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Topic: Feed question? (Read 2369 times)
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Beckie
ata
Gold Medallist
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Posts: 271
I LOVE Trakehners!
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Where do you live? The environment has a lot to do with required feed and we live in a big country?
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Joy
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Old Hand
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Posts: 1,270
I love Trakehners!
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I applaud you for having hay in front of your horse 24/7. In all my years of having horses, I've had only 2 colics, neither of them serious, and never had ulcers, and I really believe it's because they have hay or grass all the time.
I always have free choice minerals out for my horses. I use Dynamite products, which I love, though I've also used Buckeye in the past with success, and ABC's as well. The nice thing about the free choice minerals is they take what they need, and each horse is different. My 4 m.o. filly scarfs down Izmine, which is a natural trace mineral product, but her dam eats a combination of trace mins and calc/phos. My other mare nibbles on them occasionally. They're all different.
I also give them the Dynamite Regular, which is a vitamin supplement. One of the reasons I like their products are they're chemical free, and I also think if you use one product line, you'll get better results.
I don't personally like Purina, because they use ethoxyquin in many of their products, artificial colors, etc. I don't put those things in my own body, and I don't want them in my horses' bodies. I'm definitely not a fan of "better living through chemicals".
BTW, someone told me about a thread in COTH about Dynamite and ABC's. http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=63493
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Beckie
ata
Gold Medallist
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Posts: 271
I LOVE Trakehners!
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Perhaps you could email Brad Krebs and he could help you with information on Purina as he used to be the President of Purina's horse feed division. He should know what they put in the stuff!?!
One thing that your vet will tell you is that pelleted feed is sometimes easier for the older/younger, more sensitive horses to digest as the grinding process does part of the stomach's job for it. Kind of like why you are told to grind flax seed before feeding this supplement. Otherwise it just passes straight through them. I noticed when I was feeding sweet feed with natural grain in it that the birds got as much "after processing" as the horses seemed to keep.
My motto is to feed as much good hay as they can eat without getting fat, supplement with feed and vitamins depending upon need. That means joint supplements for those with previous injuries or potential arthritis developing and feet supplements for those with thin soles or flat feet. I also put a few lengths of copper pipe in the bottom of my water troughs as copper seems to be the one mineral that I can never get anyone to guarantee the ppm on. Who knows if it works, but it makes me feel better and we all know that you only need a little. Same with probiotics and other supplements. Those that show a need get it, but unless I see a reason to start something for an animal, less is more in my book. I tried Dynamite. The horses ate it for a few days and then the powder blew away in the wind......... So, I offer it occasionally for instance when a baby seems to be in a growth spurt and need extra calcium etc. I would go the full analysis route but all my hay comes from out of state so it's ingredients are dependant upon the shipment.
Remember the look in the eye will tell you if the inside is ok! Recent posted pictures of Mick for instance showed a bright eyed inquisitive healthy horse that is happy in his surroundings. Dull eyes tell you to look harder and ask more questions. It is kind of that simple!! Best of luck.
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Beckie
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Gold Medallist
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Posts: 271
I LOVE Trakehners!
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OOoopss. Forgot to say that coat quality is a HUGE indicator of health. If dirty horses shine in the pasture, then you are doing great!!
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Beckie
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Gold Medallist
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Posts: 271
I LOVE Trakehners!
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Never heard of Fat'N'Fiber but it sounds like a high fat, high fiber feed. If he has only been on it for 2 weeks and is still improving, then just sit tight. This stuff takes time. As long as he does not get fat, or have low (or too high) energy, just see what he tells you. Frankly, I think that horses tell you what they need, you just have to learn how to "listen." And like us their needs change. Don't sweat it and enjoy your new guy!! As long as you aren't feeding to high a protein diet to a youngster you will be fine. As for the vitamins and stuff, let him tell you about his needs there as well. My "kids" all get something called Biotin 22X. It is a hoof builder which has just about everything in it. I feed it because I keep them barefoot on this hard rocky ground and a few of them are flat footed and chip and bruise without it. But of course, I did not start until someone was a little sore footed. Now I just feed it to all and then supplement with Senior Flex for two fo the older mares who occasionally appear "stiff" on cold mornings. I also feed Strongid 2X to all daily because when I went off it the youngsters became grossly infested and all needed power paks, and then I give priobios to the under 2 yr old crowd because I am on dry lot half the year and my hay varies. If they were on real pasture, I could probably forego this, but they get diarrea and when they fecaled and are clear of worms, then I just give them the probios which helps. Frankly, if I had REAL pasture much of this would be un-necessary, but here in So. Cal, we only have real grass for a few months of the year.
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Beckie
ata
Gold Medallist
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Posts: 271
I LOVE Trakehners!
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By the way, I remember your feeling well. The night I purchased my first Trakehner, I remember thinking on the drive home after delivering the check, "Now what?! I can't buy the feed for THIS pet at Krogers." Little did I know the path I was on!! Enjoy your new companion and give him a carrot from his distant admirers here on the forum.
Beckie
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tanyabg
Preliminary
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Posts: 85
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Thank you Beckie! I will sit tight for now and watch him regularly to see any changes. Sorry, it is high fat, high fibre, just everyone at the stable called it fat'n'fibre? That was one of my major concerns that he would get too fat, but he is being fed the feed 1 cup 2x/day. As a yearling, he was raised on pasture, hay and cracked corn as his grain...So we wanted to slowly intorduce him to it.
And a big "neigh" for the carrot from his distant admirers.
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Confinement, or restriction of movement of any kind, is contrary to the horse's nature - after all, he is a creature who is used to running free, moving at will and who equates restriction of any kind to danger.
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Elizabeth
FEI
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Posts: 177
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Tanya,
Everyone has their own opinions on feed and supplements. If you have not already, I would talk to your vet with your concerns. I have had both of my mares on a multivitamin, hoof supplement, msm, and electrolytes (add less in winter, more in summer or when they are working hard). I have to mix the supplements for the barn, and they add it to the mares' grain each evening. They also have a salt block in their pasture. That has worked well for me, but it may not be for everyone. The hoof supplement was a carry-over from my first horse, a TB with horrible feet. The msm and multivitamin were reccomended to me from my first vet for my Holly (now 7) when she was 2. The electrolytes were reccomended by Holly's vet when she was 4 and had a bad infection caused in part by bad hay, in part by dehydration. Thus, the formula. My younger mare has been on this formula for nearly three years now, and has not had a sick day in her life (although she did have a bad allergic reaction to bees this summer, and something in her pasture made her drool for a day last week). Both of my mares have lived outside in a fabulous pasture for the past two years (look at their pictures in the general board if you really want to be jealous!), year round. They have a run-in shed, automatic waterer, and are fed a scoop each of Strategy pellets twice a day.
One trick that works really well, especially when introducing new supplements, is to wet the grain with the supplements in it. This way, the horse cannot pick around the supplement, and they get used to the taste. It has worked with every horse I've known, but of course that does not mean it will work for every horse. 
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Elizabeth
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Beckie
ata
Gold Medallist
Offline
Posts: 271
I LOVE Trakehners!
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Elizabeth,
Don't you love Strategy!?! I used to keep tons of different stuff around but now it is Strategy for breeding stock for me. It is a relatively new product for Purina, but I was VERY impressed by the reps knowledge of the feed and had a recommendation from a bigger breeder than myself. The only thing I now vary from horse to horse is amount of feed and individual supplements!! Also, I TOTALLY (listen to the CA girl) agree with you on wetting the feed. It is my fav trick in hot weather as well.
Best to all!!
PS. Fortified rice bran pellets are my favorite calorie boster!
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