WHAT I FEED MY HORSES! - Feeding made simple - Event Horse Nutrition

[@Siobhan_Shivaun]

Dark blue bucket! Would love to see more vids about feeding, it's such an exact science these days, back when I was (temporarily) a working pupil it was a scoop of oats, a scoop of barley, and a handful or two of pony nuts 🤯

[@heatherradford1994]

definitely a purple reason being I love that colour 💜

[@thatcobshadow7114]

Red bucket! This was very interesting, that brand looks fab I have never come across it before. I feed all TopSpec but yours look fantastic xx

[@patriciaemms1902]

Dark blue for Donut, very interesting vlog stressing not to overfeed, do your homework on different ingredients and most importantly feed to condition, that was drummed into me many years ago, many people seem to be led by others instead of looking at the type, breed and temperament of their horses and the work they are expected, also hay quality and different heat issues with haylage xx

[@TheWeeYv]

Very informative video, looking forward to the more in depth nutrition video. We feed keyflow aswell, our older highland gets golden oldie mash and our yearling gets nurture pro and both get pink mash. Oh and red bucket for Doughnut 😊

[@kippen64]

As an Australian, it's interesting to see what people in other countries are feeding. Edited to add purple. I know that this is an older video but couldn't resist making a colour suggestion. Purple is my horse's colour. Which for him makes sense because he's brown and misses out on being bay on a technicality.

[@DS-ky9dl]

PURPLE!!!

[@katierscott8771]

I love the idea of keeping things simple. Myself I swear by Sooth and Gain, currently for both my ponies, with Dengie Hi-Fi Molasses Free. Technically a little much for Niska, my Highland, but she came to me a little on the light side for coming into winter so it's doing her good. Hugo on the other hand is a TB so will probably be on it perminantly. Niska will probably switch to just the chaff if I need to control her weiht.

[@equestrianmelissaeventing]

Really helpful video. I love Keyflow Pink mash but that's all my stockist holds so I will look into getting my girls on their balancer etc too :)

[@ELSEventing]

Thanks! If you can’t get the feeds from your usual store, you can try www.equestrizone.co.uk - I get mine from there and the delivery is free when spending over £50 ☺️

[@PA-ek3ul]

​@@ELSEventing cute hindquarters 😊

[@Smith_Jnr]

When you asked for questions in your community post I was going to ask what time period you allowed to transition Donut from his old feed over to yours. In the video you said roughly one week, but perhaps in your next video you could provide further information? Thanks

[@ELSEventing]

Ah good question! Donut was quite easy as he was just turned away on no feed when I got him so I just brought him here and didn’t introduce feed until he’d started to settle in about a week later and popped him onto small feeds ☺️ If you’re getting something new the best thing to do is either get some of their feed so you can transition over a week slowly weaning off their feed and onto yours or if that’s not possible, just find out what they’re on. Eg if they’re on balancer and chaff, aim to do a balancer and chaff even if it’s a different one and keep the quantities similar so they’re digestive system is still getting something along the same lines of what they’re used to. Hope that helps!

[@Smith_Jnr]

@@ELSEventing Thanks for the info, Evie.

[@lizgarland2241]

Thanks for sharing 🇮🇪🍀💚 interesting and informative 👍 purple bucket 🤠

[@TheNarnies]

Interesting video but I did notice you don't feed salt? Plenty of research supports the necessity of adding a daily measure of salt, its an absolute necessity here in NZ to help counteract the high potassium levels often found in our grass, but also in general a much needed mineral that all horses struggle to get enough of.

[@ELSEventing]

The feeds I give are fully balanced so it isn’t a daily necessity, I also wonder if our grass is different in the uk as it isn’t particularly common to feed extra salt daily within the feeds. I always make sure my guys have access to a salt lick so they can get extra if required and feed electrolytes if they have been doing work that had caused them to sweat ☺️ Interesting to hear about the differences in feeding around the world! X

[@Equestrian81]

Actually, the overwhelming advice from vets in the UK IS to add a small amount of salt and/or electrolytes to your horse’s daily feed - regardless of what balancer etc. you give them. Especially important in warmer weather when they’ve been exerting themselves, but crucially in winter too when colic is prevalent. It’s important to get as much fluid in your horses as possible in cold weather when they’re less inclined to drink it. I add a tablespoon if of salt to my horse’s feed x 2 a day in winter to encourage her to drink. I’ve never seen her lick the Himalayan salt blocks I’ve left out for her, so this way I know she’s getting the salt she needs. I also make sure her feed (my own bespoke balancer + linseed) is as wet as she’ll take it. I also add whole small apples to her water. She bobs for them and ends up drinking the water in the process. Her poos are always green, moist nuggets. If she’s not well, poos are a very good indication if something’s up! Here’s my vet’s recent advice on the subject, including adding salt to the diet: m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0R8aBSqU4P3pN1W9Pph35Ea3ETbefAhEDjaDmHMH9FXYN52YGnFwyid2hGkJH1zFRl&id=100064150504323

[@Equestrian81]

Table salt is what I use and is what’s recommended!

