Tasty barefoot diet?

[stencilface]

I currently have my horse on fast fibre, speedibeet and linseed, however he now really won't eat this! I think he needs something that has bite as opposed to mush.

I've heard of copra and thunderbrook, but don't know if they're tasty and palatable or not, this horse is a GOOD doer so needs low calorie!

 

[MerrySherryRider]

Get some tea bags from the supermarket. Mine have their fastfibre soaked in camomile or nettle/fennel tea.

 

[TGM]

Have you tried feeding them separately to see if there is a particular ingredient he dislikes? Why fast fibre AND speedibeet?

 

[Nugget La Poneh]

DRied herbs like mint, fennel etc.

 

[stencilface]

Interesting! With boiled water? He just gives up now and walks away to the hay (fed outside now he's turned out) and if I bring him in he takes ages! Will try that tmrw, thankyou he likes nettles so that might be worth a go.

Herbs could also be a good plan, thankyou.

Maybe I will cut out the speedibeet, I've no idea why I feed both, just because!

If that doesn't work though, are there any more textured feeds out there?

 

[MerrySherryRider]

2 tea bags in boiled water. I bring mine in a flask.

 

[criso]

Copra is another feed you have to soak and is high in calories so probably not what you are looking for.

Have you tried adding plain straw chaff at the last minute if texture is what you're after. Honeychop do one with nothing added.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

I fed Dengie no mo no alfa chaff to mix with feed, it is lovely texture and taste.

 

[mightymammoth]

mug of soaked high fibre nuts soaked to a porridge consistency mixed with 3 quarters of a round scoop of safe and sound chaff.

 

[TGM]

Maybe I will cut out the speedibeet, I've no idea why I feed both, just because!

You might want to try doing it both ways - I have horses who would much rather eat speedibeet than Fast Fibre. Fast Fibre's main ingredient is straw, which some horses find quite uninteresting. Even my piggy pony will sometimes leave Fast Fibre in favour of her haylage! If you think it is texture then you could feed a plain oat straw chop mixed in. How much are you giving him? If he is a good doer he shouldn't need much. I presume you are feeding him to get a hoof friendly supplement into him? Can you remove the hay until he has eaten the feed?

 

[HashRouge]

I had to give up on the "recommended" barefoot feeds - my mare started off eating fast fibre/ speedibeet/ coolstance copra but gradually she went off each one. I tried them on their own, mixed together, with a bit of chaff, with mint etc but nothing really helped! I've been feeding Allen and Page Veteran Vitality since Christmas and *touchwood* that seems to be doing the trick so far!

 

[spookypony]

I mix a bit of Lucie Fibre Cubes (alfalfa-based) in with the Speedibeet, and that seems to do the trick. It's not very much, anyway! I guess it's a bit like people: chocolate and donuts taste better than plain pasta...

 

[stencilface]

You might want to try doing it both ways - I have horses who would much rather eat speedibeet than Fast Fibre. Fast Fibre's main ingredient is straw, which some horses find quite uninteresting. Even my piggy pony will sometimes leave Fast Fibre in favour of her haylage! If you think it is texture then you could feed a plain oat straw chop mixed in. How much are you giving him? If he is a good doer he shouldn't need much. I presume you are feeding him to get a hoof friendly supplement into him? Can you remove the hay until he has eaten the feed?

Not sure about oat straw, been told it makes him a bit doolally after he had it as bedding when I was out of the country,and yes need to get the supplements in. Would be worth trying with oat straw, but I don't want to end up with a wasted 20kg bag!

I mix a bit of Lucie Fibre Cubes (alfalfa-based) in with the Speedibeet, and that seems to do the trick. It's not very much, anyway! I guess it's a bit like people: chocolate and donuts taste better than plain pasta...

He's definitely a chocolate and donuts 'person'!

mug of soaked high fibre nuts soaked to a porridge consistency mixed with 3 quarters of a round scoop of safe and sound chaff.

