What to add to alfalfa feed, advice?

Hormonal Filly

Hormonal Filly

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My mare currently gets:

Dengie healthy tummy
Equimins powder balancer
Scoop of micronised linseed
Vitamin E
Joint sup


I know our yards grass tends to disappear and horses loose weight during winter. She’s a good weight at the moment but if this happens.. was considering adding speedibeet? Any other ideas?

Thank you 🙏
 
Hormonal Filly said:
Increase the linseed and add grass nuts?

I bought some Emerald meadow magic nuts last year and she hated them!
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The meadow magic is the low sugar low cal option so won't be as tempting. The grass pellets or Grasstastic are full fat. Haven't tried the pellets but my tb who can be fussy likes the Grasstastic
 
I also find Coolstance Copra is good for weight maintenance, not sure you'd want it with the Linseed but it's just coconut shell meal so nothing complex in terms of ingredients. Worth getting a sample pack to make sure they'll eat it first, Coolstance will send you one if you email and ask
 
Hormonal Filly said:
Increase the linseed and add grass nuts?

I bought some Emerald meadow magic nuts last year and she hated them!
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criso said:
The meadow magic is the low sugar low cal option so won't be as tempting. The grass pellets or Grasstastic are full fat. Haven't tried the pellets but my tb who can be fussy likes the Grasstastic
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Yes, to all of this. Up the linseed and add the emerald green grass nuts. Mine ate the grass nuts with no problem and as Criso said they should be more tempting than the meadow magic which are the low calorie option. The grass tastic should also work but then you'd have a lot of chop with the alfalfa as well so I'd be more tempted to go with the grass nuts.

Copra is also good but I'd maybe tempted to go the grass nut/ tastic route first and if still lacking then go to the copra.
 
handful or so of bruised/ crushed oats?

Was recommended when I did the equibome test, its a good source of beta-glucan, lysine and methionine . The phosphorous is a good balancer when feeding alfalfa that tends to have a high calcium content. But take care as the starch is high so really only a little is needed. Be cautious and read up on it if you have anything that is laminitic/ems, in this case you might want to feed only just after work. I just do a scant handful morning and evening.

Another thing to try is pea protein -- the best value I've found is at Rowan Barbary, it has a good amino acid content and protein is a big component of hair/hooves so it really helps. When I got my hay tested I found we really were low in it and it made a big difference.
 
Hormonal Filly said:

Product: Fibre: Natural Meadow Cobs

www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk

Just seen Dengie have released this. Sounds like grass nuts which are soaked, might be worth a try?
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For something needing weight gain I'd be more inclined to go with emerald green grass nuts as the Baileys said they're low in calorie due to leaving the grass to mature where as emerald green is cut at it's optimum time.

The stooge in me also wonders why Baileys feel the need to use German grasses and whether that would be beneficial to horses used to English grass and environmentally it seems a lot of unnecessary travel too.

I'm only going by what is written on the link though, so very happy to be corrected if anyone knows or thinks otherwise.
 
Hormonal Filly said:
My mare currently gets:

Dengie healthy tummy
Equimins powder balancer
Scoop of micronised linseed
Vitamin E
Joint sup


I know our yards grass tends to disappear and horses loose weight during winter. She’s a good weight at the moment but if this happens.. was considering adding speedibeet? Any other ideas?

Thank you 🙏
Click to expand...
Best grass pellet I think is Simple Systems' Blue Bag grass pellet as it;s a bit lower in sugar.
Reg bag grass PelletIf you have a horse that's fine with a high sugar grass pellet- they have a Red Bag pellet that would probably do a great job keeping weight on, I know someone that shows ponies and that really likes the "round" [in my opinion unhealthy] look and she feeds the red bag grass pellet. Would probably make mine jump out of his skin!
 
tyner said:
Another thing to try is pea protein -- the best value I've found is at Rowan Barbary, it has a good amino acid content and protein is a big component of hair/hooves so it really helps. When I got my hay tested I found we really were low in it and it made a big difference.
Click to expand...

That’s funny, I’ve just had some pea protein delivered from Rowan Barbary as our hay came back low in protein to.

Thanks @Squeak and a very good point about where they’re sourcing it from.. if my local feed merchant don’t have Emerald is the Dengue Grass nuts similar? Sounds it on the analysis.

Although her weight at the moment is good, I might just up the linseed for now.
 
Hormonal Filly said:
That’s funny, I’ve just had some pea protein delivered from Rowan Barbary as our hay came back low in protein to.

Thanks @Squeak and a very good point about where they’re sourcing it from.. if my local feed merchant don’t have Emerald is the Dengue Grass nuts similar? Sounds it on the analysis.

Although her weight at the moment is good, I might just up the linseed for now.
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I personally prefer the emerald green as they grow it on their own farm, which should make it a lot more consistent, and means they have full control over it whereas I believe Dengie buy it in.

Mine is very sensitive and colicked on the Dengie ones but that could have just been coincidental and not the grass pellets fault although it fitted with the timing and he's never had a problem with the EG ones. I know other people feed Dengie no problem so you probably would be fine with them.
 
Squeak said:
I personally prefer the emerald green as they grow it on their own farm, which should make it a lot more consistent, and means they have full control over it whereas I believe Dengie buy it in
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It even says which field. If you scan the QR code on the bag, it takes you to a video showing all the fields and names


I did have one bag which clumped a bit, absolutely fine and smelt the sane but more difficult to mix.
 
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