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flosskins
Silver Member
345 Posts |
 Posted - 22 Oct 2012 : 08:34:31 AM
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What does everybody feed their horses? There are so many options out there that it can become so confusing and I'm starting to feel my grasp on it slipping away. I always used to feed alpha A Oil and baileys endurance mix to my arab in work, and then alpha a oil and baileys stud cubes when she was in foal but I haven't fed her or the yearling anything all summer as they were on good grass and have done really well but I think they need to go back onto some hard food and I don't know what. I want to feed the youngster correctly for growth etc but there appear to be many different opinions on this!
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Judith S
Platinum Member
Wales
15686 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2012 : 08:38:54 AM
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| We feed Primero Total and I am a firm believer of continuing to feed even when they are on good grass as grazing is very often deficient in vitamins and minerals. |
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Nichole Waller
Gold Member
England
1168 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2012 : 1:20:54 PM
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| I feed simple systems feed. It is quite expensive but I like the fact it is free from preservatives and no added sugar. It's mainly Alfa A based and the total eclipse supplement has linseed, brewers yeast and seaweed. |
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flosskins
Silver Member
345 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2012 : 1:25:40 PM
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| I've been having a look at the simple systems and think it looks good but as you said expensive, and not easy to get! I like the idea of the lucerne. Is the balancer much different to the baileys balancer? |
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Cinnypony
Gold Member
1160 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2012 : 1:39:22 PM
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Mine 3 are fed - unmolassed sugar beet, micronised linseed (charnwood as do 20kg sacks)- plus supplements - yea-sacc, magnesium oxide and a vits/mis supplement.
Cinny my endurance horse also gets oats as otherwise she doesn't hold her weight. I vary the amounts according to time of year, work levels... |
    
Cinnabar Moth --------------- -----------CF Matilda ----Red House Gaia
Susi
https://www.facebook.com/CinnabarEndurance/ |
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Judith S
Platinum Member
Wales
15686 Posts |
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Pasha
Platinum Member
England
3622 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2012 : 3:22:42 PM
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I too looked at Simple Systems but was put off by the price and that it's quite hard for me to get as no stockists nearby... Shesky has EMS so I was looking for something safe for Lami but also that would give him everything he needs for Dressage (and Endurance low level).
What I was recommended by the ECIR Yahoo Group was similar to Simple Systems and the principles behind most Lami safe feeding that I can find so I feed Speedi Beet, Dengie Alfa Pellets, Charnwood Milling Micronised Linseed, Salt and Equiminns Advanced Concentrate Meta Balance Formula 2 (this is mineral balanced for horses with Metabolic problems, but they do different formulas).
I do also feed him Aloe Vera Gel as he is very sensitive and has been through soo much - he seems to get on very well with it!
He is looking a bit slim at the moment though so revisiting with the specialists on the ECIR Yahoo Horse Group to see what we can do |
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Pasha
Platinum Member
England
3622 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2012 : 4:21:43 PM
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| Does anyone feed Rowan Barbary feeds? I just came accross their soft n soak solution mash and looks too good to be true! |
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brack369
Gold Member
559 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2012 : 4:37:58 PM
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| I feed simple systems. I actually find it more economical than other feeds for my old girl. Altjough she still has some hay, I feed it as if it's a hay replacement. She has a whole trug tub of an evening and is thriving on it. Prior to simple systems she was having haylage Alfa a veteran mix sugar beet pink powder glucosamine and still struggling to keep weight on. It's brilliant for the oldies |
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martha615
Gold Member
England
1053 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2012 : 4:54:31 PM
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I've recently started using the "base mix" from Thunderbrook (www.thunderbrook.co.uk) because I was getting desperate to get weight on my big cob with Cushings. I've been very impressed by it!
I also feed a lot of hay and some Readigrass, though the hay doesn't looks very good this year. I've already had to send back some damp bales.  |
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Vik1
Platinum Member
1711 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2012 : 5:39:12 PM
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Im really paranoid about DJD after losing a yearling I bred developed it. So now I steer clear of all youngstock mixes/cubes as I think they can cause the horse to grow too quickly.
I just fed my youngster alfalfa (for the protein and calcium), a bit of sugarbeet (for taste/dampness/fibre) and a pink powder feed balancer. At one point I didnt give him alfa but used Just Grass instead. I plan to stay away from cereals for as long as I can with him.
