Feed advice needed......Horse and pony cubes?

Rea

New Member
Aug 31, 2007
362
0
0
Who here feeds horse and pony cubes? and what brand do you buy?

Have they ever made anyone's horse go loopy?

I'm moving stable yards and my mare will now have access to a field that actually has grass in it during the day so I thought about swopping the conditioning cubes in her feed to horse and pony cubes as I dont think I'll have the same problem keeping weight on if she has access to food/grass all day.

(If it matters she is currently fed on ad lib haylage, hard feed is mostly chaff with formula 4 feet, a bit of alpha beet, and then the condition cubes. She's an irish sports horse in light work).
 
Horse and pony cubes differ in their energy ( in the form of calories) and starch (gives quick release energy).

So if you are concerned about fizzy behaviour, maybe opt for a high fibre, low starch cube such as dodson and horrell high fibre nuts, or spillers high fibre cubes.

Aim for a fibre content of 18-20%, and energy of 8% if poss.

Alternatively, there is always the feed balancer option, top spec, blue chip etc.

I have been using dodson's high fibre cubes all winter, and havent noticed a change in my old pony's behaviour!.
 
Mine are on Heygates horse and pony nuts (I think this is what you mean by cubes) and used to be on the local mills own brand ones........... they just have that and chaff - if you are worried about putting weight on you just feed more of them, and if they put on too much you feed less - I find it much easier than adding and taking away all sorts of supplements and it works a treat.

Mine only 'heat up' when fed other things.....
 
energy of 8% if poss./QUOTE]

Sorry to sound dim :rolleyes: but what do you mean by that? I have never heard of energy levels being measured by % as they are normally measured by MJ ... ?

Most low energy horse & pony cubes will contain between 7-10MJ of digestible energy, which is quite a large difference, so it is a good idea to specifically choose a low energy cube. Cubes are usually slightly lower in energy and starch, and high in fibre compared to mixes so it would be wise to chose a cube over a mix. As already suggested, a fibre content of at least 18-20% is ideal and a starch level of 10-15% if your horse is particularly fizzy.
A product such as Baileys Everyday High Fibre Cubes or Saracen Super Fibre Pencils may be ideal:
http://www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk/whatproduct/general/bec.htm
http://www.saracenhorsefeeds.co.uk/products/42724247/super-fibre-pencils/

Alternatively, again as already suggested, if your horse is a good doert and/or particularly fizzy and only in light work, then a feed balancer may suit him better than a cube, as it wil provide him with all the essential nutrients he requires for a balanced diet without the additional energy of a cube. A high fibre, forage-based diet that is minimally low in starch would suit a fizzy horse best.

I hope this helps. :)

x
 
newrider.com