# Feeding a large amount is it okay?



## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

I feed lots of good quality hay. My growing 5 year old gets about a 1/2 of a bale a day. And then we supplement with a nutritionally balanced ration, and that's it!
For weight gain, the beet pulp is great, but also consider adding rice bran and a mineral/vitamin supplement. If at all possible, decrease how much of the soaked alfalfa cubes you are feeding and start giving a lot more hay.


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

You do NOT need a vit/min supplement if you're feeding any kind of fortified feed, at the recommended levels.

3lbs of Ultium isn't enough. He's not getting the full spectrum and vitamins and minerals, so you're wasting your money. You need to either feed the recommended amount of Ultium (about 7lbs for a horse in moderate work) or stop feeding it and switch to Purina Enrich 32. Nature’s Essentials® Enrich™ 32 Supplement

Feed just 2 lbs of the Enrich, increase your beet pulp to 3 lbs dry weight, increase your alfalfa to 3 lbs dry weight, and add 1 lb of stabilized rice bran for added fat. Once he's at a good weight, slowly reduce beet pulp and rice bran. Cut it in half every 2 weeks until he holds a nice weight for you.

Alternately, you can feed just the beet pulp, alfalfa, and rice bran along with a vitamin supplement for horses not on fortified grain. My hard keeper (and TOO easy of a keeper) does better on that then on any grains/pelleted feeds. I'm using Uckele's Equi-Base Grass right now, and I have used Smart Pak's Smart Vite Maintenance Grass with good success. Just mix the supplement in with your soaked beet pulp and alfalfa. The Uckele supplement has high levels probiotics and Omega 3's in it. Both have higher values of nutrients than the Enrish 32.

Uckele: http://www.uckele.com/equine/ezecommerce.cfm?fuseaction=productdetail&productid=546
Smart Pak: http://www.smartpakequine.com/productclass.aspx?productClassid=4579

Now, my horses keep a health weight on just hay, a little alfalfa, a little oats (just for fun), and their vitamins. You should be feeding as much GOOD quality grass or timothy hay as he will eat.


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

I agree with feeding more good quality hay. Either offer it free-choice or in multiple (at least two) feedings a day.


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## kickshaw (May 7, 2008)

if it were me, i would probably cut out the beet pulp and alfalfa, increase the ultium, and add lots of fresh grass hay. 

in those small amounts, i'm not sure really how much the alfalfa and beet pulp are helping - I think he'd benefit a lot more from having lots of grass hay to chew ;-)


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## toosexy4myspotz (Oct 7, 2007)

Let me clear just a few things up. My horse eats one 40lb bale of hay a day! It is a timothy grass mix. He eats 6 pounds (total for the day) of Purina ultium which IS the recommended amount for him right now because hes doing little to no exercise. I will NOT switch to the Enriched feeds because I dont like the 32 percent protein that comes threw them alone. When he is going through heavy workouts his feed gets increased but right now he is at little to no exercise. He also gets blanketed. But he has plenty of good quality hay, never a minute of the day does he ever go without.


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## toosexy4myspotz (Oct 7, 2007)

Also, I use the alfalfa and beet pulp soaked because it helps to keep him drinking throughout the day.


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## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

toosexy4myspotz said:


> Let me clear just a few things up. My horse eats one 40lb bale of hay a day! It is a timothy grass mix. He eats 6 pounds (total for the day) of Purina ultium which IS the recommended amount for him right now because hes doing little to no exercise. I will NOT switch to the Enriched feeds because I dont like the 32 percent protein that comes threw them alone. When he is going through heavy workouts his feed gets increased but right now he is at little to no exercise. He also gets blanketed. But he has plenty of good quality hay, never a minute of the day does he ever go without.


 
ok let's do the math here

if I remember right Ultima is 14% protien 
so .14 lb of protien per lb of feed 
.14X6 = .84 lbs of protien or 381g

Enrich32 
32% or .32lb per lb 
only need MAX of 2lbs 
so at the max .64 lbs of protien or 290g

why do yuo have a problem with the protien?? do you not understand that the PROTIEN is the building blocks for muscle


