Grain free feed

[Tracey Woods]

Does anyone know of an oil based feed that is grain free, that we can get on the Garden Route? Alternatively, any ideas of how to put on weight without increasing the concentrate. My horse seems to be very sensitive to grain (makes him daft) and yet being a TB needs something to keep weight on. Feeding enough oil to do so works out very expensive ie 2 cups a day as recommended by nutririonist. The regular low grain feeds still have oats in them. I am already using Speedibeet and Bran which is not ideal, as well as a Balancer.

[Andree Lewarne]

I know Equus Feeds is not here yet, but it might be worth checking out thier website - www.equusfeed.co.za. Also, have you tried speaking to the ladies at the new Vitaline Feeds - Nevenka should have their contact details. Also, perhaps you can give Micaela Barnes a call on 0824696650. she makes up supplements for horses, maybe she has some advice or ideas that would be helpful.

[Nevenka van Niekerk]

Your Fibreline feed is a cube made up of lucerne, bran and molasses. NO GRAIN! But because it is so highly concentrated you cannot feed more than 2kg per day. So still you will need to bulk your meal. Speedi Beet or Fibre Beet is a safe alternative and you can feed fairly large quantities. I would try not to feed too much bran. I am feeding my TB on Fibreline alone,but with a huge haynet made up with lucerne and teff and he truly looks great and is easy to ride. I do however have to add that he gets ridden 5x per week for 45min-60min. Also the work is varied. He does polework once, schooling twice, lunged once and is hacked once. I sometimes find its not so much the food but the mental state. You should be able to keep your horse fat on the bulk alone ie. lucerne, hay, Speedi Beet. Concentrates are only there to provide the nutrients. Horses can have up to 15kg of roughage if the grazing is not good. If you have super grazing, only about 5kg is necessary. Hardly any feeds will be totally grain-free as horses need to have a certain amount of energy for their normal metabolic processes. Therefore with feeds like your Balancer and Fibreline they also suggest that based on your horses performance that you add oats as needed. Also you might have to accept that your horse might need more work to help him expend his energy. Maybe lungeing him in the morning and riding in the afternoon. When you take him out, trot him. Really make him use all his energy. You need to use more joules than he is consuming. On the track he would have been fed high-grain at least 16% protein. If he coped with that and could do his work he can def. cope with our average riding rations. But look at your energy output. That could be the hiccup.

[Andree Lewarne]

Tracey, I have recently changed my Warmblood to Vitaline Fibreline as he has shown a huge grain intolerance, as well as an inability to process carboyydrates, causing muscle wastage. After a week on the Fibreline we are already seeing a change in his demeanour and body shape. He has Speedi Beet and oil as well. If you re interested, I will get you the exact amounts of oil etc, as I am blown away by what I am seeing with him, and think that it is worth trying. Belarus has never been hot or flighty (ha ha) but is showing a calmer and laid back and almost peaceful way about him that was not there before. Even to the extent that he no longer attacks his food bowl, flingin it all over the place and throwing his concentrate out before he has started. He now quietly and with obvious enjoyment puts his head down and eats his food. Then he chucks his feed bin around!!!
It has been a most interesting few weeks, and I am looking forward to seeing what he is going to be like in two months' time.

[Nevenka van Niekerk]

I agree totally with Andree. The Fibreline has done wonders for my horse as well. Please note however that because it can only be fed in small quantities you have to bulk it with Speedi-Beet (as Andree has done)or chaff otherwise your horse will not keep his weight. My horse is VERY spooky and I need some glue on my seat most days. I don't think he is grain intolerant as such, but is very sensitive to starches. Since he has been on the Fibreline which must be about 6 months now, he is a different horse. I also bulk his feed with Speedi-Beet. I do mainly dressage with him and find sometimes that he feels like he is lacking some of the energy for some of the movements, so if I feel him going a bit flat, for that week I will just add some oil or oats to boost his energy levels a bit. But I generally find that he is fine while I am feeding him lucerne with his rations. He is a pleasure at the moment.