??what feed sends your horse nuts?!

[andreaB]

question in the title really

i ask as my horse needs some xtra oomp

he's in meduim - hard work & we compete dressage

he's a sweetheart but very laid back! in good condition & no stamina issues

i need something to hot him up a bit

he currently gets
-sugar beet
-baileys no 4 conditioning cubes
-allen & page competition extra
-alfa-a oil

(although thinking of dropping the balieys no4-but should i keep it as an underlying source of slow release energy?)

been doing some feed research but would love to hear peoples experiences

oats?? barley?? peas?? as i've never fed an of them before ( always used compound feeds)

any help appreciated

[No_Angel]

I can feedmy ex racer anythign and nothing seems to get her any hotter.
Mix sends my idxtb over the edge, aswell as horse lick treats, she can eat cubes till they come out of her ears but a handful of mix and she turns into a nutter.
Recently started giving my very load back welsh cob a few handfulls of baileys economy mix and shes completly different, alot more awake.

[Jessey]

I have the opposite problem nowdays, everything seems to hot mine up :p

In the old days when I had a nice sane horse I used to use a little HDF Power mix on comp days and the like, really gave him extra Oomph :D

http://www.spillers-feeds.com/en-gb/united-kingdom/header-bottom/products-and-stockists/racing-feeds/hdf-power-cubes-and-mix/

I also like the Response range, but that energy is far more controlled :D

ETA: I also love the grow well feeds range (make equilibra etc) - http://s104768845.websitehome.co.uk/GWFeeds/main-products/index-equine.htm

[baxter]

All mine get fed, fibre based, non heating feeds...
Although carrots send one a bit mad, protein sensitive!:D

[Iron Maiden]

Had the same issues as you with my old cob. Big feeds of competition mix & oats didn't do anything, he was flat as a pancake & could barely be bothered to move at all sometimes! He perked up after I switched him to Simple System feeds & pulled his shoes off. Well he always was a contrary monkey...

[martini55]

My mare is on a strict fibre-only diet because of her laminitis and she has been soo chilled since we changed to that! She used to get pasture mix in winter and I am sure that sent her loopy. Though on saying that she used to be a nutter in summer as well when she was fed nothing. Maybe she's just finally grown up :D

[marsden]

ours get the traditional feeds such as oats and barley.
Some of them do get the mixes.

A couple of the ponies are on oats, not for them to hot up as such but more to give them the energy to compete successfully in most of the PC activities.

[puzzles]

why does he need 'oomph?'
is it to work well at his job, or because you want him to be?
if it is the latter then maybe he is tired from excessive / too difficult workouts.
also, if he is not receiving ad-lib, good quality fibre then he will not be maintaining condition/energy well.

high-energy, quick-release energy feeds (rather than the conditioning, slow-release feeds you are currently feeding, e.g. instead of the no.4) fed literally by the handful, will give him sparle without fizz, if given in moderatuion, e.g. gradually introduced a few days-a week before the competition/harder work, and phased out again for several days afterwards.some highest-quality examples include Dengie Naked Oats (you may find you need to feed less concentrates because of this).

please contact dengie/nutritionists - for no charge - online, for more info.

if, however, you are finding that his quietness does not suit you personally as well asd you would like, then maybe it would be kinder for him to give him into the hands of someone who will love him for this.
(not to sound horrible!)
good luck!
:-)

[jovi_y2k2]

cool mix!!! :D and im not joking star fizzes up on pretty much any form of concentrates and "non-heating" mixes have stuff in them that has more digestable energy than oats!

[teabiscuit]

I have the opposite problem nowdays, everything seems to hot mine up :p

In the old days when I had a nice sane horse I used to use a little HDF Power mix on comp days and the like, really gave him extra Oomph :D

http://www.spillers-feeds.com/en-gb/united-kingdom/header-bottom/products-and-stockists/racing-feeds/hdf-power-cubes-and-mix/

I also like the Response range, but that energy is far more controlled :D

ETA: I also love the grow well feeds range (make equilibra etc) - http://s104768845.websitehome.co.uk/GWFeeds/main-products/index-equine.htm

thanks for that Jessey i have got finn on the response for laid back horses

may try the HDF power cubes :D

[Bay Mare]

Pasture Mix sent Saffy completely psycho. I then found that I couldn't give the stuff away, it's got a bad reputation has Pasture Mix!

The thing is that is sparked her up but it was never going to be useable energy, it was just 'blow your brain' kind of energy.