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## toosexy4myspotz (Oct 7, 2007)

Okay if you want to be exact. Ultium has 11.7% protien, 12.4% fat, and 18.5% fiber. I dont play the 'protien is everything' role because soooo many people go wrong with that. Do you realize that by feeding so much protien you are doing harm to your horses kidneys? Yes I know protien is the building blocks for muscle, the reason why I feed a portion of alfalfa. Protien is one of the least things you should be worried about when feeding. Check the fat, fiber, minerals, etc. You can manage a horse PERFECT on 10% feed if you feed the proper amounts and have a good quality hay. You dont need 14% protien and I would NEVER feed a 32% protien. Thats just an outragous amount. Yes, supplements have it in it but for certain purposes. Im not looking to build alot of muscle on my horse. I just want him at a happy and healthy weight.


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## toosexy4myspotz (Oct 7, 2007)

All in all I would rather feed him 10 pounds of something with the right minerals and nutrients that something that is based of so much protien.


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## toosexy4myspotz (Oct 7, 2007)

Ive done some reading on the Enrich 32. Its more like a supplement, not a feed. Its missing alot 5% fat would NEVER ever maintain a hard keeper and the 5.5% fiber is crazy!!!! Dont you want your horses guts moving? Fiber is a very important part of a horses diet, well they aint getting it from that!


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## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

please do some research.. feeding over 5lbs in a feeding is not good for your horse... also high levels of sugars/starches can STOP a horse from eating enough hay and other stuff to gain weight ...

do the math 


11.7% is .117 lbs of protien per lb X how ever many pounds you are feeding 

YOU ARE FEEDING MORE PROTIEN NOW THEN YOU WOULD BE WITH THE ENRICH

the proper levels of nutrition is what matters ... when Ihave more time I will figure the numbers on both for you ...


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## toosexy4myspotz (Oct 7, 2007)

He doesnt get over 5 lbs in a feeding, he gets 3 lbs. Sheesh....just drop the subject because no one is staying on it. He gets THE recommended amount for his size, weight, and activity. I DO NOT like Enrich because it does NOT offer what he needs in it. My question was NOT about the feed that I use but about the quanity of everything combined that I wanted to see if it was okay or not.


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

toosexy4myspotz said:


> Let me clear just a few things up. My horse eats one 40lb bale of hay a day! It is a timothy grass mix. He eats 6 pounds (total for the day) of Purina ultium which IS the recommended amount for him right now because hes doing little to no exercise. I will NOT switch to the Enriched feeds because I dont like the 32 percent protein that comes threw them alone. When he is going through heavy workouts his feed gets increased but right now he is at little to no exercise. He also gets blanketed. But he has plenty of good quality hay, never a minute of the day does he ever go without.


Then he should be holding his weight fine. In fact, he should be too fat. The fact that he is not, says that there is either something wrong with him (teeth need done, needs to be dewormed, possibly needs tape worm dewormer, has a metabolic issue, etc.) or there is something wrong with the Ultium (or the hay could be poorer quality than it looks).

I'm telling you, my horse LOST weight on Ultium. It did something to rev up his metabolism and we had to feed him a LOT more food than should be neccessary.

Just try it, for 30 days. STOP feeding Ultium. Just feed him hay, alfalfa, some beet pulp, and a fat supplement. Throw in a vit/mineral if you want to be "safe," like the Uckele Equi-Base grass, Sellect II, or Smart Pak Smart Vit Maintenance Grass. Just bit your tongue and TRY. If it doesn't help, you can come in here and say "I told you so!" lol 

Here's what I would have him on, total daily ration:


2 lbs dry weight beet pulp
4 lbs alfalfa (cubes, pellets, whatever)
1 cup of corn oil or 2 cups of whole flax seeds
Uckele Equi-Base Grass
If he doesn't begin to gain weight on that and all the hay he can eat in 30 days, then there might something wrong with him. I'd have a second vet do a full blood panel on him and an exam.