[@ELSEventing]

@@Equestrian81 Hi Clementene, thank you for your interesting input. As you say in some cases feeding extra salt can be advisable if the horse is at risk of becoming dehydrated / reaching lower sodium levels. I am not saying that you should or shouldn’t feed salt however, the way I manage my horses, I do not need to add salt on top of what they already access in their feed as a matter of course. I monitor my horse’s hydration levels through dropping quality, colour of their wee and the pinch test as well as how they are day to day. This is my general management and not necessarily how I would act if there were a change in the environment that required action such as, exercise which would require electrolyte replenishment as previously mentioned. This is also the same if the weather turns abnormally warm or the horses start drinking less. The article linked is an interesting read and I fully agree with what your vets say but it is important to note that they state that ‘wetting hard feeds and/or adding a small amount of salt can also be helpful’ when helping with the autumn transition this is not stating that it is an essential requirement for every horse’s daily ration regardless of the feed type they are on. We have to be mindful that like humans, all horses are different and the management needs to be adjusted to align with this. The balancer I use contains what is required for my horse’s general management but your balancer will have different components from mine which may mean that it requires the additional salt. Having to adjust to so many variables is what what makes feeding such an art! I have worked with many yards who do not supplement with additional salt and also yards who do, it just depends on the feed type and horse’s needs ☺️

[@alisonjegatponyrider]

Great video I think do but should have a red bucket as he’s finery 🥕🥕🥕❤️

[@joannesimpson1490]

Is Maggie the ISH x WB and Titan the ISH?

[@ELSEventing]

Yes ☺️

[@ginawilkinson2808]

❤️❤️

[@RewriteDaScript]

Thanks so much for your video so interesting to learn what others are feeding especially in other countries! I have found from so much trial and error with my boy that it is so up to the individual horse. I found out he has intolerances to certain feeds (soy, lupins and copra - go figure all ingredients often used in ‘grain free’ feeds). He also didn’t do well (put on no weight and seem to have constant ulcer like symptoms despite medication and supplements) on a high fibre grain free based feed (speedibeet - with supplements and oil) recommended by an independent nutritionist. I also think the volume of feed (being soaked speedibeet), despite its dry weight, was far too much which could have contributed to his upset stomach. The mash almost removed chewing and therefore saliva production that is so important for buffering stomach acid. Whatever the reason, he is now back to a canola meal and extruded barley cubed complete feed with probiotics and yeasts for digestion, designed for older horses, and is doing brilliantly. There is really interesting research on whether starch is the absolute enemy and really it comes down to (as was said in the video) gut bacteria balance feedxl.com/starch-ulcers-whats-the-deal/. Again though it all depends on the individual horse. I ended up using the FeedXL calculator and their research database to understand scientifically what I was feeding and needed to feed instead feedxl.com. I think anyone have feeding troubles should use this calculator to see exactly what their horse is getting, getting too much of and not getting. It has nutrient analyses of thousands of horse feeds and supplements. The site also has a tonne of scientifically based articles that you can use. Im not a sponsor I just want other horse owners to find a feed that finally works like I did that is evidence based and not have to use the hundreds of conflicting pieces of information out there! 😊.

[@phil1987]

i like the idea of keyflow feed but dont get why everything is in 15kg bags. most other feed companies do 20kg.

[@ELSEventing]

I’m not sure why they do that… maybe so they’re easier to lift? What I do find though is I use much less feed on keyflow so it both lasts longer that a standard 20kg bag and ends up more cost effective for my horses ☺️

[@leanneskitchengardenandplo9711]

Dark blue bucket 😊x

[@nellafrosst6453]

Interesting video. Not a feed brand we have in Canada.

[@ВенераКадырбекова-я2ъ]

Good afternoon 🌞 Very informative , interesting. It's a pity that don't speak English well. Hello from Kyrgyzstan🇰🇬

[@celestinacowgirl9075]

nice

[@meibo2831]

Dark blue

[@LisaGibson-ly7zi]

Red or yellow

[@Horsemom]

Red because he's a chestnut

[@isaacnowakowski6557]

burgundy

[@matthewparsons28]

What kind of hate do you feed your horses

[@ELSEventing]

Hate or Hay...?

[@matthewparsons28]

@@ELSEventing Sorry I meant Hay

[@ELSEventing]

@@matthewparsons28 ah glad to hear it! 😅 we buy our forage from our local supplier who makes sure it’s all really good quality. Maggie and Titan have haylage and Donut and Flint have a mix of hay and haylage. When we go to stay aways I tend to buy small haylage bails etc 🙂