Question about Dodson & Horrell Barley Rings

[CrisO]

Has anyone else found they send their horse a bit loopy?

Recently starting feeding these for weight gain about 10 days ago.
It's difficult because I've been away for the last week so am going on reports but apparently Frankie has been full of the joys of spring and bucked my sharer off. He is normally very laid back, he is 5 yo and a TB ex racehorse but honestly he is normally a complete donkey. He never made it to the track because he preferred eating to running! He is just coming back into work after box rest but again he has been fine up to now and this is week 6.
It could just be that the rest had finally got to him and he has too much energy but am wondering about the barley too and if that could be a factor.

Everyone tells me it is non heating but wondered if anyone here had had issues with it?

[shandy84]

mine is a little more sparky on them but that and sugarbeet have been great for weight gain as she has had a bad winter :)

[puzzles]

Don't trust friends alone! The actual product does not state that it is non-heating. It is designed to be fed to horses needing extra energy (i.e. for those in hard work) or for improved condition/weight gain.
If your horse is becoming excitable and unmanageable on the Barley Rings then I suggest that you gradually change over to a different conditioning feed, preferably oas part of a diet based on fibre and oil whcih is low in starch. Barley rings are high in starch (being a cereal) and, as this is broken down into sugars very rapidly in the digestive system which are then released onto the bloodstream for energy use, it can make horses go like live wires!
Baieys No.4 Topline Conditioning Cubes (http://www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk/whatproduct/condition/no4.htm for more info). Cubes are preferable to mixes as they tend to contain less starch and more fibre in comparison.
A forage-based alternative is Dengie Alfa-A Oil (http://www.dengie.com/pages/products/fibre-feed/alfa-a-oil.php for info) which is very high in fibre (which your horse's digestive system is almost entirely designed to digest!) (the more efficient energy source, based on alfalfa) and contains Soya oil for extra energy, to give the same amount of energy (calories) as a traditional conditioning feed only without the unnecessary starch and increased liklehood of excitability - I really recommend this.
However it does have to be fed alongside a feed balancer/vitamin and mineral supplement to provide your horse with a balanced diet (i.e. NAF Pink Powder, Dengie Optinum, Baileys Lo-Cal).
Remember that you have to feed the recommended volume of your chosen product to give your horse a balanced diet with the energy he needs for extra condition.
Sugarbeet is a useful non-heating option, which can be fed alongside a balanced conditioning product.

If you would like any more information then please feel free to PM me.

Good luck!

:-)

x

[puzzles]

Sorry about the essay ... :-/

x

[jaydevon]

they are non heating, and think it says so on the bag, shall have a look! they do however contain linseed, which due to how it works can make the horse feel better, along with mins and vits, it could be this boost affecting your horse

it may be worth thinking that the horse is feeling better in its self hence the high spirits

[CrisO]

it may be worth thinking that the horse is feeling better in its self hence the high spirits

That occurred to me too - it was apparently a lovely sunny day with a bit of wind and he could see the big field with his friends in it. He's only going out in the sick paddock at the moment which is not exciting at all.

@puzzles he's a bit picky and tends to tip feed on the floor if we put either cubes or chaff or anything else he doesn't like such as supplements or antibiotics in it. Easier to pick out the bits he likes on the floor.
He's also on ad lib Haylage as he refused to eat hay which is why he got skinny in the first place.
He is on a conditioning mix and has been for months. That also has a high proportion of barley and he's been OK with that.
However the Rings may be processed differently resulting in more available energy and as Jaydevon pointed out is could be the Linseed.

If you read the feed companies spiel then everything is perfect/non heating etc which is why I asked here to get personal experiences of it. Only a couple of people on the yard have used them so wanted more of a cross section.

[jaydevon]

take away the build up mix, another thing to consider is sugar, build up mix has the same oils and mins and vits as the barley (aswell as barley) so it could be that your over loading him. try to add something that is un molassed, ride and relax is a good mix if you need to add something with varity,

linseed comes in many forms and had a few uses, you can use it for conditon, stamina and also it aids digestion ect. again, with the sugar and double whamie of mins and vits it could just be your horse feels fab!

[jaydevon]

ive just noticed you use haylege aswell, i would deffinatley think of a sugar overload, if you use a chaff try hifi lite, and maybe some mint to add taste for him.

so many people think you need to be feeding high protien feeds for a horse to go nuts, but not enough of us think about sugar! and how much we actual feed. if you have a look at what you feed and tally up the sugar content i promise your be shocked!