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

toosexy4myspotz said:


> Ive done some reading on the Enrich 32. Its more like a supplement, not a feed. Its missing alot 5% fat would NEVER ever maintain a hard keeper and the 5.5% fiber is crazy!!!! Dont you want your horses guts moving? Fiber is a very important part of a horses diet, well they aint getting it from that!


You should not be relying on FEED to get fiber into your horse. A horse gets all the fiber it needs from HAY. Yes, the fat is low, but that's why I recommended a secondary fat source for your boy. Once he gains weight though, he should not NEED all that fat and feed. On a good forage based diet, he should maintain on very little extra feed, even when in moderate to heavy training/competition.

Feed companies want you to THINK you need all this extra [email protected], but your horse doesn't. For a healthy gut and calories for weight and energy, your horse just needs hay. For a healthy skin, coat, and hooves, he needs just a little extra vitamins. A supplement (like Uckele's Equi-Base grass) or a Ration Balancer (like Enrich 32) provide those extra vitamins.

VERY FEW horses are truly "hard keepers". I have had a few that were sold or given to me as hard keepers, but as soon as I took them OFF all that silliness the previous owners were feeding them, WA LA! they gained weight and maintained on a LOT less food and their hooves, skin, and coat were healthier than ever...


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

toosexy4myspotz said:


> My question was [. . .] about the quanity of everything combined that I wanted to see if it was okay or not.


A horse should eat no more than 6 lbs of total concentrates (feed, beet pulp, pellets, etc.) at a sitting.


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## minihorse927 (Aug 11, 2008)

little OT, but my mini stallion is truly a hard keeper(has been diagnosed for overactive thyroid), he use to eat 3lbs in the AM and PM of omolene 200 and still looked like a skeleton, we switched to strategy and he got a little better, then I found the ration balancer I use and voila! he looks 500X's better than ever before and ONLY eats 1lb a day! The 75lbs he was lacking(this is a 220lb mini now) was all gained back through a ration balancer and all the grass hay he could eat! Only eating 1 lb per day he gained this back in a MONTH. He is super cool headed, as he was one hot little butthead before on sweet feed and on strategy. Now he is the been there done that kind of horse and NO ONE knows he is a stallion! No kidney problems and eats all the grass hay he can eat with 1/2lb in the AM and 1/2lb in the PM. I do feed a fat supplement to him also in the winter, but in the summer he holds his own just fine on this feed. Ration balancers are not bad and just take the suggestions with a grain of salt, do not freak out about it, no one said you have to change anything.


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## TxHorseMom (Mar 4, 2007)

Wow! For someone who's asking a question there is a lot of defensiveness going on. Anyway, what I found to be very helpful for "hard keepers" is a probiotic supplement. I like the Source supplements. Especially for older horses. What it does is to help the horse utilize the feed he is getting whether it is hay or grain. Good luck with your horse.


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## minihorse927 (Aug 11, 2008)

toosexy4myspotz said:


> Ive done some reading on the Enrich 32. Its more like a supplement, not a feed. Its missing alot 5% fat would NEVER ever maintain a hard keeper and the 5.5% fiber is crazy!!!! Dont you want your horses guts moving? Fiber is a very important part of a horses diet, well they aint getting it from that!


Just wanted to point out HAY IS FIBER...or did I get taught wrong when I took all those horse classes in school?


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## toosexy4myspotz (Oct 7, 2007)

Okay, the problem is not him gaining weight it was with the amount of food ALL together that was I was questioning, but anyway. I just got my guy home on November 6th and he was awful looking. I mean you could count his ribs, his hip bones and tail where very prominate, and he had extremely boney shoulders. Here is a picture of him now.... He is gaining weight FINE. This is the best he has ever gained weight. Yes, I probably shouldnt have trusted the person as much to take care of him when I moved but I didnt have a choice. Now I am having to bring him back to a healthy weight.


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## toosexy4myspotz (Oct 7, 2007)

Heres another pic...


