# Experiences of CoolStance coconut horse feed



## AMH (27 September 2011)

Am just about to move to a new livery yard and have been recommended the above by the YO as a good conditioning but non-heating feedstuff. 

Just wondering if anyone has any experience of it? It's fed soaked like sugarbeet and looks like pretty good stuff - he says his are doing very well. I think that the mare I'm about to take could be a bit grain sensitive in the brain department and am hoping this might do the trick...


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## legaldancer (27 September 2011)

I've just started using this on a laminitic poor doer & hoping for good results. I know people who recommend it highly & they feed a lot of it in Australia. It has 20% protein in it, so more than any other feeds that I could compare labels with!

I did a search on here which came up with quite a lot of info.


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## josie_s (27 September 2011)

I used this last winter for my hunter and a horse that came to us poor. They both did very well on it tough you need to introduce it gradually as some are a little fussy on it to start with. I wouldn't hesitate to use it again.


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## corton (27 September 2011)

I had a very bad doer ** eventer who could not cope with sugar beet or barley or the typical weight gain foods on the market at the time. He would just 'go loopy' with energy and become unmanagable and unrideable..
He suffered major colic and lost alot of weight to look like half the horse he once was. We tried him on the coolstance - which was a great success, never ever looked back.
He gained condition, his coat became the most shiney on the yard, and the most important factor was his temperament, he was manageable and in turn he became a better animal. 
Obviously it would be naiive to put this all down to a feed, but without ANY other factors changing he was a much better horse for this feed.
N


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## whizzer (27 September 2011)

On the basis of reading all the info on here I tried it.
Horse took a long while to accept it(very fussy anyway) when I finally got him up to a reasonable amount it sent him nuts so had to stop feeding it!


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## Elf On A Shelf (27 September 2011)

First of all I wouldn't be feeding it to a lamminitic! Secondly I have used it and every single one of my horses turned their noses up at it - yes even the shetlnds who eat any thing and everything! Some love it, some hate it and I have 3/4 a bag of the stuff I won't ever use! Can't comment on if it sends them loopy or not as I couldn't get any of mine to eat it.


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## legaldancer (27 September 2011)

According to their website it is perfectly safe for laminitics, being very low in starch.
It has less than 1% starch & less than 10% NSC.

Obviously I wouldn't feed an overweight laminitic Copra as it puts condition on, however, mine is a poor doer on restricted grass. She recieves no grain whatsoever, only Kwikbeet, HiFi & one feed of Copra per day to boost her energy levels, plus hay at night. I have taken her off Alfa A oil to make sure she doesn't get too much protein.

I would suggest that before feeding it you have a look at the information on Coolstance's website. There is a wealth of information on there.

www.stanceequine.co.uk


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## spotty_pony (27 September 2011)

At the yard where I work at, all of the riding school horses are fed it and do very well on it. It seems to be very good for their digestion. The only thing which concerns me with it, is that it is very high in protein, which I wouldn't have thought was a good thing!


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## Snoopy1 (27 September 2011)

I have a chestnut TB gelding, poor doer, very hard to put and keep weight on and anything on the market that even hints at being "conditioning" sends him loopy.  I use Copra when I need a bit of extra help to get some condition on him and without fail it always helps and never sends him loopy.  Never had any problems in getting him to eat it and he isn't a very food orientated horse.  Would highly recommend.


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## wonkey_donkey (27 September 2011)

It's fab feed and does exactly what it say's on the bag but some horses won't eat it . . . .  mine love it !!


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## Slinkyunicorn (27 September 2011)

My neices TB has it and does brilliantly on it. All he has is a mugful (pre soaking) morning and night with his chaff. he came out of last winter glossy and in the most fab condition and it certainly didn't make him loopy - he loves it and licks his bowl clean It smells and looks like hot chocolate - just keep it out of the way of dogs as they love it

A couple of other liveries also used in in an old TB (28) with great success but the ISH wouldn't eat it

My sister had the cheapest winter ever for feed for the TB


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## Lyle (28 September 2011)

I've fed a lot of Copra over the years, it's a great feed for adding condition to horses in work. I've usually only fed it in small amounts due to the high protein levels, never had a horse get fizzy on it either. The only thing to watch is when soaking in hot weather, it can go rancid if left for a long period of time. Other than that it's a great feed!


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## the watcher (28 September 2011)

Another here who really likes it, I've had no trouble with horses accepting it in the feed and it is a great way to maintain condition during the winter months or hard work. My only grouch is that it is not carried by most feed stores so I used to get it delivered and then had to store 10 bags or so of the stuff..still trying to find a way around that for this winter.


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## legaldancer (28 September 2011)

I believe it has a two year shelf life, so can be bought in bulk. 

04dobbin supply it via the web.