[CrisO]

He was on Haylage before I got him, I made an unsuccessful attempt to move him onto hay but he won't eat more than a couple of slices a day so back on the haylage.

If you put chaff in his feed he tips the bowl up so he can move the feed round the floor and pick out the bits he likes. What he doesn't like gets stomped into shavings and poo. Not good when there's antibiotics in there. He's not wild about the rings and eats the mix first. Then picks them out with a real I suppose if there's nothing else expression.

Until 10 days ago he was on ad lib haylage and conditioning mix (it's not the D and H one but Hilight) and he was if anything a bit lazy. That worked for us except I wanted more weight on him hence the rings.

I reckon one of 3 things
1) Spring's coming, he's young and feels great
2) The box rest and gentle exercise have finally got to him and he is telling me he feels better and is ready to do more and go out with his friends. Vet doesn't agree with this self diagnosis.
3) In his particular case the Barley rings had an effect.

I may cut them out when I get back at the weekend, it won't be long before he's out and then with Spring grass he'll pick up.

[Sexy Sietske]

I have just put my boy (6yo ex racer) back on barley rings and they dont affect his behaviour at all! Spring grass is coming through like you say and after 6 weeks box rest he could be feeling fresh, it may just take him a little while to settle back into routine and be 'working' when ridden rather than playing

[jaydevon]

have you tried soaking the rings? or how about something like calm and condition????? it dosnt need to be fed in big amounts.

6 weeks box rest along with odd weather, warm one day sharp winds the next, i think would also play a part.

the vet probley didnt like what you said as it ernt him no money!

[shandy84]

I moved mine off of the conditioning mixes because of the sugar overload ;) she's on ad lib haylage, 3 round scoops of barley rings, ad lib speedibeet, vit supplement

she's putting condition on nicely on that :)

[AengusOg]

Box rest and feeding up will kinda work at odds to each other.............he'll probably be easier when he's allowed turn-out again.

[CrisO]

Had another email from my sharer and he has been going fantastically. Apart from the incident on Saturday he has allowed the extra energy to be channelled positively.
It is so difficult when you are away on business and things happen. Before this I was considering feeding for more oomph when he was back in full work as he sometimes gives a whole new level to the phrase laid back.

Miss my baby loads and can't wait to see him at the weekend when I get back. I'm hoping to hack out on Sunday and get rid of the excess energy and give him a change of scene.

@Jaydevon Vet has been quite supportive. I have her mobile number so she makes nothing from advising one way or the other. We'll continue to have check ups whether he's in or out. However she is quite cautious and I suppose she doesn't want to say he's 100% and then something happens because I overdid it.

[jaydevon]

thats always good, at the end of the day you know your horse, im finding the whole feeding thing a mine field i have 3 horses all eating different things for differnt reasons,

everybody has something to say abotu what not to/ or to feed. play around with food, and fiind out what works for you and your horse.

i did have a look on a bag of rings to day and theres nothing to suggest its NON heating,

you can also get barley nuggerts, that do say NON heating, may be worth having a change.

[kaytenherponies]

Barley rings are non heating. The barley is extruded, and that takes out all they "energy content". I use these for my TB who is highly sensitive to feeds and have found it to be the only thing that puts weight on and maintains her with out sending her loopy. I would be more inclined to agree with jay devon that it is a sugar overload. Have you recently go a different batch of haylege, some of that stuff can be really potent and I had one particular lot that drove all my horses nuts!

[CrisO]

I use branded haylage (cool forage or horsehage). Partly as it's what our local feed merchants sell but also i feel a sense of loyalty to Horsehage as it was developed close to where I grew up and they tested in on some of ponies on our yard when I was small and they were developing it.

My sharer is brilliant as his attitude to the bad behaviour was "well that's horses for you" and he sends regular updates when I'm away so I don't worry too much.

I'll be back in a couple of days and can assess his behaviour and energy levels for myself and decide what to do then meantime thanks for all the responses.
Got lots of ideas of things to look at if he's still misbehaving when i get back.

[mogadoga]

Feeding aside, alex is a bit 'jumpy' at the moment, but i think its the time of year, coming into spring with some 'lovley' wind.