# What do you feed your barefoot horses?



## forestfantasy (11 January 2012)

Hi,

I had my mares shoes taken off in december and she's doing well, a little footy on stones but hacking out on tarmac without a problem.
I know diet is crucial in maintaning good feet so i'd be interested to know what everyone feeds?

Fanta is on: 1 scoop of Happy Hoof (half a bag left so looking to change this)
                 1 scoop A & P Sugar & Cereal intolerance diet
                 Ad-lib haylage (more like hay as its very dry)
                 Out 7:30 - 5:30 on resonable grazing
                 Just ordered some Pro - Hoof (should be here for the weekend!)

Thanks in advanced!


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## Vetwrap (11 January 2012)

I have a 16.2HH 7 year old TB x WB who has never been shod.  He is fed on A&P Fast fibre and Calmer Chaff. I buy magnesium from Natural Horse Supplies on Ebay to supplement him.  Other than that, he has haylage and is not footy at all, other than when he finds a good sized stone.

The fields are trashed at the moment, so he is walkered morning and night and schooled in the manege for half an hour a day.

He has a great rate of foot growth and is trimmed every six weeks.  I have found my trimmer to be very helpful as regards diet and routine - but we all have to work with what is possible on our specific yards - and more turnout and PP systems isn't at the moment.


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## dressagelove (11 January 2012)

TBs shoes came off last week. Still very footy on tarmac at the moment, but hoping this will improve.

He's on:

Fast fibre
Brewers yeast
Mag ox
Pro hoof
&
Ad lib hay


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## maggiesmum (11 January 2012)

Speedi-beet, bran and micronised linseed and balanced minerals, they're fed ad-lib haylage overnight and turned out 7.30am - 5.30pm but I'm about to change them onto overnight turnout and in during the day as its so mild at the moment i'm starting to worry about the grass. 

Maybe change the happy hoof for either speedi-beet or fast fibre and linseed and i'd try knocking off the C&S intolerance diet too to see if it helps. If a horse goes footy I like to go right back to basics and start again till I find the trigger.


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## TigerTail (11 January 2012)

You might just find the footiness goes a few weeks after being off Happy Hoof, I found the ingredients for someone else the other day and its got moglo in it which is another name for mollasses and is 40% sugar......!

I feed;

Half a cup of micronised linseed
2 handfulls of readigrass
1 scoop of Pro Hoof
Ad lib hay.


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## Megibo (11 January 2012)

Happy hoof, readi grass and hay


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## xRobyn (11 January 2012)

Hay, grass, hi-fi lite and fibre cubes, but he's a native and been barefoot all his life.


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## AngieandBen (11 January 2012)

TigerTail said:



			You might just find the footiness goes a few weeks after being off Happy Hoof, I found the ingredients for someone else the other day and its got moglo in it which is another name for mollasses and is 40% sugar......!

I feed;

Half a cup of micronised linseed
2 handfulls of readigrass
1 scoop of Pro Hoof
Ad lib hay.



Click to expand...

I think you will  find Happy Hoof is 4% sugar NOT 40% 

Fast Fibre for mine, linseed and magnesium;  Just ordered some Pro Hoof so will look forward to seeing if it makes a difference as mine are slightly footy atm, but thats probably due to stupid grass still growing!


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## 1Lucie (11 January 2012)

1 1/2 scoop Dengie hi fi original 
1 scoop of Dengie Lesiure Vits
Glug of soya oil
3 carrots

He has this morning and night. As well as hay.


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## cptrayes (11 January 2012)

I feed mine yeast and they are footie in summer without it.  I also feed 25 g of calcined magnesite. I also add copper because my land is heavy in both iron and manganese which prevents the absorption of copper unless extra is fed.

Other than that, haylage and cheaper own-brand cubes  and ordinary molassed beet pulp to mix the extras into. Many barefooters seem to find cubes more easily digested than mixes, possibly due to the fact that the ingredients are cooked to make the cubes.  My hunter also gets 200ml of Tesco rapeseed oil to up the calorie level without bulk, since he already eats 5 kilos of cubes ! 


ps AandB TT meant the molglo is 40% sugar, not the  happy hoof.


