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Author
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Topic: Feeding a Fat Horse??
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Lucky Duck
Member
Member # 1401
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posted April 28, 2004 04:07 AM
My new mare is at a good weight now, but all she gets is a cup (a measuring cup, that is) of a 10% protein grain. Her previous owner said if you fed her anymore than that she would get fat. She is boss mare and loves her grain, but she gets signifigantly less than all the other horses. Is there something I can add to her grain for 'fill'... just to keep her busy eating? She'll finish her grain and stick her nose through the stall bars and annoy the other horses... she won't go eat her hay.
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A horse will never tire of a rider who possesses both tact and sensitivity because he will never be pushed beyond his possibilities.- Nuno Oliveira
Posts: 338 | From: Virginia | Registered: Jan 2004
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CANDYGIRL
Member
Member # 719
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posted April 28, 2004 04:14 AM
How about trying some un-mollased Chaff?
I use Dengie Hi Fi Lite for Pic(lami and good doer, fresh air pony)
I know there is a supplier in Florida, I put a link on another post - it will keep her busy longer, without making her gain any weight.
Don't think you can get the Lite, but know they do the HI FI, which is almost the same.
You can feed Hi Fi as a hay replacer, so will not cause you any problems with weight gain, and chaff in general makes them eat their feeds slower, just a bit more fibre and bulk her feed out
ADMIRE YOU FOR TAKING THE PREVIOUS OWNERS ADVICE ![[Bow]](graemlins/bow.gif) .
Hope that helps -let me know if you want me to find the link
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NO FOOT NO HORSE
Proud owner of Hollybush Picollo
Posts: 2620 | From: England | Registered: Sep 2003
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Blistering Winds
Member
Member # 843
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posted April 28, 2004 04:29 AM
What do you mean at a good weight? What is her body score?
Basically you want her at a 5. Cant see the ribs, but can feel them when you run your hand down her sides.
Horses can live on hay and grasses alone, if they are good quality. So if she's eating good hay, don't even bother with grain if she is one to get fat on air!
And exercise!!
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Horses should not be treated as people. They should be respected for who they are and what they are capable of doing!
Born Free Now Expensive
Posts: 4337 | From: Texas | Registered: Oct 2003
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CANDYGIRL
Member
Member # 719
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posted April 28, 2004 04:40 AM
BW, it was me who said mine lives on air LOL.
I agree most can live on grass and hay alone, but she considers her a good weight at the minute and doesn't want her any fatter, only gets 1 cup of grain - that is why I suggestd the chaff to stop her bothering the others through the bars, she said she doesn't bother with her hay.
Gonna send you a pm(not about this ![[Smile]](smile.gif) )
jane
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NO FOOT NO HORSE
Proud owner of Hollybush Picollo
Posts: 2620 | From: England | Registered: Sep 2003
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Blistering Winds
Member
Member # 843
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posted April 28, 2004 04:48 AM
What is Chaff anyways?
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Horses should not be treated as people. They should be respected for who they are and what they are capable of doing!
Born Free Now Expensive
Posts: 4337 | From: Texas | Registered: Oct 2003
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CANDYGIRL
Member
Member # 719
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posted April 28, 2004 05:22 AM
Molassed Chaff
A lightly molassed, chopped straw chaff, supplied in either standard or herbal variety. This popular feed is an ideal way to 'slow' a horse that bolts its food.
Chaff
Chopped forage, useful supply of fibre. Minimal nutritional value. Can be hay, afalfa or straw. Nutrient value and molasses may vary.
HI-FI LITE
FIBRE FEEDS
ALFA-A ORIGINAL
ALFA-A LITE
ALFA-A OIL
HI-FI ORIGINAL
HI-FI LITE
HI-FI GOOD DO-ER
HI-FI SENIOR
Hi-Fi LITE is the maintenance feed for horses and ponies at risk from laminitis. Specially formulated with a low sugar coating, Hi-Fi Lite provides slow release energy to help keep laminitics strong and healthy.
Hi-Fi Lite is made from alfalfa which is high temperature dried - locking in the natural goodness - and then blended with quality soft straw to provide essential nutrition. Alfalfa is an excellent natural source of antioxidants and it is proven to improve the quality and quantity of hoof growth (Vet Record, 1987).