Im older horse is fed stupid amounts to keep the weight on but I think I might of cracked it and have managed to reduce the volume. She gets a British Horse Feed veteran mix, Baileys Outshine, sugarbeet as a feed x 2 daily. Then at night she also gets a scoop of soaked grass nuts (wont eat lucerne) and now that she has dental probs, I give her a tub trug of a mixture (Just Grass/HiFi) to pick at.
Tried Rowan Barbary, the red bag and she just spat it out but I know some horses love it. |
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Cinnypony
Gold Member
1160 Posts |
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pinkvboots
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
3290 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2012 : 5:56:29 PM
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| Both mine warmblood and arab, have allen and page fast fibre Hi Fi un mollassed, I will sometimes feed alpha oil for more energy, the arab has lost some weight as the field is looking bare so his getting tons of hay but think this years hay is not such a good quality so will be getting some haylege this winter, the other one never drops weight and can look cresty in summer so have to watch her sugar intake, they both do fine on the feed and love it I split it into 3 feeds a day I am not a fan on high sugar and starch diet so steer clear fom mixes and the like. |
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RUTHIE
Gold Member
United Kingdom
1238 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2012 : 6:06:24 PM
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Another vote for Allen & Page fast fibre with unmollased Hi Fi with apple pellets plus carrots. They love it and is only a minute soak. Doesn't 'stoke the boiler' either.! |
     
In Memory of Crystal Flash 2010-2012 |
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firstlady
Gold Member
Wales
767 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2012 : 6:44:30 PM
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| ditto Ruth a&p fast fabre , unmolassed Hifi and if extra condition or va va vooooooooom needed then add in some d&h build and glow |
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Blue Sonnet
New Member
25 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2012 : 6:47:49 PM
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| Mine have never really done enough work to need mix and have always done well on alfalfa (Halley's Greengold) and sugar beet with lots of carrots and Benevit supplement. Haylage for most and soaked (old) hay for the too good do-ers. It remains to be seen if Martha will thrive on same diet but at this point, no reason to think otherwise. We had an ancient pony many years ago that we inherited when we bought a house, the wee chap had been neglected for years and was missing loads of teeth. With a good rug, adlib hay which I'm convinced he beat to mush with his gums, and feeding him soaked grass pellets and sugar beet with about a mug of corn oil, he kept weight on well and had a really good quality of life for his last 3 1/2 years. |
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jillandlomond
Platinum Member
Scotland
3586 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2012 : 6:48:54 PM
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Hi Pasha,
I've tried the Rowan Barbary feeds and none of mine would eat it. Don't know why, but glad it was only free samples I was trialing |
    
Borders, Scotland |
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Mrs Vlacq
Platinum Member
Wales
3776 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2012 : 7:04:45 PM
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Trouble is, most '1-bag-does-all' feeds are people pleasers and expensive ways to feed a simple mixture of basic ingredients...! for example fast fibre and alfabeet are basically beet and alfalfa smushed into a pellet to soak.
We feed beet, a mix we have made up for us (20% protein, oils, brewer's yeast) with a light chop to slow a few down. This is the basic ration for all - from foals to working ones.
The oldies also get HorseSource Alfala pellets - far nicer than dengie IMHO - to top them up. And a few slimmers get Happy Hoof with unmollassed beet. Yes that is my concession to 'easy feeding', mostly due to lack of space as we already buy beet, mix and alfalfa pellets a tonne at a time!
Make sure your fodder is good quality and then feed simply. Don't ram protein into your youngster, but you do need him/her to have a covering and enough spare energy to grow, ward off cold, endure a long winter. So I'd go for unmollassed beet, a generic vit/min mix / balancer if you are concerned in any way, and a mix that contains brewer's yeast/yeasacc. The feed companies all offer good advice, so contact them. Good luck |
    
- V Khazad - V Calacirya & V Sulime - Quarida(L) - V Boogie Knights - V Hamra Tofiq |
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Etoile
Silver Member
275 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2012 : 8:33:04 PM
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| We feed happy hoof and a small amount of wet cool stance to mix the supplements for their basic feed. We then increase the cool stance if needed weight wise, though we did just get a bag of micronized linseed to try as it comes highly recommended. We do feed baileys endurance mix when they're competing, but only because we found that as we got up to the gated endurance rides there wasn't enough gas in the tank and increasing the cool stance wasn't doing the trick. If they're not competing/training at that level then they don't get the mix, as it's high in starch. |
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Foxtrot
Bronze Member
England
66 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2012 : 9:01:07 PM
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We feed the Pure Feed companies feed, its all fibre based and the people who developed it had a large stud so should know a thing or too about feeding youngsters!