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## criso (11 January 2012)

Kwikbeet 
Coolstance Copra
Linseed
Brewer's Yeast
Ad lib hay/haylage
Minerals specifically missing in the forage he gets.
Handful of Rosehips in his treat ball in his stable.


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## Angua2 (11 January 2012)

Economy cubes
Speedybeet
unmollased chaff of some description
mag ox
pink powder or equivalent
joint suppliement
a couple of carrots

this lot twice a day with adlib haylage


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## martlin (11 January 2012)

My barefoot horses are get fed the same as the shod ones, in varying quantities/proportions:
ad lib hay/haylage
Graze On
Baileys Lo-cal balancer
Outshine
Kwikbeet
ERS Pellets
Equistro Kerabol through winter months and Magnitude through spring/summer


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## forestfantasy (11 January 2012)

Thanks for all the replies 

I think i may move her and the pony (lami prone) onto Fast Fibre with just the pro hoof supplement.
They are both good doers & barefooot so this seems ideal.

Thanks again


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## Oberon (11 January 2012)

I have balanced minerals based on a forage analysis. For my forage I feed copper, zinc, lysine, magnesium oxide. I have to stay away from anything high in calcium and phosphorous.

With the minerals my old boy with the dodgy teeth gets;

Fast Fibre (1 round scoop)
Speed-beet (1 round scoop)
Unbranded hay chaff (1 round scoop)
turmeric
fenugreek seeds
25mg salt
cat's claw
1000iu vitamin e capsules (2 squeezed in each feed)
100mg micronised linseed 
yea-sacc
mixture of herbs

The Tank (young, good doer) gets;

Fast Fibre (1/4 round scoop)
Speedi-beet (1/8 round scoop)
unbranded hay chaff (1 scoop)
turmeric
fenugreek seeds
25mg salt
cat's claw
mixture of herbs
100mg micronised linseed
yea-sacc

They both get daily turnout and ad-lib haylage at night.

I summer they just get 24 hour turnout.


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## Oberon (11 January 2012)

criso said:



			Handful of Rosehips in his treat ball in his stable.
		
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Rosehips in a treat ball?

False advertising!

My horses would sue if I tried to suggest rosehips as treat. They HATE them 
	
	
		
		
	


	




.


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## rosie-ellie (11 January 2012)

Linseed 
Joint Supplement 
Copper
Zinc
Biotin
Cinnamon 
handfull of rosehips dried out from summer
All mixed in with fast fibre

Shes been barefoot 2 years


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## Andalusianlover1 (11 January 2012)

My Horse has been unshod for several years, he gets hi-fi and pasture mix and hay.  He gets no supplements whatsoever.  He never gets footy and events/jumps/gallops all summer on the hard ground. Also never needs his feet trimming!


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## Nocturnal (11 January 2012)

Oberon said:



			I have balanced minerals based on a forage analysis. For my forage I feed copper, zinc, lysine, magnesium oxide. I have to stay away from anything high in calcium and phosphorous.

With the minerals my old boy with the dodgy teeth gets;

Fast Fibre (1 round scoop)
Speed-beet (1 round scoop)
Unbranded hay chaff (1 round scoop)
turmeric
fenugreek seeds
25mg salt
cat's claw
1000iu vitamin e capsules (2 squeezed in each feed)
100mg micronised linseed 
yea-sacc
mixture of herbs

The Tank (young, good doer) gets;

Fast Fibre (1/4 round scoop)
Speedi-beet (1/8 round scoop)
unbranded hay chaff (1 scoop)
turmeric
fenugreek seeds
25mg salt
cat's claw
mixture of herbs
100mg micronised linseed
yea-sacc

They both get daily turnout and ad-lib haylage at night.

I summer they just get 24 hour turnout.
		
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Oberon, where do you get your vit e capsules from? I was looking for some, but they seem extortionately expensive!