Remember that molasses is a sugar so go for the lowest possible molassed chaff.
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NO FOOT NO HORSE
Proud owner of Hollybush Picollo
Posts: 2620 | From: England | Registered: Sep 2003
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Blistering Winds
Member
Member # 843
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posted April 28, 2004 05:23 AM
Oh ok.
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Horses should not be treated as people. They should be respected for who they are and what they are capable of doing!
Born Free Now Expensive
Posts: 4337 | From: Texas | Registered: Oct 2003
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CANDYGIRL
Member
Member # 719
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posted April 28, 2004 05:25 AM
Do you call it Luceren(?) - just that I came across something on a US site
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NO FOOT NO HORSE
Proud owner of Hollybush Picollo
Posts: 2620 | From: England | Registered: Sep 2003
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Bailey-Boots
Member
Member # 2006
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posted April 28, 2004 07:36 AM
I will have to check out the feed stores when I am over there Candy, so we can all speak about the same thing LOL
yes I have a fresh air horse .. she is sooooo overweight. in a very little paddock that is getting sparser (sp) by the day but I wish she would loose some weight !! I only give her 3 feeds a weeks for her medication. I should just send to to Arizona or somewhere that they don't have any grass.
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Bailey Boots
Posts: 363 | From: Somerset - UK | Registered: Mar 2004
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Blistering Winds
Member
Member # 843
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posted April 28, 2004 07:48 AM
Not sure. Honestly never heard of Lucerine. But I'll check on it.
I know we have dehydrated alfalfa cubes but that is the closest thing I know of. But I'll do some checking.
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Horses should not be treated as people. They should be respected for who they are and what they are capable of doing!
Born Free Now Expensive
Posts: 4337 | From: Texas | Registered: Oct 2003
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CANDYGIRL
Member
Member # 719
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posted April 28, 2004 08:07 AM
Chaff has been used over here for years, proberbly hundreds of years, I bet you have something the same over your way, just another name. In the olden day(oops) they used to cut it by hand ![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
It looks like thicker, very short, flatter hay ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Bailey thought you had died.
I have thought about sending Pic to Spyro and all that Sand LOL
I know she'd have him
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NO FOOT NO HORSE
Proud owner of Hollybush Picollo
Posts: 2620 | From: England | Registered: Sep 2003
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MissBandit
Member
Member # 1377
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posted April 28, 2004 10:55 AM
I've never heard of Chaff or anything that closely resembles it... Hmmm.. ![[Confused]](confused.gif)
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You know you are a horse person when...
...You pull change from your pocket , and hay falls out.
...you yell at the kids, and the horse's name pops out.
...you actually get to a point where flies don't bother you so much.
Posts: 2292 | From: BC, Canada | Registered: Jan 2004
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CANDYGIRL
Member
Member # 719
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posted April 28, 2004 11:01 AM
MB LOL
Just gonna watch Emmerdale and Corrie then will find you a link
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NO FOOT NO HORSE
Proud owner of Hollybush Picollo
Posts: 2620 | From: England | Registered: Sep 2003
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Lucky Duck
Member
Member # 1401
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posted April 29, 2004 03:54 AM
BW-she is probably close to a 6. I would just feed her hay/grass but I have 3 others that get grain (two of which I am trying to put weight on). I'd like her to have something because otherwise she just ignores the hay and pesters the other horses through the stall bars while they eat their grain.
I have found that Southern States (a feed store here) sells Chaff. It is 5% Protein, 10% Fat and 30% Fiber.... so now this leads me to another question... what is it that puts weight on a horse? Fat or fiber? Protein is more for energy, right?
[ April 29, 2004, 04:01 AM: Message edited by: Lucky Duck ]
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A horse will never tire of a rider who possesses both tact and sensitivity because he will never be pushed beyond his possibilities.- Nuno Oliveira
Posts: 338 | From: Virginia | Registered: Jan 2004
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CANDYGIRL
Member
Member # 719
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posted April 29, 2004 05:20 AM
This is chaff
rather than find a link, I took a photo of mine(sad ![[Blushing]](graemlins/blush.gif) )
Also this is the Hi Fi lite I use for Pic, basically unmollased Chaff, but complete with all his needs, just add a supplement
Our Alfalfa looks virtually the same as the caff, only mollassed - called Alfa A.