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## AMH (28 September 2011)

Thank you, everyone - I'm always a bit sceptical when I get the 'best thing since sliced bread' line about a feed I've never come across before (although the YO in question is a professional and very knowledgeable). Sounds like this could be just the thing to keep her ribs covered and her brain between her ears and not in the clouds!


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## amandap (28 September 2011)

I fed it to one horse last year, it lasted months and she loved it and did well on it. I may well get more if I can source some, shops round me are not getting anything in to order for some reason atm.


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## thatsmygirl (31 January 2012)

How much do people feed at a time? If your mixing it with alfa a, topline cubes and micro linseed for weight gain


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## YasandCrystal (31 January 2012)

I had a bad experience with it - it is unnaturally high in protein. The rule of thumb guide I was told is never feed higher protein than a mare's milk and that is 12% - Copra is a whopping 21%. It blew my horse's brain and I also believe it can lead to foot problems due to the high protein levels and horses finding it hard to eliminate this. The body will gain 'condition' in the form of retained fluid in an attempt to get rid of the excess protein. Take the horse off the feed and the 'body mass' disappears.

I wouldn't feed it again. I think it is probably perfect for racehorses for whom it seems to be marketed for with their exercise levels, but not for a leisure horse imo.
I am no expert though. Someone like Oberon would have a better idea I am sure.If you Google about protein there are loads of articles:

extract from one:

    An average mature horse will have a protein requirement of about 8% of its feed, whereas the working horse and pregnant or lactating mare has a requirement of about 10%, and the growing horse (yearling) has about a 14% requirement. (these figures are on a dry matter kg. base, or 80grams/kg; 100grams/kg; and 140grams/kg). 

It is also important NOT to overfeed young growing horses on protein or over feed DE as it can cause DOD's (developmental orthopaedic diseases) bent and angular limbs, osteochondrosis dissecans etc. not to mention founder etc.


http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-0849/

Just a warning.


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## thatsmygirl (31 January 2012)

Very interesting thank you yeaandcrystal


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## paddy555 (31 January 2012)

whizzer said:



			On the basis of reading all the info on here I tried it.
Horse took a long while to accept it(very fussy anyway) when I finally got him up to a reasonable amount it sent him nuts so had to stop feeding it!
		
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I had the exact opposite. Fed it to OH's old ridden arab to try and keep condition on. He was very very firey and excitable to ride. A real little ball of energy. 
The copra drove him to sleep when ridden. After a few rides OH asked me to stop feeding it as the horse was becoming so dozy and almost dangerous with being half asleep and almost drugged. Stopped the copra and the bouncy excitable arab returned. 

Not being one to waste things I decided the rest of the horse could eat up the remains of the bag. Bit of a struggle


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## YasandCrystal (31 January 2012)

As an aside I now feed carob or locust bean and micronized linseed for condition and they are all well on it. Again you need to be careful with carob, which is sweet, but contains no sugar (used in diabetic chocolate) as it is high in calcium. That is good in the winter when grass is poor, but come the spring it needs to be cut back or cut out else the horse will be getting too much calcium.

Nutrition is a minefield.


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## YasandCrystal (31 January 2012)

EKW said:



			First of all I wouldn't be feeding it to a lamminitic! Secondly I have used it and every single one of my horses turned their noses up at it - yes even the shetlnds who eat any thing and everything! Some love it, some hate it and I have 3/4 a bag of the stuff I won't ever use! Can't comment on if it sends them loopy or not as I couldn't get any of mine to eat it.
		
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sensible horses


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## criso (31 January 2012)

Feed it to my tb and he is very chilled on it and loves it which means I can hide all sorts of minerals in it. It also leaves him very shiny.
He's barefoot and grass sensitive and it's never caused any problems with his feet

I take your point about the protein but I don't feed huge amounts about a 1/3 to 1/2 of a scoop between 2 feeds to complement a fibre based diet.  Bear in mind Linseed is 23% protein.


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## SillySausage (31 January 2012)

Oh man I just wrote the longest response and it deleted it all - gah! Hopefully a cut down version will still be of some help! First of all, only positive experiences from me on it.

Secondly, I've just written an Equine Nutrition assignment about copra meal using the CoolStance website for an example. So maybe I can help explain some of the science behind it - see if it's of any help for you! 

CoolStance says it provides high density 'cool' energy from coconut oil (saturated) and digestible fibre, has low starch levels, is low in non-structural carbohydrates, and contains medium chain triglycerides (MCT's).

Non-structural carbohydrates are readily utilised and provide much of a horse's dietry energy. So by having low levels of these (and starch) it's supposed to reduce the risk of a horse becoming fizzy. Instead, it provides readily digestible sources of energy from coconut oil (8-10%), digestible fibre (converted to volatile fatty acids) and protein (from gluconeogenic amino acids that can be used to produce glucose). 