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## criso (11 January 2012)

Oberon said:



			Rosehips in a treat ball?

False advertising!

My horses would sue if I tried to suggest rosehips as treat. They HATE them 
	
	
		
		
	


	




.
		
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tb x waste disposal unit.

He like rosehips fed as a treat but not in his feed - something about the combination of crunchy and wet food I think.

When i put them in his feed he would remove them but then eat them later separately.

So I dug out an old treat ball and put them in that and they make a lovely rattley sound when he pushes it round his stable which he likes but I suspect drive his neighbours mad,


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## paddy555 (11 January 2012)

OP, I cannot see any mg in your feed ie magox or calmag? is there any reason for that? I suspect that you will need it in addition to pro hoof.


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## Mahoganybay (11 January 2012)

I feed my mare:

High Fibre Cubes
Joint Supplement
Mug of Linseed
Mag Ox
Brewers Yeast
Glug of Corn Oil
Glug of Speedibeet

Ab-lib Haylage and turnout for a couple of hours a day (to save the fields unfortunately).

My mares shoes came off beginning of Oct and she is coping fine, no footiness whatsoever on roads/tarmac but we are just having a few issues on stoney tracks with one of her feet which is very upright/boxy with a poor frog, that try as i might the damned thrush remains.

Vet out yesterday (for annual jabs) had a good look and said i am getting there, but may have to invest in some Cavallo Boots.


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## RobinHood (11 January 2012)

6 hours grazing
Soaked hay (5lbs am, 12lbs pm)
Fast fibre
Linseed meal
Mint
Salt
Lysine
Minerals balanced to my grass and hay (magox, copper, zinc, selenium)


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## MagicMelon (11 January 2012)

Both on Speedi-beet (well at the moment its Fibre-beet as they had run out at the shop), one gets alfa-a added and the other gets happy hoof added.  Very plain and boring but they eat it!


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## PooJay (11 January 2012)

my mare has been unshod for 2 years. Brilliant feet and no footiness but she has a tendency to be a bit of a porker. 

She's on:

1 round scoop of fast fibre
couple of good handfuls of hi fi lite
appropriate magnesium 
equinourish by trinity 
and a load of carrots

probably just over half a bale of hay a night depending on weight (ad lib and she'd be the size of a small bus) and 730 -5 turnout on good grazing.


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## forestfantasy (11 January 2012)

paddy555 said:



			OP, I cannot see any mg in your feed ie magox or calmag? is there any reason for that? I suspect that you will need it in addition to pro hoof.
		
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TBH i haven't looked into it as yet.
I've never had to feed them any supps at all really, they get mineral blocks (rockies) in their stables and that is all.


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## C&C (11 January 2012)

Have 7 yr old TB who has been barefoot for 2 years. He is fed:

Double handful of Dengie HiFI Lite
Half scoop of D&H Pasture Cubes
Apple cider vinegar (eve only)

twice a day plus adlib haylage at nite.

20 yr old Shire x TB has been barefoot for nearly 2 months (shod all his life before that). He is fed:

Double handful of Dengie Hifi Lite
Half scoope D&H Leisure Mix
Apple Cider Vinegar (eve only)
Super Flex (eve only)
Devils Relief (eve only)

twice a day plus adlib haylage at nite.

TBs feed may change in future once we start competing but we will see how he goes, he is a very good doer.


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## MissMistletoe (11 January 2012)

Top Chop Lite chaff
Pro Hoof
Linseed (quantity ranges from 50g maintenence to 200g for weight gain)
Turmeric
Either Veteran Vitality/Fast Fibre or Speedibeet, depends on whether weight gain needed.
Brewers Yeast
Out all year round on plentiful grass.


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## littlescallywag (11 January 2012)

16.3 heavyweight hunter : scoop of readigrass , 150g of thunderbrooks base mix, tsp of sea salt and 1 50g scoop of d&h mobility herbs 

15.3 friesian cross: scoop of readigrass , 125g of thunderbrooks ,tsp of seasalt 

Fed twice a day and adlib hay overnight 

Friesian has only been barefoot for 9 months , hunter has been barefoot 16 years ,both are rock crunchers and look fantastic !


