Soaked oats are sooooo amazing

[PapaFrita]

I'm probably getting really boring, but they ARE!!
To recap; when PF arrived in Cordoba there was NO way to get any weight on her; she was eating lots of cubes and I was adding oil and boiled linseed as her coat was pretty ropey too... STILL she was skinny...
2 bouts of gassy colic later which vet insisted was caused by intolerance to the cubes I decided to try soaked oats... OMG! She put on weight effortlessly, her coat is shiny and she's calm!
Before I left for the UK, PF was eating 3kg dry weight of oats a day, plus alfalfa and was being ridden every day and jumped 3x a week. I gave Fabian strict instructions (knowing he likes horses to be rather rounder than I do!) to cut her feed by half. Yesterday he confessed that the first week he didn't reduce her feed at all, and she got soooo FAT that for the following 2 weeks she was on half ration and looks absolutely splendid. So there you have it! Even skinny-arses do well on the soaked oats diet

Will post pics of the babe later to show you (again)

 

[seaview]

hi PF
I ahve to admit I was a bit sceptical at the start when you sent the fact sheet but now I am totally a convert!!!
My formally skinny and scatty TB is very cool on them and actually at the mo a wee bit fat

cant say I have said that before!
I also have a four year old who is the same!

i am trying to convince my friend to try the diet but she is worried it will heat pony up, do tell her....

Nat
xxx

 

[mirandaharry]

Hi PF

Please could you either send me the fact sheet or post some more details for the soaked oats diet. I'm aware you have to feed alongside some supp (is it calcium?) but haven't got a clue about it other than that.

Think I'm going to give it a go with my boy, as I've tried everything else and he STILL won't keep any weight on! Have to admit tho' I'm bit nervous we're going to end up bouncing up the road!!! So used to hearing that oats are heating

!!

Any thoughts on how soon I might see a difference in his condition?!

Thanks in advance x

 

[PapaFrita]

Oooh, do give it a try. Alfalfa is usually fed to provide the necessary calcium. Full fact sheet below.
I noticed a significant improvement within a couple of weeks. Course it was coming into spring so her coat was going to improve anyway but she was soooooo shiny. I promise the oats won't make your neddy bouncy!
Here's the blurb

"This is a diet I reccomend for all horses but especially for horses that are not 'doing well' or showing dietary problems like spots or sweet itch or just simply being 'hyper'. It suits all horses and is much more cost effective as well as healthier.

OATS are classed as both as a herb and a food, they are a strength-giving, low in starch but high in minerals. Also rich in Vitamin B, they contain alkaloids, glycosides and fixed oils which are an important source of vitamine E. They are a nerve tonic and bone building and contrary to modern day thinking, are the best possible feed for horses that are in work. The best way to feed them is soaked as explained here.

Soaked whole oats, soaked for 12-24 hours in cold water, this makes the oat a living enzyme again, which enables the horse to digest them more easily. Because they are now a living enzyme and easier to digested, the energy is released into the system quicker and without any build up of lactic acid, so no tying up, and also the horses hold their weight better, also as the starches are broken down easier it does not affect the temperment, also the benefits of soaking inclunde the fact that any chemical residue from sprays etc...are washed away, but not the goodness of the oat, also as vit E is in the outer husk of the oat, after soaking it becomes absorbable. The oats should be drained if possible overnight or for at least 1 and a half hours before starting to feed, and enough can be put up to last a whole day. If they are put up for example at 5 pm and drained at 5 pm the next evening, once a routine is established it is very simple, all you need is a hessain sack and a spare dustbin.

In light work I would suggest approx 2 to 3 lb of oats twice a day with alfalfa (weigh soaked oats not dry) and of course good hay. The amount can be increased gradually if and when work increases.

Carrots are excellent for the liver and the digestive system and full of calcium. Always make sure they are sliced sideways to avoid choke, another good vegetable that horses like is turnips or swedes, cut half a turnip into the feed trough twice a week to let them play with it, it is very nutritous.

The best supplement to feed in seaweed, one 15ml measure once a day, it is high in minerals and trace elements. It is rich in copper iron magnesium and phosphorus silicon and sulphur. The iodine content, which is a supreme gland builder and conditioner, reduces excess fatty tissue and removes toxic elements, along with iron which of course is premier importance to the blood, promoting oxygen absorbtion and building red corpuscules.

Alfalfa is classed as a herb cos it is very deep rooting, it is a rich source of calcium and also contains chlorine, magnesium, phosph.. potass.. sodium and sulphur..it is also rich in vits. It is high in protein, it is also a diuretic and more importantly it has 8 digestive enzymes in it which stimulate the digestive system, enabling the proper assimilation of the nutrients provided. It is a very good 'balancer' to be fed with oats, although it is a complete feed in its own right. To add to the oat diet add a double handfull mixed in with each feed.