She's much better and still has lots of energy on Simple Systems stuff AND is a lot more level headed.

[Nik-n-Kia]

I would stay away from raw cereals Ie barley or oats and maybe try a racing mix or a competition mix.

Just have to watch as horses can go over what you want and to tell you the truth I wouldn't be stuffing my horse full of stuff just because he ain't fizzy enough as you might get ore than you bargained for!!!!

No offence but worht thinking about.

Hope you find what you are looking for!!!!

Nikki xxxxxx :D :D

[Bay Mare]

What sort of work is he doing ie type of work, how long, how often?

Changing the type of work you do may be better than stuffing him full of sugar and additives! But, of course, it depends what you're doing with him already :)

[ClaireBear_nz]

The one thing that sent my TB loopy was lucerne chaff. Any time I had him on that then a day+ later tried to ride, he'd rear, buck, shy, nap, everything! Off it, he was an angel!

[mogadoga]

Alfa A origonal.....*shrug* I gave it when i first got him and he was babyish still but when he got feed he went naughty. I changed feed and he was fine....2 years on i thought hed maybe be ok now...i was so wrong. He went loopy. Days after i stopped it he went back to his normal self. I wondered if it was just coinsdence. So i gave him some again for a week...and he went daft. Lol

[Wally]

None of ours seem to be food sensetive, You could feed all the Shetlands (and have done) oats , sugarbeet, silage and the like and they just never react.

Andy goes nuts to get to the bucket, but that's it.

[Bronya]

My TB - nothing does, can feed her bucket-loads of oats and she's exactly the same as she is on just grass in the summer.

My NF pony - oats!! Doesn't send her loops, but gives her that little bit of extra energy she needs.

[x_Broomy]

My dad accidently mixed up the feeds once, my mare ended up with Spillers youngstock mix, and my filly had Baileys Pasture nuts :rolleyes: Didn't change the way my filly acted, but when i rode my mare the next day, i was holding on for dear life!

[Mossy]

Try Badminton Working mix. You don't need much, or if there are no stamina issues, a small amount of Naked Oats just when needed. WARNING ROCKET FUEL! Moss gets an eggcup daily for a couple of days before hunting an dit just gives him that edge.

[andreaB]

well , i've started introducing rolled oats

he's got plenty stamina,& is very fit , it's really quick release that i need & the comp mix hasn't given us enough

it's not that he isn't 'fizzy enough for me' as suggested , just that he's lacking the extra sparkle needed now we are moving on to more advanced work where we need a bit of pizazz

[hackedoff]

Interesting opinions/experiences I must say. I am currently cutting alfalfa out of my young cob's diet due to stuff I have read on this and other forums hoping he will mend his ways ;) Can I say though if you want Rocket Fuel I have seen some spectacular perfomances after Happy Hoof!! It is packed with sugar (I guess to make it palatable) I saw a little Welsh A turn into Seabiscuit on acid and an elderly laminitic pony who had barely moved for years cart her rider up the bridleway at a fair old clip, scattering other horses in her way- quite a sight.

[teabiscuit]

well finn has been on response for laid back horses and topped up with spillers oats for a fortnight now, and he's started shying at the birds again, so i know he's perking up, thank goodness

[carthorse]

Barley certainly sends Jimmy nuts but not in a way that can be used, he's literally so high that he doesn't know what to do with himself & is hardly safe to be around. For useful sparkle I up his oats if he's working hard.

[Rarah]

I'm on Baileys conditioning cubes, sugarbeet and Alpha A and felt that Logic needed that bit extra to liven her up.

She now gets 2 small scoops of rolled oats in her feed which was introduced very gradually because I'd heared that oats can send your horse over the edge, but it's done my mare the world of good. Just enough extra energy to do the work that's expected of her, but not enough to send her silly!

[CurlyWurlyRach]

The curly wurl got oats and sugarbeet for a week on box rest and i erm...had fun when i tried to ride her... :rolleyes:

If you want some serious energy then i can reccomend a good racing mix....

[carrimclaren]

Alfa A origonal.....*shrug* I gave it when i first got him and he was babyish still but when he got feed he went naughty.

Same here. Couldn't work out why my mare seemed to be a coiled spring all of a sudden and someone happened to mention that the new bag of Alfa A that i was feeding her from could well be the reason. I was feeding her the same amount as i'd feed her of apple chaff :o Whoops, she's now back to apple chaff and pasture mix.

[andreaB]

mmm , racing mix is a thought , not something i'd looked at