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## touchstone (11 January 2012)

Mine gets high fibre haylage with a scoop of fast fibre and that's it.


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## HashRouge (11 January 2012)

Alfa-A, feed balancer and Formula4Feet, which I'm giving a year or so to see if it makes any difference. She had her shoes off in September and we just left her in the field for the first 6 weeks. Now she's hacking out happily on a variety of surfaces and is only footy on hard, stony surfaces where the stones are loose/ uneven.


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## amandap (11 January 2012)

Hay, grass, browse, small amount speedibeet with vitamins (e and c for some) minerals including salt and magnesium and micronized linseed.


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## milesjess (11 January 2012)

Blimey never seen so many supplements  

Mines been barefoot since Nov. he's coping well and hasnt been too 'footy'. 

He lives out on good grazing. One feed per day which is -

- Handful of happy hoof
-Handful of spillers high fibre cubes
-1 carrot
-1 danilon sachet (for bone spavin)

I do measure it all in a scoop but just to make it easier to understand I've put it in handfuls on here


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## tango'smum (11 January 2012)

mine is on, 
fast fibre
brewers yeast
garlic.
6 hours restricted grassing a day.
soaked haylage over night...


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## amandap (11 January 2012)

Forgot brewers yeast for two of them.


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## toomanynags (11 January 2012)

Going to be controversial here...........why should a barefoot horse be fed any different to a shod horse? Surely nutritional requirements are exactly the same. Also why should exercise differ? Could it be possible that some of the improvements seen when horses go barefoot are due to a better nutritional and exercise regime.

Will now run for cover.......................


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## amandap (11 January 2012)

toomanynags said:



			Going to be controversial here...........why should a barefoot horse be fed any different to a shod horse? Surely nutritional requirements are exactly the same. Also why should exercise differ? Could it be possible that some of the improvements seen when horses go barefoot are due to a better nutritional and exercise regime.

Will now run for cover.......................
		
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Diet shouldn't be any different. The thing is a horse can cope with a lot of dietary problems wearing shoes also frog and sole are lifted off the ground so it is less obvious if there are problems. Take the shoes off and you see the true health of the hooves and tbh horse. So those that do well straight away had no problems either dietary of from over trimming etc... All hooves will improve barefoot but some are very sick and need rehabbing first. 

Don't forget that the most important part of the diet is the forage the horse eats. Grass, hay and haylage are where the horse gets most of it's nutrients.


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## TigerTail (11 January 2012)

AngieandBen said:



			I think you will  find Happy Hoof is 4% sugar NOT 40% 

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Oops sorry I didnt explain that very well - the molasses which Happy Hoof is coated in is called molglo which is 40% sugar, its a mixture of soya oil and molasses (in case anyone on here doesnt feed soya like me!) 

They manufacturers like it cos they can say it is a low sugar version as straight molasses is listed as being 47% sugar. So its only 7% lower but still far too high imo for barefoot or lami's.


TooManyNags - dont run for cover! Stay and learn  Shoes tend to mask lots of little hoof problems which immediately become apparent when the shoes are removed. Because so many owners feed the crap sold in the pretty bags in feed shops and dont look at the ingredients, or understand what they are and what effect they have on the horse they do not realise that the shoe has been hiding infections and weak, poorly formed feed for years and then panic when the horse is sore barefoot.


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## diamondrockharvey (11 January 2012)

My barefoot cob is on 500g of Spillers Lite Balancer with 1 tablespoon of course rock salt plus ad lib hay/grass.

He has a foot score of 7.7 from my EP - amazing feet!

If he has any issues in the spring I may add Magnesium Oxide to his feed too, but he doesn't need it at the moment.


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## amandap (11 January 2012)

diamondrockharvey said:



			He has a foot score of 7.7 from my EP - amazing feet!
		
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Wow! Must be very capable.


