change in the horses, they still look great & they have survived on good hay/haylege & chaff (and vitamins) I do think we are 'pushed/sold' into feeding expensive feeds when they are not necassary!

You are so right Lollii, there is so much in your face marketing for horse feeds. I have wintered 11 (all irish draughts or id/tb, ranging from weaned foals through to broodmares, a hardworking ridden horse and a stallion. I feed absolutely top notch haylage (Baillie's) which isn't cheap but worth every penny, and feed very little hard feed, which this winter has been Alfa chop, unmolassed, stud mix sourced via the internet and worlked out at just under £5 a bag, oats and SB. NONE of them get what would be a recommended amount (bucketsful), and they are all in good condition. I ALWAYS weigh my hay/haylage too or they would eat me out of house and home and be obese too.

 

[Brandy]

I use SS and the first thing I will say is that their recommeded feeding rates are Waaaayy out. I feed about half of what they said to. One of mine will eat what she wants and is not a greedy horse. She physically will not eat the amount they said to feed. She has lucie nuts, blue bag grass but, I get my own sugar beet as it is cheaper, and she has total eclipse and instant linseed (if anyone knows a cheaper version of the linseed I'd be happy to know!)

Yes it does look vile and grenn and sloppy/stodgy depending how much water you put in but my usually fussy horse is happy to eat this above anything else.

If I fed the native the amount they advised he'd be gross, so he has a tiny amount compared to what they said. It works out cheaper than feeding mix/chaff/beet plus supplements and balancers that I was before.

They both look fab.

 

[kezimac]

I feed mine kwikbeet and micronised linseed meal - both no sugar/starch/mollasses.
Doesnt need chaff - if needs extra energy i up linseed and/or unmollased alfafa nuts.
far cheaper along the same lines as SS -
charnwood milling for linseed £30 delivered - lasts 4 months.

 

[kezimac]

Look at Dengie products, also try feeding brewers yeast and Micronized Full Fat Linseed Meal. I feed my pony on a low sugar, starch etc diet as worried about laminitis in her old age - initially looked into SS but found that Dengie were better value. I feed Alfa A, Alfa-Beet and then BY and Linseed Meal which I buy online. I now feed all my horses the same way and all look fab including pony at 32. No offence to SS, I like their philosophy but every penny counts!

i agree ... only thing just watch the alfa a - got mollasses in it - took mine off it. i just dont feed a chaff