Sugar beet, prefably unmolassed helps to keep condition on, it is also good for keeping bowels working, and is high in calcium.

A bran mash twice a week with a small handfull of epsom salts to keep their system clean, this has become unfashionable due to modern day nutritionists, however it is as good for horses nowadays as it was in the past. Cider vinegar internally, is good for them, an egg cupfull daily, this is also excellent used externally for any sore and inflamed joints.

Salt should be available, the best source is rock salt, not the man made licks but the rock salt that is dug out of the ground and many feed merchants sell it.

For those horses that need to put on weight or hold condition boiled barley linseed and flaked maize are all good fattening foods.

And finally but equally important is good quality hay. If you have to feed haylage for some reason than feed good quality oat straw to bulk them up.

I realise that this diet is 'old fashioned' and that the modern day nutritionists say that it is bad for horses, however, as it was all that horses were fed in the past, and the horses were far fitter, healthier, les colics, ulcers, hardly any sweet itch, fewer cases of tying up, fewer cases of fractures and bursting, far less cases of laminitis, it think the evidence speaks for itself, and I am confident that you will be delighted with the results, apart from the fact that it will save you a lot of money!!

For the best source of unmolassed sugar beet and Alfalfa contact a company called simple systems tel no 01371 870753 Simple systems also provide grass nuts and other beneficial feeds"

 

[Rainbowrider]

I would be really interested in some more details on this too if possible.

 

[PapaFrita]

Just posted above

 

[aran]

do you really have to soak for 12-24 hours and then drain for an hour - it seems like a very labour intensive feed - i dont think i would manage to remember!

 

[PapaFrita]

Oh, no. I certainly don't drain for an hour; just until it stops dripping. I made holes in a bucket with a drill, put it in another bucket and soaked the oats in them (and I have to say that I soak for 12 hrs because of the heat) then only need to remove top bucket and allow to drain.

 

[LEC]

I just use a sieve very quick and mess free then leave oats to sit in it draining till I finish doing my stable which takes about 30mins. A bag of whole oats cost me £4 from my feed merchants where as I was paying £10 nearly for conditioning cubes.

 

[dingle12]

A horse on our yard currently gets 1 scoop calm and conditioner,1 horse and pony nuts, 1 heap alfa hay 1 SB plus soya oil he is looking well at moment but can drop condition within days he is 17.1 hh light work do you think soaked oats will help what do you think we should feed him?

 

[PapaFrita]

I'm sure soaked oats would do him the world of good. They are highly digestible and you will probably find that he needs fewer oats than other feeds. I would probably feed 2kg dry weight per day (plus alfa-A) and see how things go.
I add sunflower seeds to PF's feed (a mug a day) for extra fibre, shinier coat and strong feet.

 

[dingle12]

thanks i will go and buy some this week and start to introduce them.

 

[BroadfordQueen]

hi PF,
thanks for this report- i was just talking to mum about how my horse Harry needs to put weight on- he just doesnt put any on, and as we hunt him too it makes it even worse. Found this thread and mum is off to buy some whole oats tomorrow

 

[PapaFrita]

You'll LOVE them and so will Harry; PF used to be the slowest eater in the world and she adores her soaked oats!

 

[PapaFrita]

This was PF in Sept last year, before I started the soaked oats diet, having stuffed her full of everything I could think of from oil to boiled linseed. Was coming to the end of winter so slight ropiness could be excused, except our winters are almost tropical!

1st October- Look at that shine!!

PF today (much fitter) just because she's so purdy

 

[peapod]

Hi PF;

What do you think they mean by "Spots" - "This is a diet I reccomend for all horses but especially for horses that are not 'doing well' or showing dietary problems like spots or sweet itch or just simply being 'hyper'. It suits all horses and is much more cost effective as well as healthier. "?

My boy has numerous lumps all over his shoulder - we've tried absolutely everything to get rid of them; he is on blood salts at the moment to try and boost his blood system a bit; when the top comes off the lump there is a hard core of pus in it - I'm wondering if his feed isn't providing him with something (even though it should be doing!) Do you think soaked oats would help - the worry is that he is a Native who CERTAINLY doesn't need any more weight on!!

Thanks,

Laura

Ps - PF looks AMAZING in the after shots - sooo healthy!!

 

[S_N]

What is he fed on now hun? It's only feeding a fair bit of SO that puts weight on. YOu could always feed Alfa-A Lite. I emailed Ellen Collinson about this diet about 6/8 weeks ago and she said that as long as the horse has access to good quality Hay in the winter and grass in the summer, not too worry too much about the Ca/P balance, as the hay/grass would even that out (thoguh obviously in youngstock, it's slightly different - Hector is on this diet, but he has Soya Bean Meal too). What I am saying is, you wouldn't have to worry about feeding SB (even Unmolassed) if you were worrieda bout weight gain.