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## diamondrockharvey (11 January 2012)

amandap said:



			Wow! Must be very capable.

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Thank you 

I am proud of his feets!! hehe!


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## Ibblebibble (11 January 2012)

fatty has nothing but hay at the moment, little boys all get a scoop of calmer chaff and big girl gets scoop of calmer chaff, scoop of speedibeet, half scoop oats, equivite supp and mint to hide the taste. all are out 24/7 and get a wheelbarrow of hay each morning and noon.


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## JessandCharlie (11 January 2012)

Ozz was on fast fibre, healthy hooves, brewers yeast, mag, linseed oil, good grazing during the day and ad lib hay at night. Unfortunately he was loosing a little bit of condition, so he's now on Pure feeds pure working, linseed oil, mag and I'm investing in some copper sulphate too. Little sod gets bored halfway through a haynet and gives up, so getting food in him is tricky...he'll eat any amount of bucket-feed though 

J&C


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## JessandCharlie (11 January 2012)

And he has a Himalayan salt lick in his stable 

J&C


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## debsg (11 January 2012)

Blaze - 15hh chunky cob, Jasmine - 15.2hh TB, both good doers, Blaze barefoot for 3yrs, Jas has never been shod (5yr old)
Both live out 24/7 with 3/4 others, currently on foggage field, will be fed hay if grass disappears (unlikely, we have plenty)
Given a handful each of 'treat balls' made up with either speedibeet or fast fibre, with cal mag, micronised linseed and brewers yeast.
Both rock crunching. xx


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## Oberon (11 January 2012)

toomanynags said:



			Going to be controversial here...........why should a barefoot horse be fed any different to a shod horse? Surely nutritional requirements are exactly the same. Also why should exercise differ? Could it be possible that some of the improvements seen when horses go barefoot are due to a better nutritional and exercise regime.

Will now run for cover.......................
		
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You are 100% correct.

A lot of horses can eat whatever they want shod or bare and still be fine.

But when a horse is shod, then goes bare and becomes sore - it tends to be because you don't get away with feeding a crappy diet with a barefoot horse.

And when I say crappy, I mean what the feed companies tell you is fab but is actually just molassed crap with a shiny label on it.

We need to go back to the 'good old days' of feeding less and working more.

I know horses on my yard who do little to no work but get Conditioning feeds 
	
	
		
		
	


	




.

I make whale noises every time I see the merchant delivering them 
	
	
		
		
	


	





Hooves get stronger and denser with stimulation - so a worked hoof is a healthy hoof.


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## paddy555 (11 January 2012)

forestfantasy said:



			TBH i haven't looked into it as yet.
I've never had to feed them any supps at all really, they get mineral blocks (rockies) in their stables and that is all.
		
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Well your original post comented she was a little footy on stones so perhaps it would be worth looking into mg? along with minerals?


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## be positive (11 January 2012)

I have 2 very different, both recently barefoot.

33 year old, been shod for 28 years still in light work he had shoes off due to farrier issues, his owners farrier kept letting me down so shoes came off as an experiment, he is thriving, moving better than before and his diet is not really suitable because he is old and fussy he will not eat what he should for either barefoot or his cushings. He gets Baileys conditioning cubes, haylage and grass, he will have a small feed of Fast Fibre each day but may not eat it, depends on how he feels. He will not eat supplements either, unless they are sugary. 

The other is a 16.1 ISH that has Fast Fibre, HiFi, brewers yeast, haylage, he has been on this for over a year, shod, now with no shoes he has super feet has shown no signs of footyness, I feel the diet over a period of time prior to the shoes coming off has been most helpful in getting his feet right.


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## AngieandBen (11 January 2012)

Oberon said:



			You are 100% correct.

A lot of horses can eat whatever they want shod or bare and still be fine.

But when a horse is shod, then goes bare and becomes sore - it tends to be because you don't get away with feeding a crappy diet with a barefoot horse.

And when I say crappy, I mean what the feed companies tell you is fab but is actually just molassed crap with a shiny label on it.