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## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

weight wise he looks fine but... you knew there would be one... he needs muscle which the Enrich or a product like it would help with QUALITY protien that honestly most feeds lack that is why so many people depend on supplements... 

If he were MINE 

I would put him on 

1 lb of rationbalancer daily 
6 lbs of beet pulp daily 
and about 3lbs of alfalfa pellets 

so I would double your beet pulp and alfalfa and loose the Ultima and add eithe rEnrich32 or different ration balancer depending on what is avaiable to you


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

He looks fine to me, just lacking in muscle and topline. The stripes on his sides are from roaning, not ribs. Stripes are vertical, ribs are vertical then angle back. 

My ribby mare, after a rough month of bad weather and stress (this was her first day at our house, she was boarded). She only needed 50-75 lbs to fill in over those ribs and be a healthy weight. She gained it all back in 3-4 weeks of just good hay and her oats/alfalfa (about 2.5-3 lbs total daily).










Notice the ribs curving back, not straight down.


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## toosexy4myspotz (Oct 7, 2007)

Yes I realize those stripes are from roaning. you cant see his ribs now. You could when I first got him home.


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

Ahh gottcha, I thought those were the "before" pictures.


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## toosexy4myspotz (Oct 7, 2007)

I have been reading on the Ration Balancers and the supplement type feeds that you only feed like 2 lbs of per day verses the usual 6-8 pounds. I still do NOT like the idea of it. I cannot feed my horse double the alfalfa and double the beet pulp. That is 10 quarts of food in one feeding. That is 2 and a half gallons! An average horses stomach is about 10 quarts, the reason you are suppose to feed small amounts. Yes, I realize he is lacking muscle. Can I add an additional protien supplement to what he is already getting? Yes, I would try that but I just cant bring myself to try the Enrich 32. I am a huge Purina fan as well as Triple Crown. I thought about dropping the Ultium and putting him back onto Triple Crown senior and adding a supplement to that as well. Im not 100% opposed to it but I will not double the alfalfa and beet pulp because he cant handle that in one feeding. Theres no way.


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

You shouldn't need to feed that much in one feeding, even to put weight on. You should be able to feed 3 lbs dry weight of alfalfa, 1-3 lbs dry weight of beet pulp, and then a ration balancer or a simple vitamin supplement. That along with his hay SHOULD be all he needs to put weight on slowly.

And really, he's at a fine weight in those pictures. I would say he only needs hay and a ration balancer, nothing extra (maybe half a 2qt scoop of whole oats or a full scoop of alfalfa pellets, just for a little something extra, but nothing more). I know it sounds contrary, but most horses WILL gain and keep weight on when you take them OFF feeds high in sugar and starch. 

You're only feeding 1.5 cups of beet pulp and 1.5 cups of alfalfa a feeding. That is NOTHING for a horse. It would be like you eating half a peanut butter sandwich or a 1 oz snack bag of chips. When you soak both, it should triple in size, approximately, but the dry weight is what matters, not the finished volume. If it's too much volume, don't use as much water, or any water. Horses can eat dry beet pulp just fine, especially the shredded kind.


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## toosexy4myspotz (Oct 7, 2007)

He actually gets 2.5-3 cups at each feeding. I would never feed dry beet pulp to any animal.... Putting that into their stomach and then it expanding the way it does can be very dangerous. I would never in a million years feed a horse dry beet pulp.


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## minihorse927 (Aug 11, 2008)

this seemed like a good link to post about feeding dry beet pulp. Question Display (Illini HorseNet) — University of Illinois Extension
The very reputable saddlebred farm I use to work at did it for YEARS and never ever once had a problem in any way shaped or form, the horses actually liked it dry better! They only fed the shreds though as it is stated that very rarely a horse can choke on pellets.


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## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

the alfalfa and beet pulp are FORAGES not concentrates ... he will take him a LONG time to eat it all.... beet pulp is about 9 cups per lb ... alfalfa pellets is about 3 cups per pound ... 

Why are you so worried about the higher protien??