Our horses have looked great on it and they are always on hand if you have any questions. |
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Foxtrot
Bronze Member
England
66 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2012 : 9:01:07 PM
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We feed the Pure Feed companies feed, its all fibre based and the people who developed it had a large stud so should know a thing or too about feeding youngsters!
Our horses have looked great on it and they are always on hand if you have any questions. |
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MinHe
Platinum Member
England
2927 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2012 : 9:57:43 PM
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We are looking at Cool Stance and beet for our 2 18yos, but were wondering what else to go with it - any suggestions?
Keren |
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Callisto
Platinum Member
6905 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2012 : 10:14:53 PM
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Another vote for Allen & Page, it's barley and molasses free, choosing between calm & condition up to power and performance depending on who is doing what.
I tried Lily on the Pure feed working, I really liked the whole concept, but she wasn't very keen, and when the new grass came she wouldn't eat it  , she's happy with the Allen and Page range which we feed with soaked beet and Alfa A. The two fatties have chaff instead of Alfa A.
All but the fat welshie get Charnwood Micronised Linseed as well. (Lily for her itchiness, the oldies for their joints and my sister's skinny gelding to help with condition).
They are now in at night and out for 9 hours a day and get hay at night, not particularly brilliant quality hay but the best we could get this year (better than last years). |
  Zahkira (GR Amaretto x Taffetta)
Linda
East Sussex |
Edited by - Callisto on 22 Oct 2012 10:22:03 PM |
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NUTTER
Platinum Member
England
2452 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2012 : 11:46:30 PM
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Topspec, swear by it feed one pure and part bred. both have one cup a day so works out very cheap, one 16.3 other 15.3
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Pasha
Platinum Member
England
3622 Posts |
Posted - 23 Oct 2012 : 09:45:58 AM
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| Originally posted by Mrs Vlacq
Trouble is, most '1-bag-does-all' feeds are people pleasers and expensive ways to feed a simple mixture of basic ingredients...! for example fast fibre and alfabeet are basically beet and alfalfa smushed into a pellet to soak.
We feed beet, a mix we have made up for us (20% protein, oils, brewer's yeast) with a light chop to slow a few down. This is the basic ration for all - from foals to working ones.
The oldies also get HorseSource Alfala pellets - far nicer than dengie IMHO - to top them up. And a few slimmers get Happy Hoof with unmollassed beet. Yes that is my concession to 'easy feeding', mostly due to lack of space as we already buy beet, mix and alfalfa pellets a tonne at a time!
Make sure your fodder is good quality and then feed simply. Don't ram protein into your youngster, but you do need him/her to have a covering and enough spare energy to grow, ward off cold, endure a long winter. So I'd go for unmollassed beet, a generic vit/min mix / balancer if you are concerned in any way, and a mix that contains brewer's yeast/yeasacc. The feed companies all offer good advice, so contact them. Good luck
Totally agree with you!
I did take a look at A&P Fast Fibre and I think that is a good alternative for those not wanting to buy a seperate vit/min supplement as it has some good stuff in it. It also contains some unnecesssary stuff too which I wont feed Shesky so that one is struck of the potentials!
Sent the spec for the soft n soak to the ECIR guru's and it's too high oil/fat and also contains garlic which is a bit no no for IR horses, so we will stick with what we've got and I will try and get Shesky to eat a bit more (never thought I would say that, but just goes to show how much IR effects them as he is not a greedy horse now and I struggle to get him to eat enough!) |
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Eeyore
Gold Member
1181 Posts |
Posted - 23 Oct 2012 : 10:25:53 AM
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Are many people still feeding the Thunderbrook feeds? I know they were popular with people on here a while back?
I feed mine Just Chop (unmollased hay/straw chop with nothing added), Readigrass (in winter), Grass Nuts (not many!) and the Thunderbrook base mix. I was feeding linseed, brewers yeast and vits/mins separately but the Thunderbrook mix has it all in. They also get carrots and various herbs along with lots of meadow hay.
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Heléna
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Feeding
