roughage and copra

[LittleBeth]

we are just about to change the diet of my mum's 13 yr old, 15.2hh thoroughbred who is ridden lightly and kept in a paddock with plenty of hay 24/7.

she will be getting:
1/2kg copra
2 buscuits oaten hay
2 buscuits lucern hay

will this be enough roughage to go with the copra?

[packhorse11]

I reckon yu havent any replies on this because not everyone knows what copra is - I dont ?
Also from the fact that you are feeding other stuff which we dont get in UK - maybe other readers dont know what they are either.

So what is coppra? Maybe if you can give us an idea of what it is someone will be able to help.

[packhorse11]

I just had another thought - how much do the biscuits weigh?

How much is plenty of hay ? Weight ?

Also how much is the horse ridden - every day - for how long - how hard is it ridden - does it do competitions etc. etc.
Is the part of the world you live in hot or cool is it summer or winter and does the horse wear a rug when cool (blanket you may call it)

I guess people will need all of this info to help you Littlebeth.

Let us know soon

[artemis]

I don't know what copra is either, but any changes in diet should be made gradually,so that you dont upset his gut.

[LittleBeth]

copra (cool fuel) "is the residual meal from coconut oil extraction". it keeps up her condition without making her too hot.

im not wanting to know whether that is enough roughagefullstop, i just want to know whether a certain amount of roughage is needed to be fed with it. don't know how much the biscuits weigh, but we do get as best quality possible.

i suppose it really doesnt matter if i dont get any replies from UK riders, so don't fret.

[virtuallyhorses]

That sounds fine on the roughage front but its unusual to feed copra on its own. Its excellent for weight gain and coat condition but this will be quite unbalanced in the vits and minerals front. Is it possible to feed with a 'balancer'? Copra is high fat and protein and some (few) horses can be allergic to it so add slowly and check for any signs that the horse is not handling it well.

Since you mention the tag 'cool fuel' can I assume that you are going to feed a commerical mix of Copra Meal? (We can get bags of straight copra to add to feeds but I know there are also processed products) This is VERY high in protein, around 20% from memory.

[LittleBeth]

what do you mean by a 'balancer'?

[LittleBeth]

damn, i wrote 'plenty of hay' instead of 'plenty of grass'.

i'm having a bad week. . . .don't you just hate parents. . . .

[virtuallyhorses]

Sorry I meant use another feed product to provide additional nutrients that the Copra Meal is lacking. Something that includes vit & mineral supplements pre-mixed. You can often find products called 'pasture balancers' or 'grain balancers' These are products which are designed to round out known calcium\phosphorus imbalances in high grain diets, for instance or if they're made in an area where the pasture is known to be deficient in minerals like selenium or copper, they will concentrate on providing those minerals thereby providing a 'balance' for the deficient part of the diet.

However, if she's in pasture getting plenty of grass\hay and the copra just to put some condition on then it should be fine. If you want to make sure that the Copra Meal product you're starting on is well rounded ask your feed merchant they'll be able to let you know if a particular brand is liable to leave you lacking in a mineral or vitamin set.

[LittleBeth]

i have checked the calcium phosphorus ratio in copra and i'm pretty sure her supplement balances this out. this is the only major-ish imbalance i know of in copra.

she gets a salt and iodine lick as well.