Forage only feeding - advice and thought much appreciated

Alfa A has been known to fizz horses though.
Would you say hes a good do-er?
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Would Alfa A fizz him anymore than HiFi mixed with a huge scoop of competition mix?
Don't know about the do-er yet cause of all the health probs and our first winter with him:o

Thx Doris - Are you a rep for the company? Your reference pops up in all the feed threads I looked at.

Thx WL.
 
Another vote for Simple System, I'm definitely not a rep! My not very good-doing 4yo has been on a mixture of their forage-based feeds for a few months & is looking great, she's picking up condition in all the right places. She is also so chilled, I took her for a wander today on her own with chaos all around (there was a ploughing match going on at the farm) & then introduced her to some alpacas (!) & she took it all in her stride. She has energy when she needs it - can bomb home up the stubble after a decent hack - but it just doesn't seem to fizz her up at all.
 
I've had a look at the Simple Systems' website and it looks interesting.

Our YO buys in bulk and I don't think he includes their system - that wouldn't stop me though as I can just buy my own.

Can I ask the difference between their hi fibre and the other brands like Dengie?


Thx
 
I don't think any of their stuff is molassed, unlike most other chaff/chop-type products. I've always assumed they avoid molasses because their philosphy is to imitate the natural diet a horse is designed to digest as closely as poss, & wild horses obviously don't eat molassed food.
 
Oh W'jit it is so nice to hear your plans for DIY! At last, a chance to do things YOUR WAY!! We had a bad experience on full livery with Merrick, which funnily also involved a YO feeding him competition mix :rolleyes: despite being told not to. Grrrrrrrr! We're back on DIY now (different yard) and much happier :)
Anyway, to answer your question, your planned feed regime is *identical* to Merrick's, and he has thrived for 2 winters on it (aside from the competition mix episode!).
As I'm sure your research has told you, you've accounted for warmth, slow release energy, good quality protein for muscle and condition, and vits/mins. And all on high fibre, low starch :) 10/10 :cool: :D
Alfa-A is sometimes avoided by people because it is molassed, but OH bought a bag by mistake our first winter :rolleyes: and being a penny pincher he ignored my horrified cries and insisted we tried it. Merrick was fine and we used it ever since with no problems. Currently finishing a bag of Happy Hoof (his "summer chaff" so to speak) but will return to Alfa-A as soon as it is finished. Competition mix is invariably molassed too, so if he's been okay on that, the Alfa-A shouldn't cause any problems.
 
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Thx Doris, Iron Maiden and Est:)

Phew, Est. So this complicated feeding issue is beginning to sink in to ma wee heed!
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Iron Maiden and Doris - I have just digested the simple systems website and the philosophy seems great. I appreciate the the molasses / sugar concept.

The one thing that is putting me off phoning them, though is the thought of all that soaking especially with the winter ahead and me being a Full Time Job London Comuter just about to go DIY.

How do you guys manage it?

Once made up will it last 24hrs - if I was to make it up the night before?
 
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Try alfa oil it isnt mollased like alfa a and it keeps weight on if thats an issue.I have a TBXID he is feed hay, alfa oil and bluechip dynamic for his joints he lives out 24/7.I havent noticed a change in him and he certainly isnt fizzy since hes been on alfa oil.:)
 
I sometimes make it up the night before but not bothering at the mo' because I'm feeding Meadowbix, which only need 30 mins soaking, Ruffstuff, which you don't soak, & Lucienuts, which soak in 2 hrs. If I'm in a hurry I use boiling water for the nuts & they are ready to eat in no time (obviously got to wait for them to cool down but you can add cold water if necessary, makes it all a bit soupy but P doesn't seem to mind!).
 
Thx DHT - Alfa Oil - I'll read a little more about that. I am suspecting that weight may be an issue for a bit - keeping it on that is.

IM, what are those three things for? Meadowbics, Ruffstuff and Lucienuts?

Thanks so much for answering the Qs!
 
To be honest, nothing very scientific here - they were what I had in when I bought P, my old horse did really well on them so I thought I'd give them a whirl with her. She had been fed on quite a concentrated diet but she was a bit on the skinny side, so I thought it was worth trying something different. The Lucienuts are meant to improve topline & have done the trick with both P and my old horse, the Meadowbix are concentrated good quality grass & have a bit of energy in them, the ruff stuff is just to slow her down a bit when she tries to bolt her dinner! She gets a few supplements too (Kossolian, garlic, glucosamine, zinc & evening primrose oil). I try to get as much grass & good quality hay down her as I can, the extra feed is all foragey stuff that I can vary as the grass comes & goes and she gains/loses weight.
 
Hi Dee,

When I first bought Megan (Jan this year as you know) I was working full time and had to go to the yard at 5am to muck out, turn her out by first light etc. I used to have her feed done from the night before so would leave her eating brekkies whilst I (we, Enya came too ;) ) mucked out. It takes a wee bit of getting used to but you can cut down the morning visit to 30 minutes - including the muck out :cool: - by doing the big chores the night before when there's less of a rush on! If I was in a real rush I'd just give her breks, groom, rug (in winter) and turn out and muck out that night (not ideal but it cuts the morning visit down to around 15-20 mins on a good day.

Good luck with it and don't panic! I'd keep his feeds simple and not panic too much over a bit of this and a dash of that for now, it's not hocus pocus stuff. Once he's doing well on your vet's advice and feeding regime you can little by little try out different systems to suit him and you both.

Lynda xx
 
I looked into simple system food and was all for going for it until I discovered you can't get it up here. :rolleyes: They delivery but there is a minimum of 25bags, which is far too much for me.

If you're wanting no-molassas fibre feed then have a look at Hi-Fi lite and Alfa-Oil and mix them together. If he's on a scoop of competion mix and is just a 'good' weight them he's obvioulsy not that great a doer - mine would be obese by now.:eek: So Alfa-Oil would probabaly be fine.

Alfa-Oil is, weigh for weight, the same energy as a mix. Hi-Fi lite pads it out. I would try one large scoop of Alfa-Oil with one large scoop of HI-Fi lite. If he's getting fat replace some Alfa-Oil with Hi-Fi or vice-versa if he's thin. If he needs to eat longer add more HI-Fi lite or if he's not got time, remove Alfa-Oil. And if he really needs more weight add Speedibeet.
 
My pony, who is a fairly good doer, gets grass + hay and usually in the winter that's enough. In the summer she does a lot more work and has grass + Alfa-A or Alfa-A oil and a cupful of oats. Without the oats she doesn't have quite enough 'fizz' as she's a lazy pony by nature!

Many horses only need good hay/haylege + grass, and their 'feed' is just for supplements. Alfa-A oil is a good feed for weight gain/maintenance.
 
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