Alfalfa Intolerance /Switching Feeds?

[michm]

Read a bit on here about horses being spooky maybe having an alfalfa intolerance. Other feeds were suggested on these posts such as Safe and Sound and Ride and Relax. I am wondering about switching as my boy is really excessively spooky, to a point where a fence post is becoming something to shudder at! He is new to us and because he had lammi 5yrs ago we have put him on HiFi Lite. Prev owners gave him a really small amount of Alfa-A just so he had something for breakfast and tea and didn't feel left out. He did spook once when I rode him in their arena at a blackbird pulling a worm out of the soil!, so it's not just the new and unusual here, though I realise he probably wouldn't be quite as bad if familiar with it all.

Changing the feed regime, at least temporarily, seems worth a try. But what I don't want to risk is him getting more heated i.e. are these feeds molassed. He is our 1st pony but would be better two years down the line, so we are learning running! He is on a calmer which seems to be working.

Any advice greatfully received. Thanks.

[MelanieD]

I'd be amazed is safe & sound made any horse silly. My coblet is on it and any high sugar stuff or anything with alfalfa in causes her to be a silly bouncy pony.

Does the calmer have magnesium in it? Laminitis and excessive reaction to spooky things can be associated with magnesium deficiency.

[michm]

Hi MelanieD
Yes the calmer has Mg. It is called Steady Up, can't remember who the manufacturer is.
Thanks for the Safe and Sound info, i'll go to Countrywide today and pick up some and start introducing it to Wolfie's feed.

[SarahC]

You mention that he is on hi fi lite....Just a thought, not sure if you know, but that has alfalfa in it.
Its difficult to find a low sugar chaff that is purely oat straw. I recently bought some Mollichop lite, as I know mollichop is just oat straw, only to find it has alfalfa pellets in it! :(

The lowest sugar oat straw chaff I know of is apple chaff, which is coated in a special low sugar coating.

[Bozzy]

I'm also going through the same process of finding a feed which is molasses free having tried and failed to stick with Simple Systems. Also steering clear of Alfalfa! BTW - Safe & Sound also contains molasses.

I think I'm going with Topspec Cool Condition cubes with possibly Readigrass if I can't find an alternative.

[MelanieD]

TS CoolCondition contain alfalfa. They didn't until last year but checked the bit of paper attached to the bag after a new bag sent Mia totally mental and alfalfa has appeared :rolleyes:

D&H equine sensitive claims not to have alfalfa or mollasses and doesn't have too many other high energy things either. I've only fed it as treats for clicker training so not huge amounts but seems good.

S&S does have some mollasses but not a huge amount. Not ideal to have mollasses in but there's very few feeds that doesn't have some. I try to avoid really highly mollassed feeds but only the most sensitive horses would be bothered by the tiny bit in something like S&S.

Speedibeet/kwikbeet is good for high fibre, mollasses free and not likely to make pony hyper.

[sotanimals]

Read a bit on here about horses being spooky maybe having an alfalfa intolerance. Other feeds were suggested on these posts such as Safe and Sound and Ride and Relax. I am wondering about switching as my boy is really excessively spooky, to a point where a fence post is becoming something to shudder at! He is new to us and because he had lammi 5yrs ago we have put him on HiFi Lite. Prev owners gave him a really small amount of Alfa-A just so he had something for breakfast and tea and didn't feel left out. He did spook once when I rode him in their arena at a blackbird pulling a worm out of the soil!, so it's not just the new and unusual here, though I realise he probably wouldn't be quite as bad if familiar with it all.

Changing the feed regime, at least temporarily, seems worth a try. But what I don't want to risk is him getting more heated i.e. are these feeds molassed. He is our 1st pony but would be better two years down the line, so we are learning running! He is on a calmer which seems to be working.

Any advice greatfully received. Thanks.
Well, ha, our horses were real nuts, (some of them are staying that way,) but my sister and i put a scarf on a sick and chased them round the pin. but that ended when our idiot horse, (dingydoc's his nickname,) tried to eat the scarf. But alot of their spooky stuff can be from the last owners. my 11 year old mare's a jumpy little thing, and she's been abused by her last owners. They all wanted to sell her because she was not catchable. but we worked with her and she's a bit better. sorry this is long.
bye

[sotanimals]

:oI'm not in the states now, and i need info. Please. and does anyone know how i could email him or Linda? i want to learn to train our yearling, and my mare better. i'm new.