We need to go back to the 'good old days' of feeding less and working more.

I know horses on my yard who do little to no work but get Conditioning feeds 
	
	
		
		
	


	




.

I make whale noises every time I see the merchant delivering them 
	
	
		
		
	


	





Hooves get stronger and denser with stimulation - so a worked hoof is a healthy hoof.
		
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Oh don't get me started on this one lol;  As far as I'm concerened people can do what they want with their horses as long as they are healthy;  But when I see most of the horses in my village ridden once a week for an hour, unclipped, rugged, shod, fat and fed things like Mollichaff Extra because its cheap............  I dispare !


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## Goldenstar (11 January 2012)

AngieandBen said:



			Oh don't get me started on this one lol;  As far as I'm concerened people can do what they want with their horses as long as they are healthy;  But when I see most of the horses in my village ridden once a week for an hour, unclipped, rugged, shod, fat and fed things like Mollichaff Extra because its cheap............  I dispare !
		
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me too !too much food too little work a health disaster for all horses barefoot and shod.


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## TigerTail (11 January 2012)

AngieandBen said:



			Oh don't get me started on this one lol;  As far as I'm concerened people can do what they want with their horses as long as they are healthy;  But when I see most of the horses in my village ridden once a week for an hour, unclipped, rugged, shod, fat and fed things like Mollichaff Extra because its cheap............  I dispare !
		
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Tell me about it! My friend feeds theirs a MASSIVE scoop of nuts, which I have to hold my breath to get out of the bin else il have an asthma attack its so dusty, stubbs scoop of molassed chaff and molassed happy hoof - and thinks her mares eratic, crazy behaviour is ''just her''. I cant make her see that the way I feed is not only better for the horses gut, but for my bank balance too!


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## Janah (11 January 2012)

Fast fibre, mugful before soaking.
Molasses free HI FI 1/2 scoop
Access to Himalayan Salt.

Turnout 24/7 on old pasture.


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## tonitot (11 January 2012)

For breakfast Ethel gets ..
1/2 scoop Alfa A Oil
1/2 scoop Conditioning Cubes
3/4 scoop soaked Speedibeet
75g Micronized Linseed

Dinner ..
1 scoop Alfa A Oil
1 scoop Conditioning Cubes
1 1/4 scoop soaked Speedibeet
75g Micronized Linseed

My scoop is a large round scoop. I will be adding mag ox and brewers yeast once I remember to order it, although have no idea how much of each to feed per day 

Ethel is a 4yo TB who doesn't keep weight well, not in much work just lunging. She also gets adlib hay


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## tonitot (11 January 2012)

Oh dear, just seen the posts on this page about people feeding too much and horses doing hardly any work and I've just posted all the food Ethel gets when she doesn't do much at all  

I have my reasons  !!


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## Holly Hocks (11 January 2012)

My 2.5 year old NF X gets Fast Fibre and a handful of plain chopped oat straw chaff (no molasses or anything added)

My 9 year old TB mare was on high fibre cubes however it appears that she has got a taste for Fast Fibre again (hallelujah!) so she is currently getting Fast Fibre, chopped oat straw chaff, 1 measure of pro hoof, one measure of linseed, suppleaze gold(joint supplement) and Devils claw.

They both get ad lib haylage, although when it is a particularly wet bale I add hay and mix it together. They go out during the day (only for a few hours at the moment as fields are so wet) and in at night.


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## muff747 (11 January 2012)

PooJay said:



			my mare has been unshod for 2 years. Brilliant feet and no footiness but she has a tendency to be a bit of a porker. 

She's on:

1 round scoop of fast fibre
couple of good handfuls of hi fi lite
appropriate magnesium 
equinourish by trinity 
and a load of carrots

probably just over half a bale of hay a night depending on weight (ad lib and she'd be the size of a small bus) and 730 -5 turnout on good grazing. 

Click to expand...

You are very lucky to be able to feed loads of carrots and all day t/o on good grazing.