You can get many different brands of chaff, some with mixed corn added, some with Garlic and peppermint. Or just straight unmollassed chaff which is what I was recommending to Lucky Ducky, as it only provides fibre and slows the eating time down.
Bailey will find out when she goes to Texas what you have over the pond LOL
Jane
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NO FOOT NO HORSE
Proud owner of Hollybush Picollo
Posts: 2620 | From: England | Registered: Sep 2003
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MissBandit
Member
Member # 1377
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posted April 29, 2004 09:45 AM
So that's basically hay in a bag?? Weird. Nope, nothing like that up here. We have alphalfa cubes, not the same at all - but the closest I can think that would resemble that. Alphalfa cubes are compressed into small, bite sized blocks. So that's our "hay in a bag". ![[Hah]](graemlins/hah.gif)
[ April 29, 2004, 09:46 AM: Message edited by: MissBandit ]
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You know you are a horse person when...
...You pull change from your pocket , and hay falls out.
...you yell at the kids, and the horse's name pops out.
...you actually get to a point where flies don't bother you so much.
Posts: 2292 | From: BC, Canada | Registered: Jan 2004
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Blistering Winds
Member
Member # 843
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posted April 29, 2004 10:42 AM
Lucky Duck. Anything from Carbs, to fat to protein can be stored and add weight to a horse.
Fiber can also be stored (the glucose in the fiber) but fiber is more for pushing stuff through and keeping the gut moving on a regular basis.
As for her bugging the other horses...can she actually reach teh other horses as they eat? If so, I would put something up to where she can't see the others, or tie her up until they are done their grain.
If she is one to get too fat, then just feed her hay. She will eat when she is hungry and just ignore her antics.
If she doesn't eat when it is time to work, then work her, and I bet she'll think twice if you are working on a regular basis, to eat when it is time. Leave what hay she hasn't eaten, give her her normal amount she gets at night, and call it good.
If she is leaving hay normally, you are feeding too much for her. Cut back just enough to where she is munching throughout the day, but not wasting a bunch of hay either.
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Horses should not be treated as people. They should be respected for who they are and what they are capable of doing!
Born Free Now Expensive
Posts: 4337 | From: Texas | Registered: Oct 2003
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Blistering Winds
Member
Member # 843
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posted April 29, 2004 10:42 AM
Also, give her plenty of exercise if she is one to get fat on air. Let her work off that food and energy. Instead of storing it.
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Horses should not be treated as people. They should be respected for who they are and what they are capable of doing!
Born Free Now Expensive
Posts: 4337 | From: Texas | Registered: Oct 2003
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CANDYGIRL
Member
Member # 719
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posted April 29, 2004 12:18 PM
It's not actually hay in a bag, it is lightly mollassed dust extractd soft chopped straw, which is lower in nutritional value than Hay.
I think you may call it Wheaten or Oaten Chaff, or Lucerene Chaff, which I believe is higher in nutritional value, that Wheaten or Oaten.
It is a forage, and can be used as a hay replacer for horses with say COPD because of it's low dust content - however that would work out expensive.
It is purely a bulk feed, mainly used to stop a horse bolting it's corn/grain feed or if fed alone as a maintenace feed for over weight horses or laminitics, along with a broad spectrum vitamin supplement.
It will not make a horse gain weight unless fed in excessive mad quantaties.
My suggestion to Lucky Ducky(who has informed me that she has seen chaff available at her feed merchants) is to feed just a few handfuls. It takes longer to chew, so should give her other horses time to eat their feeds before this mare has finished hers.
She could cut all the grain out all together and treat this mare as a laminitic and feed her like I do Pic, just as a maintenace feed. He also has limited grazing, and 2 very small quantaties of hay morning and night Their is nothing in Straight UK chaff to make a horse gain weight, not even the fibre content, which is good and essential for the hind gut. You know I have to be very careful maintaining his weight, and had to reduce my hay in the winter as it was very good quality for his needs and he began to gain weight, but this was his hay and not his chaff. I agree that excercise, starting slowly if the mare is out of work, is important part of her slimming down regime, and also limited pasture acsess.