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

toosexy4myspotz said:


> He actually gets 2.5-3 cups at each feeding. I would never feed dry beet pulp to any animal.... Putting that into their stomach and then it expanding the way it does can be very dangerous. I would never in a million years feed a horse dry beet pulp.


No it's not, that is an old wives tale. 
http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/hrs3243#soaked



> Beet pulp may soak up water like a sponge, but it cannot soak up saliva quickly enough to expand in the esophagus and cause choke. Instead, choke associated with beet pulp (particularly the pelleted form) is often in response to the particle size and the horse's aggressive feeding behaviour, rather than the actual feed itself. Horses that bolt their feed without sufficient chewing, or do not have adequate access to water, are far more likely to choke, regardless of the type of feed, compared to horses that eat at a more leisurely rate.
> 
> Nor is it likely that dry beet pulp will rupture the horse's stomach. The equine stomach holds 2 to 4 gallons. This volume is equivalent to 4.5 to 9.5 pounds of dry beet pulp, which is more than most horses receive in a single meal. Likewise, most food that enters the stomach passes on to the small intestine within 15 minutes or less—and for those of you who have timed how long it takes beet pulp to expand, it's longer than 15 minutes. Assuming free access to water, horses will voluntarily drink enough water to adequately process any amount of beet pulp consumed (1.5 to 2 litres per pound of beet pulp). Along with this drinking water, fluid is constantly entering the digestive tract, so beet pulp will not "suck the horse dry." Ultimately, the 40 to 50 gallon capacity of the equine digestive tract is more than sufficient to contain even a very large meal of beet pulp. The only horse in danger of a gastric rupture is one suffering from impaction or other severe lack of normal peristaltic movement.
> 
> So, contrary to popular belief, you don't _have_ to soak beet pulp (either the pelleted or shredded form) in water to feed it safely to horses. *Research at several universities, including some of my own studies, have fed dry beet pulp in amounts up to 50% of the total diet without choke or other adverse reactions.* Likewise, many, many tons of dry beet pulp-based feeds are fed annually without incidence. For example, most commercial feeds designed for geriatric horses contain large amounts of beet pulp and are fed straight out of the bag without being soaked first.


When you feed Ultium, you ARE feeding DRY beetpulp to your horse. It is 100% dry when processed into Ultium pellets and thousands of horses eat it dry without killing them. Same goes for senior feeds.

2.5-3 cups dry measure is still nothing to a 1,000 lbs horse.


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

You have a lot to learn about horse nutrition. Peggy, I, and others on this thread are trying to help you and teach you. Peggy and I have done a lot of research on horse nutrition, including vet/university studies and independent studies, not just what a feed rep tells us or what a single vet tells us. 

99% of vets don't keep up with nutrition research and only know what they were taught in vet school umpteen years ago, or what they learn from feed reps at vet conferences. Feed reps or nutritionists that work for feed companies only tell you what the feed companies pay them to tell you. It's up to YOU to do the research and wade through all of the BS out there. And yes, there's BS on all sides. However, long term studies (over 5-10 years) have shown that feeding these high powered feeds, high in sugars and starches, can be detrimental to a horse's long term health. Why take that risk? 

Horses don't NEED lots of extra garbage in their diet. They NEED good pasture and good hay. Many horses don't need anything beyond that. A horse that is ridden lightly (1-2 days a week, 3 hours riding time total a week, or less) should keep their weight on fine with just hay. If they're not, then your hay is NOT as good as you think, or you're not feeding enough hay, or your horse has a health issue (worms, teeth need done, etc.). 

A simple vitamin supplement or 1 lb of ration balancer should be all a horse needs to complete his daily nutritional intake. 30% protein in ONE pound of food is NOT a lot of protein. It's LESS protein per meal than your 7 lbs of Ultium...

As for your horse, he's a fine weight now. Just keep riding/working him so he can build the muscle he needs. If you feed him to fill him out, you'll make him too fat. Being fat is just as detrimental to a horse's health as is being too thin, even more so.