My boy can't have any carrots  and I have to watch him like a hawk when he's on grass, I feel a real meany


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## Oberon (11 January 2012)

tonitot said:



			Oh dear, just seen the posts on this page about people feeding too much and horses doing hardly any work and I've just posted all the food Ethel gets when she doesn't do much at all  

I have my reasons  !!
		
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That would be me.

The only thing I will say is that as horses get almost all of their calories from fermenting fibre in the large intestine, then 'conditioning feeds' (that tend to rely on cereals) seems rather an odd concept to me.

I know a lovely Arab on our yard has put on a load of weight, stopped shivering all the time and become much happier generally since the owner finally dropped the conditioning mixes and gone with a fibre based diet instead.


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## freckles22uk (11 January 2012)

OMG.... how many additives!  and all they all necessary?  

I can tell its a long time since I lived in the UK, dont get none of that here.. (Spain) 

Mine are on...

Sugarbeet  (scoop)
Oats and Barley very slightly mollassed ( half scoop)
Alfafla pellets  (1/3 scoop)

twice a day...

slice of alfalfa (comes in bales like hay)
2 slices of barley straw..

and no grazing here at all..

Mine have been barefoot 6 years now, and have great hard feet, with no problems..


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## mollymum (11 January 2012)

Funnily enough, I was asked this today, by our barefoot trimmer, Sally Bell. She was impressed by how my hw cob Molly's feet were improving.  She even took pics of Moll's hooves, to add to her website, www.hoof-help.co.uk
I feed one scoop of Happy Hoof (or any feed of that type) plus plenty of hay.  I add a tblsp of Horse First Garlic and More.


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## Oberon (11 January 2012)

Nocturnal said:



			Oberon, where do you get your vit e capsules from? I was looking for some, but they seem extortionately expensive!
		
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I often get the best price I can find from eBay. Or the health food shop in my local big Tesco, or a special offer from Holland and Barrett.

I'm playing with the idea of getting this
http://shop.forageplus.com/epages/es137718.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es137718/Products/VE10


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## PooJay (12 January 2012)

muff747 said:



			You are very lucky to be able to feed loads of carrots and all day t/o on good grazing.

My boy can't have any carrots  and I have to watch him like a hawk when he's on grass, I feel a real meany

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Some are just like that i guess! My mare isn't great on grass (but is fine on carrots) and unless the grass has burned away in the summer she never gets 24/7 t/o. 

Atm, although there's no footiness or porkiness, my mare is getting hamster pouches and coming in bloated from the fresh grass growth this unseasonably mild weather has produced. Very strange in January!  

And when i say good grazing, it's short winter grass in a mahoosive field....it's just not a mud bath that most seem to be experiencing at the moment!


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## forestfantasy (12 January 2012)

paddy555 said:



			Well your original post comented she was a little footy on stones so perhaps it would be worth looking into mg? along with minerals?
		
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Yes a little footy on stones. She's had her shoes off for approx 6 weeks so i wasn't expecting her to be perfect straight away - also this is only on her weak boxy foot, which has quite a deep frog sulcus which i suspect has a bit of thrush (that i am treating - farrier here next week to have a nosey)
The other foot is very good and looking well.

If it carrys on i will explore other avenues - i'm not pumping her full of supplements she may not need.


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## Gracie (22 January 2012)

Could anyone advise how zinc and copper should be fed? Ie. Do they come in a supplement, or do you buy them as individual ingredients? Does anyone know what the RDA is for a TB of 15.3 and approx 650kg?

I currently feed;
Micronised linseed
Speedi beet
Charcoal
Magacal (magnesium oxide)
Moody mare (the herbs)
Pink powder (want to swap this for yeasacc as seems to be full of many unneccessary ingredients)
12hrs soaked hay

Am wondering whether a supplement like baileys lo cal balancer would be good to make up the zinc and copper requirement?

Thank you for your advice!


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## ISHmad (22 January 2012)

All our horses, barefoot or shod, are fed on Top Chop Lite, Top Spec Anti Lam and micronised linseed. They live out 24/7 with hay fed morning and night now that the grass has been eaten down.