Things may be different for USA. Doing a search on the internet to see if you might call Chaff something else, I can see that Austrailia, New Zeland use virtually the same kind of chaff as UK, but the only thing I could find for USA was as I said Wheaton Chaff and Oaten Chaff.
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NO FOOT NO HORSE
Proud owner of Hollybush Picollo
Posts: 2620 | From: England | Registered: Sep 2003
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Lucky Duck
Member
Member # 1401
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posted April 29, 2004 04:27 PM
Here is a link to the Chaff at the local feed store: Southern States Chaff
I'm not sure if it will work or not because I had to register at that site. If it doesn't work here is what it says:
Triple Crown Conditioning Chaff is a blend of high quality oat hay with a small amount of molasses and a high level of vegetable oil. Garlic and spearmint are added to increase palatability and appetite. It is designed to provide necessary calories while increasing fiber intake and reducing the amount of grain required for body condition. This is particularly important with ponies that have a tendency toward colic and laminitis on grain diets.
Triple Crown Conditioning Chaff can replace up to 50% of the total forage ration of the horse or pony. It is also successful when mixed with the grain ration to prevent bolting of feed while providing the benefits of high fat.
INGREDIENTS:
Oat Hay, Vegetable Oil, Cane Molasses, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Dried Garlic, Dried Spearmint, Proprionic Acid
BW-I think part of her weight problem came form not being ridden... I hope to be able to ride her regularly, so I might actually be able to give her more grain.
Also, she has now been going in the end stall to eat, so she has been less obnoxious when she is finished with the small amount of grain she eats.
[ April 29, 2004, 04:27 PM: Message edited by: Lucky Duck ]
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A horse will never tire of a rider who possesses both tact and sensitivity because he will never be pushed beyond his possibilities.- Nuno Oliveira
Posts: 338 | From: Virginia | Registered: Jan 2004
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Bailey-Boots
Member
Member # 2006
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posted April 30, 2004 02:06 AM
quote:
It's not actually hay in a bag, it is lightly mollassed dust extractd soft chopped straw, which is lower in nutritional value than Hay.
and it also has Alfalfa (sp) in it get your glasses on Candy LMAO!!
I have Hi-Fi Light too .. really good stuff!!
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Bailey Boots
Posts: 363 | From: Somerset - UK | Registered: Mar 2004
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CANDYGIRL
Member
Member # 719
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posted April 30, 2004 02:44 AM
Read your bag too Bailey ![[Mad]](mad.gif)
It's LITE not LIGHT
I was using my Hi Fi LITE to show what I feed Pic and it is the nearest thing I have to show to normal chaff, which is what I was recommending to Lucky Ducky.
And I was talking about normal chaff not Dengie Hi - Fi LITE, ner ner
Normal Chaff we get HERE is soft very lightly mollassed, cut, dust extracted STRAW
Our American friends get Alfalfa in Cubes, where as we get it chopped, didn't want to confuse the issue anymore than it is ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
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NO FOOT NO HORSE
Proud owner of Hollybush Picollo
Posts: 2620 | From: England | Registered: Sep 2003
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Bailey-Boots
Member
Member # 2006
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posted April 30, 2004 03:22 AM
ok little Miss Pants that are filled with smarties !!
point taken ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
Darn Candy was right .. AARRGGGHHH!!! *hits head on desk and says I will get you next time muhhhaaaa*
now go take the smarties out .. they are beinging to melt and you don't want the orange one to colour your FANNY !! LMAO!!
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Bailey Boots
Posts: 363 | From: Somerset - UK | Registered: Mar 2004
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CANDYGIRL
Member
Member # 719
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posted April 30, 2004 04:13 AM
The Orange one's are my favourite - like loopy Juice
Yours is already orange
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NO FOOT NO HORSE
Proud owner of Hollybush Picollo
Posts: 2620 | From: England | Registered: Sep 2003
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Bailey-Boots
Member
Member # 2006
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posted April 30, 2004 04:16 AM
LMFAO
oh how we lower the tone !!
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Bailey Boots
Posts: 363 | From: Somerset - UK | Registered: Mar 2004
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