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## toosexy4myspotz (Oct 7, 2007)

Im not saying I 'know it all' cause god know, I dont. Im just very skeptical about trying new things especially messing around with his feed. Im just worried about doing more harm than good I guess. I hate feeding such large meals. IF I try a ration balancer, alfalfa pellets, and beet pulp what would be your suggested amount of each. I will try it. Im not just talking about trying it for a few days or a week. I will seriously give it a try, as I love my baby boy and will do anything that will better him.


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

If you can get Triple Crown, I would go with that one. Purina's is my least favorite.

I would feed just beet pulp or alfalfa, not both. Whichever you choose, I'd go with 3 lbs plus 1-2 lbs of your ration balancer. Add to that 1 cup of corn oil or 2 cups of whole flax, for added fat. If you go with oil, start with just 1/4 cup and work your way up. Some horses don't like oily feed. ;-)

Feed that for 30-60 days and see how he does. He MAY lose a little weight during the first week. That is a common response to a change in feed. Just bite your lip and stick with it. The weight should come back on in week 2, and then continue to gain (SLOWLY) in weeks 4-6. 

Use a weight tape to track his weight. Pick a time of day and day of week, like Sunday mornings before feeding, and write it down. Be careful to put the weight tape on EXACTLY the same spot every time. I like to put mine so it covers where the mane starts. Using those last mane hairs as a guide helps keep it accurate.

If you can't get Triple Crown's 30% supplement, then I'd seriously go with Uckele's Equi-Base grass. It helped put the weight on my mare (the picture I shared) very nicely. Feed it along with your beet pulp or alfalfa, plus 1lb of whole oats (about half of a 2qt feed scoop), and 1 cup of corn oil. You'll want to use the oil to make the supplement stick. If you're using soaked beet pulp, then you can use oil or flax.

Uckele: Uckele Equine Nutrition


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## toosexy4myspotz (Oct 7, 2007)

he wont mind the oily grain because he will lick oil out of your hand. I can get TC 30%. Ive never heard of the Uckele's before. I dont know which of the two to keep feeding the alfalfa or the beet pulp.


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## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

takke your pick on the alfalfa or the beet pulp calorie wise they are pretty close... I would prob go with the alfalfa instead of the beet pulp with the shortages in some areas..

I second the TC30% over the Enrich32 ... Triple Crown is just a better company .. from what I have foudn in my reasearch... and most ration balancers are better then any vitamin/mineral supplement


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## toosexy4myspotz (Oct 7, 2007)

I would personally rather keep the alfalfa. He was only started on it umm.....two weeks ago but he acts like he feels soooo much better. Hes spunky, more energetic, and his poop looks great. Hes not hot headed by any means as he has more pep to his step he still obeys like a champ. But how much of the alfalfa should I feed with the 1-2 pounds of TC 30%? And how much corn oil?


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## toosexy4myspotz (Oct 7, 2007)

Whats better the corn oil or flax? I know he will eat either.


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## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

you can go up to 40% alfalfa and stay on the TC30% 

so if he is 20lbs of hay/forage a day that woudl be 8lbs of alfalfa with 12 lbs of grass hay ... 

I would lean towards the flax there are some studies showing that the oil will coat OTHER things in the stomach and stop them from digesting... which you do not want...


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## toosexy4myspotz (Oct 7, 2007)

Cool. Thanks alot. Im sorry forgetting defensive at first. It just my nature. But believe it or not I eventually will think things through and be open to change.


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## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

toosexy4myspotz said:


> Cool. Thanks alot. Im sorry forgetting defensive at first. It just my nature. But believe it or not I eventually will think things through and be open to change.


 
ahhh that's ok I remember fighting the change over alot harder then you did only I had like six of me and Luvs on me **** so when I get somebody alittle hard headed like I am I just try to show them instead of telling them .... and I try to HELP them understand even when it seems I am being a royal ***** I really am not


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

We sure turned you though Peggy, didn't we, lol. It was hard for me too. Change isn't easy, especially when it's "the way it's always been done." Plus there's all these pretty feed bags and fancy marketing. It's easy to fall for! 