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## muffinmunsh (22 January 2012)

We have used feedmarks HardyHoof very successfully on a 17.2 WB with poor hoof growth and a 10h Shetland rescue with ver soft and crumbly feet. The change was amazing in both cases. They both got it for about 6 months at the recommended levels and never needed it again after.


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## Miss L Toe (22 January 2012)

diamondrockharvey said:



			My barefoot cob is on 500g of Spillers Lite Balancer with 1 tablespoon of course rock salt plus ad lib hay/grass.

He has a foot score of 7.7 from my EP - amazing feet!

If he has any issues in the spring I may add Magnesium Oxide to his feed too, but he doesn't need it at the moment.
		
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Where do I get coarse rock salt, the kind with coloured minerals, preferably.


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## criso (22 January 2012)

Gracie said:



			Could anyone advise how zinc and copper should be fed? Ie. Do they come in a supplement, or do you buy them as individual ingredients? Does anyone know what the RDA is for a TB of 15.3 and approx 650kg?

I currently feed;
Micronised linseed
Speedi beet
Charcoal
Magacal (magnesium oxide)
Moody mare (the herbs)
Pink powder (want to swap this for yeasacc as seems to be full of many unneccessary ingredients)
12hrs soaked hay

Am wondering whether a supplement like baileys lo cal balancer would be good to make up the zinc and copper requirement?

Thank you for your advice!
		
Click to expand...

The problem with adding a balancer is that it probably won't supply the levels of copper and zinc you need and will add lots of stuff you don't.
You can get  straight Copper and Zinc from Forageplus or Equimins, however you can overdose both those minerals so you have to be careful about adding them without knowing exactly what is in your forage.

If you can't get a forage analysis done which would tell you exactly what levels to feed, Pro hoof is a good starting point and it also has Yea sac and magnesium in it so it would supply at least part of that requirement too.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PRO-HOOF-1-8KG-HIGH-CONCENTRATED-EQUINE-SUPPLEMENT-/280763394528


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## Gracie (22 January 2012)

Thank you Criso! I have some pro hoof on order , am about to move to a new yard so will analyse their grass and hay from there, i already have a handful of their hay to test in advance. I wonder how long it takes for the footiness to go and the sole to thicken once you have the mineral balance right... I have the excercise right so far, but until we crack the mineral element, I guess i'll have to wait and see!


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## Miss L Toe (22 January 2012)

Gracie said:



			Thank you Criso! I have some pro hoof on order , am about to move to a new yard so will analyse their grass and hay from there, i already have a handful of their hay to test in advance. I wonder how long it takes for the footiness to go and the sole to thicken once you have the mineral balance right... I have the excercise right so far, but until we crack the mineral element, I guess i'll have to wait and see!
		
Click to expand...

To get a meaningful sample is important, otherwise you will get poor results, take several small handfuls from several bales from several batches of hay , mix up and then you are ready to send your sample off for testing.


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## SuperGirl (22 January 2012)

My 12hh pony gets

Handful of lucie stalks
A mug of pure beet (soaked and split between 2 feeds)
Total eclipse
Linseed
Joint eclipse
And cider vinegar

Soaked hay


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## SuperGirl (22 January 2012)

Sorry forgot to mention

Had his shoes off since june! Spent 3 months on field rest due to injury!

Now hacking out and long reining! Feet are holding up okay and no soreness !


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## criso (22 January 2012)

I'm about to move yards too, when I went up to take my deposit, I had the yard manager on top of the stack taking handfuls from the top while I picked at random bales from the side. 
They cut their hay from their own fields which will make balancing easier.


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## POLLDARK (22 January 2012)

My boy is on hay & grass. His feet have always been excellent.


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## wtdnh131 (22 January 2012)

mine is barefoot and always has been she has wonderful hooves, i only do small local shows with her no big competitions so i just feed her champion easy mix and chaff from the local tack shop, she is perfectly fine on that


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