No idea if this would help with the spots, but it IS a more natural way to feed IMO, so it might just help........

 

[PapaFrita]

I would imagine they mean some sort of allergic reaction, perhaps to cereals. One of my mares broke out in a sort of 'nettle rash' when I changed her diet once.
If you only feed a few soaked oats I don't think you need to worry about your boy getting fat.

 

[clipclop]

Well I have to say I am getting very quick results.

I piddled around for a few weeks not really convinced that it would work.

Now I have dived in to it head first "S" is chunking up very quickly, which I am very pleased about as he was dropping away a bit.

"C" is a lot brighter and happier. She is so old I don't think she is capable of putting weight on but she is a lot happier. Galloping around but not in a fizzy way, just a happy way.

To think only a few weeks ago I thought she only had days to live and was considering calling the vet to have her PTS.

It's a blooming cheap feed too and they love it.

 

[peapod]

Oh great, thanks guys! At the moment he is on HiFi Lite, Baileys Stud Cubes (what used to be Gro 'N' Win) and carrots - over the summer he was also on Baileys' No. 4 cubes (the Top line conditioner one) as he ran up very light - but I think he is off them now (it sounds appalling that I don't know exactly what my horse is fed, however he is at home, and I am at Uni!)

We tried taking the protein out of his diet, which didn't make any impact - we tried him on Global Herb's "Sarc-ex", which he refused to eat, and when I eventually covered up the flavour enough for him to try it, it didn't work! So now we're trying the blood salts - which seem to be having a small effect; they periodically make the lumps scabby and the pus inside "dissolves" and becomes liquid-y again, so we can squeeze it out...it's not ideal though.

Will speak to my Mum about maybe trying him on something different again - another factor could be that our land is absolutely appalling - it is iron toxic and copper deficient; they are only allowed to graze it for 6 hours a day (we are moving soon!). Mum has spoken to the Bailey's people a lot to make sure the ponies get enough nutrients; I will speak to her anyway and see what she says!

Sorry for digressing from the original thread - thanks for the advice!

 

[piaffe]

pf, i have been considering this for over a year now but have been put off as mine doest get hard feed everynight as his grazing is good. so only gets ard food when he's in or has been worked.

how long does soaked oats last?? once soaked i mean?

 

[miss_bird]

HI thanks for the info will have to give this a try as my mare is still feeding her foal and no matter how much feed and hay i am pumping in to her with all the usual weight gain additives, she is just now putting any weight on so will try this method and see how it goes for 2 weeks. hope i get the same results as you

 

[SueAllen]

I am really interested in this idea. Partly because I instictively feel a more simple, natural diet can only be a good thing for Ned's health (I keep mucking about with diffenent commercial feeds - none of which seem to make much difference), also because he drops weight quite a lot in the winter (hunts twice a week plus hacking/schooling) and because it is cheaper! (It helps I have the time to do the soaking, draining etc but it sounds like it's not too tricky anyway) I buy my pigs really cheap organic feed (crushed barley and ground peas) from a wonderful local supplier who will also do oats. He is grey (the horse, not the feed man!!) so I doubt I'll ever get the wonderful shine that PF has! But it would be nice to have him bursting with health without the heating - he is prone to spookiness so I am reluctant to encourage that.

Sorry for my ignorance but who is Ellen Collinson?? It sounds like she is the person to get detailed information from. Would somebody mind pm'ing me her email or website or whatever is best. Thanks!!

 

[dizzydolly]

I have quite a few bags of very good quality whole oats for sale, as am going away for a while so dont need them, if anyone is having trouble finding some decent ones (as there are a lot of rubbish quality ones out there) PM me

 

[S_N]

Here is the link to Ellen's website

http://www.ellencollinson.co.uk/

 

[MissDeMeena]

I've also been reading about this diet for a while, and given it some serrious thought!!

Do you think it would suit two very 'sharp' eventers!!
They end up looking a bit think in the winter, and i don't feed them much, to aid me actually staying on them!!

I'd like to keep them looking a little rounder this winter.. but obviously want to still be able to ride the buggers... soaked oats a good idea then??

 

[S_N]

Could well be. What do you currently feed?

 

[severnmiles]

MDM it would really suit them! Ernie is on it and no word of a lie more chilled on it. His coat is fab, he has weight and topline in all the right places, I wouldn't know how to feed him if he wasn't on this diet as he's in alot of work (before the abcess, just lunged him for the first time today) but too much of anything would have made him boil over, I'm on soaked oats for life..well my horses are