Thanks, another chaff yo look into, think the fast fibre and chaff is looking like my first thing to try

 

[criso]

Oat straw is pretty cheap but does last a long time if it doesn't work.

Bear in mind that the key base ingredients of fast fibre are straw and unmolassed sugarbeet with a few flavourings.

So if you were to feed oat straw and speedibeet you are replicating the base ingredients of fast fibre but retaining the texture.

Chaffs like hi fi are a mix of alfalfa and straw and the safe and sound mentioned has the following ingredients

Oatfeed, Nutritionally Improved Straw, Grass Chaff, Chopped Cereal Straw, Cane Molasses, Grass, Unmolassed Sugar Beet, Wheatfeed, Full Fat Soya Bean Meal, Wheat, Vegetable Oil, Full Fat Linseed, Mint 1.4%, Dicalcium Phosphate, Limestone Flour, Salt, Blackcurrant Powder, Carrot Powder, Beetroot Powder, Tomato Powder 0.4%, Vitamin/Trace Mineral Premix, Nettle Leaves 0.3%, Seaweed 0.2%, Rosehips 0.2%, Methyl Sulphonyl Methane (MSM) 0.1%, Calcined Magnesite, Garlic Granules 0.1%

 

[Kat]

Mine won't eat a feed that is just slop so she gets some chaff and some whole oats to make it more palatable. I also add fenugreek.

 

[stencilface]

To waken this thread up....

He is now on wetted hifi no molasses, which has mint and fenugreek in, which at the start he ate, but now doesn't seem to bother with it. He gets linseed already, and I'll be adding extra mint and probalance (when I've been to collect it from the post office!) which I know might put him off his feed more. Could I try speedibeet back in it again, or anything else, I'm guessing something like apple juice just defeats the whole purpose, although I haven't tried the nettle tea yet....

 

[flirtygerty]

Try marmite in warm water to dampen the feed, mine would eat arsnic if it had marmite in

 

[stilltrying]

what about trying apple cider vinegar? I've had similar sorts of issues with mine, he doesn't want to eat a chaff which is basically chopped hay and speedibeet. And quite frankly i dont blame him! The combinations i've found to work are hifi light, speedibeet and apple cider vinegar, or readigrass and speedibeet, or the very boring chaff, speedibeet and a handful of high fibre pony nuts.

 

[toomanyhorses26]

mine has alfa nuts and crushed oats with pro hoof and a couple of handfuls of micronized linseed and always clears the bowl - thinkt he oats add a bit of interest

 

[SaffronWelshDragon]

Have a quick nose at the ingredients in Fast Fibre, then look at it from your horse's point of view. All that tasty spring grass is coming up, and as you're feeding him outside he can choose between that, and a bucket of NI straw, oatfeed and beet, among other things, he's probably going to go for that yummy spring grass!

Not too helpful as I don't have any suggestions, but just a thought hehe!

 

[claribella]

My mare was dead fussy with fast fibre, linseed, speedi beet and after months of putting it off, I finally bit the bullet and bought a bag of thunderbrook, pooping myself that I could have thrown forty quid down the drain. Thankfully she loved it! And has done eversince. The first feed that shes ever had an appetite for despite trying everything. I hardly use any per day so it actually works out far cheaper than anything Ive fed in the past. Its definitely worth a try! Had brilliant results with it

 

[stencilface]

I seem to have sorted it with the hifi molasses free, linseed, probalance and the magical addition of spearmint. Just need to get my mum to not feed him carrots now and I'm onto a winner!

 

[Dizzle]

If the horse is a good doer why do they need feeding?

 

[Dizzle]

ETA: My barefoot good doer is fed on grass. Grass and hay over winter.

If she has worked hard she'll get a handful of pony nuts in a bucket as a treat.

Cost effective, simple and apart from the pony nuts, pretty natural!

 

[bollybop]

My horse is doing really well on Dodson and horrell equine sensitive. Won't eat chaff, but she hoovers this down.