I still catch myself looking through all the supplement catalogs wondering what else I should be giving my horses, lol. It's hard to resist sometimes, but I always come back to K.I.S.S... A horse's digestive track is NOT designed to be injesting all of these weird feeds and supplements. They only need forage and vitamins, that's it ;-). Everything else is for "US", not the horse.

What got me going was when I went barefoot. I did research on the best way to make a sound hoof, and found that almost all of the advise out there started with feeding the horse, then went on from there. Some good web sites/articles:
New Page 14
Pete Ramey writes about white line disease thrush navicular disease hoof balance
Excess carbohydrates create problems in horses
Safer carbohydrates for horses
Horse diet and nutrition. "The very best horse book ever: The Soul of a Horse: Life Lessons from the Herd."
Nutrition


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## toosexy4myspotz (Oct 7, 2007)

I wish I could leave my guy barefoot but Ive had multiple farriers tell me to never do it again. So now they say shoes 24/7 if he pulls one he gets stalled till it gets fixed. Ive had some pretty good people come out and everyone seems to tell me the same thing. I even had a barefoot expert come out and worked with him for 6 months and had absolutely no luck.


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

Oh sure, I am not one of those barefoot fanatics. Every horse and every situation is different. Doing research on that is just when I started discovering all of this information on diet and nutrition. A "natural" diet does not only go with barefoot horses ;-).


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## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

The change indiet may help his feet and the rain rot ALOT!!!


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## toosexy4myspotz (Oct 7, 2007)

Its been raining awful the past few days and he hasnt been able to get outside at all. I feel so bad for him but I know if he goes out he will get rain rot all the way from the end of his mane down to his tail. I hope the change will help.


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## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

rain rot is bacterial and the bacteria lives on ALL horse's skin... the problem begins when there is something not quiet right with the immune system ... 

If you dig back thur the threads started by me you will see on like "Babs, my poster child for Ration Balancers" read her story that poor mare was in BAD shape rain rot, colic, and lamititis until I switched the changes in her made a believer out of me ...


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## toosexy4myspotz (Oct 7, 2007)

I do have one major concern about switching him off of the Ultium though. Poco is generaly a very calm and mannerly horse and obeys all voice commands the first time. He is perfect on the ground and a charm to ride. He does however have some mood swings from time to time that are hard to deal with because he does become unruley and dangerous under certain circumstance but this year has been a good break throw for us and he hasnt had any of those mood swings since he was started on Ultium. Once he was started on the Ultium it was like he started using his head more. And he hasnt broke any fence posts, or halters, or leads. Im just afraid by changing his feed he going to start having the fits again were all of a sudden he just spazzes out.


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## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

the Enrich32 is completely grain free and the sugar/starches levels are even LOWER then the Ultima ... so if anythign he will settle MORE


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## toosexy4myspotz (Oct 7, 2007)

I dont want him to settle though. See this is why I am afraid of changing because right now his attitude couldnt be better. Hes 100% alert. Listening every second. SOOOO respectful on the ground and hes absolutely amazing undersaddle. I dont want his attitude to change. And I dont want him to be a laid back bum. If I switch to anything it will be TC 30%. Im a big fan of triple crown its just hard to get here. But If I dont have to buy it as often it wont be a problem.


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## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

I really think you will be much better off with the TC30% then the Ultima the main change I seen in mine energy wise was easier to control more attentive...


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

toosexy4myspotz said:


> Its been raining awful the past few days and he hasnt been able to get outside at all. I feel so bad for him but I know if he goes out he will get rain rot all the way from the end of his mane down to his tail. I hope the change will help.


Too much sugar in the diet can cause skin and hoof problems like rain rot and thrush to be much worse. Cutting out all that sugary feed may really help that problem.


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## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

Great site for helping to understand nutrition in everyday terms that we all can understand ...
Horse Feeding in THREE Easy Steps!


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