anything missing in feed?

[Ex-racer]

Just wondering about feed, these are my 2 and what they eat

12h 14yrs pony, laminitus prone:
happy hoof
naf laminaze
garlic
seaweed
apple cider vinegar

15.2h, 8yrs tb:
spillers cool mix
garlic
seaweed
apple cider vinegar

Both in very minimal work. Is there anthing they're missing in their diets?
Also have just seen on another thread about naf magic, does anyone else have any experience of it? The reason my tb is in such light work is because of my confidence issues due to her extreme spookiness. Have people found that it makes a difference?
Thanks.

[eventerbabe]

if your TB is spooky take out the cool mix! stick him on a fibre based diet, see if that helps. NAF magic works on the principle that a magnesium deficiency is causing the fizziness. If it's simple overfeeding (some of these cool mixes can be like rocket fuel!) then i'd doubt it would have an effect.

I like Formula4feet for laminitics. Makes sure they are getting everything they need. Also, a probiotic is extremely useful, laminitis starts in the gut so keeping the gut healthy is vital. If it were me i'd ditch the lamineze (which is rubbish) and move to F4F and a good probiotic. You could probably also ditch the seaweed if you moved onto F4F.

[Ex-racer]

Thanks. I dont know much about different feeds, this what they were having when we got then (minus the extras). What would a fibre based diet include? And what would anyone suggest is a good probiotic?

[Ex-racer]

anyone???

[pinkypug1]

My 16.1hh Irish Sport mare gets 2 large scoops of 12% cool mix and sunflower oil twice a day and ab lib hayledge! In summer i add garlic to try ward off flies. She is moderate work (ridden schooling and jumping 4 days a week and competes SJAI every saturday or sunday)

ive never added anything else and she is in super knick!!

[mogadoga]

Baileys low cal. A balancer with everything you need, saves ther extra supplements, low calories and fine alone or with a little chaff. Seems expencive but works out cheaper than bags of feed plus supplements :)

[puzzles]

I would stick to (specifically 'high fibre') cubes as they tend to contain less starch, energy and more fibre compared to mixes (thus being less likely to exaggerate your horse's natural temperament and cause excitability).

Digestive enhancers (increasing efficiency of the digestive system in utilising nutrientsa dn mantaining optinum health) I recommend include NAF Pink Powder, Equine Biotal Gold and Dengie XP Triple Action. Specifically, probiotics provide a daily supply of 'good' bacteria required to help break down food, whilst helping to minimise 'bad' bacteria whoch struggle to survive in these conditions. You may well find that your horses/s gain weight or condition as you use a digestive enhancer, as they show the effects of improved digestion.

Being in 'very minimal' work, both of your horses could thrive on a high fibre diet based on long (forage and grass) and short (feed in chaff form) forage. You can reduce your horses' diet very gradually (to minimise digestive upsets as the 'good' bacteria struggle to adapt quickly enough). They wil get all the energy they need from grass and hay, plus if fed a feed balancer they will rceive all the vitamins and minerals they need for a balanced diet, without the unnecessary energy.

I also second Baileys Lo-Cal as a quality, useful feed balancer.

:-)

Good luck!

x

[eventerbabe]

Thanks. I dont know much about different feeds, this what they were having when we got then (minus the extras). What would a fibre based diet include? And what would anyone suggest is a good probiotic?

by fibre based i mean no nasty cereal filled mixes. Pick a base chaff appropriate to your horses work load and energy level (good doers, maybe hi-fi lite, something that needs a bit of sparkle or to aid weight gain then use alfa-a oil). This can be topped up with products such as speedibeet or alfabeet.

Probiotic, i like dengie XP :)