Also, MCT's are the main fatty acids in the feed (important for absorption of fat soluble vitamins), which are saturated so can be easily digested and absorbed to provide readily digestible energy. So, theres accelerated metabolic conversion instead of fat conversion. Other feeds are primarily long chain fatty acids (LCFA's) which are polyunsaturated so digested slowly. MCT's also provide about 10% less calories that LCFA's.

[MCT's are also thought to maintain a healthy gut and have antimicrobial effects - but I don't think there's concrete evidence behind that yet!]

I hope that makes sense and might be of even the tiniest bit of help ... sorry if not!!!


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## honetpot (1 February 2012)

I fed an elderly TB it with excellant results, had tried every conditioning feed and the expensive rice bran ones as well but it was the only one that worked.
 Yes some do not like the coconut smell and taste but if you start with small amounts a build up you can usually get them to eat it.
 As for the amount of protien, lots of horse feeds have a lot in them, the excess protein is just excreted, unless the animal has kidney problems it shouldn't be a worry. It think the benifits of a slow release energy feed would out weigh and any worries about excess protein.


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## Amaranta (1 February 2012)

honetpot said:



			I fed an elderly TB it with excellant results, had tried every conditioning feed and the expensive rice bran ones as well but it was the only one that worked.
 Yes some do not like the coconut smell and taste but if you start with small amounts a build up you can usually get them to eat it.
 As for the amount of protien, lots of horse feeds have a lot in them, the excess protein is just excreted, unless the animal has kidney problems it shouldn't be a worry. It think the benifits of a slow release energy feed would out weigh and any worries about excess protein.
		
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Agree and would also add that although it is high in protein you are supposed to feed very small amounts, ie grams and not kilos. Many balancers are higher in protein, ie TopSpec being 25% and Blue Chip 18%, but again, you feed small quantities.

Protein should not cause any foot problems but starch can and if this feed is indeed only 1% starch it is amongst the lowest on the market, anything under 10% starch should be OK for a laminitic.


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## YasandCrystal (1 February 2012)

criso said:



			Feed it to my tb and he is very chilled on it and loves it which means I can hide all sorts of minerals in it. It also leaves him very shiny.
He's barefoot and grass sensitive and it's never caused any problems with his feet

I take your point about the protein but I don't feed huge amounts about a 1/3 to 1/2 of a scoop between 2 feeds to complement a fibre based diet.  Bear in mind Linseed is 23% protein.
		
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The difference is that linseed is as far as I know fed as a conditioning supplement - so I would only ever feed maximum a couple of cups of this a day to a horse needing condition, however Coolstance is marketed as a feed. If you read the feeding guideline you can feed a massive amount of this stuff daily.
I think fed in very moderate amounts it's fine like you say.

The foot problems I mentionned I believe (not my horse) came about due to the enhanced 'condition' of the horse caused by the protein, which was unnatural rather than the protein content itself.


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## horseelady (9 February 2012)

YasandCrystal said:



			As an aside I now feed carob or locust bean and micronized linseed for condition and they are all well on it. Again you need to be careful with carob, which is sweet, but contains no sugar (used in diabetic chocolate) as it is high in calcium. That is good in the winter when grass is poor, but come the spring it needs to be cut back or cut out else the horse will be getting too much calcium.

Nutrition is a minefield.
		
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It's a total myth about a horse having too much calcium any excess calcium if it is even possible in a horse, is naturally excreated. And anyway carob also has magnesium and phosphorus which is what makes calcium absorb into the body, you only have problems with calcium when it is not absorbed, and it is not from too much calcium. I feed mine all year round on carob and in the spring when the young grass is rich it is the carob that stops them being greedy and gorging on the young sweet grass and it also stops them from getting laminitis again. Grass does have some calcium in some areas but not enough for a horse's diet. My babies love carob and my life has become such a breeze since I've started using it. Lol.


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## YasandCrystal (9 February 2012)

horseelady said:



			It's a total myth about a horse having too much calcium any excess calcium if it is even possible in a horse, is naturally excreated. And anyway carob also has magnesium and phosphorus which is what makes calcium absorb into the body, you only have problems with calcium when it is not absorbed, and it is not from too much calcium. I feed mine all year round on carob and in the spring when the young grass is rich it is the carob that stops them being greedy and gorging on the young sweet grass and it also stops them from getting laminitis again. Grass does have some calcium in some areas but not enough for a horse's diet. My babies love carob and my life has become such a breeze since I've started using it. Lol.
		
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Thanks for that information and dispellling the myth about calcium. I love feeding carob. It is also great if my pony gets diahorhhea. All my horses seem to love it, but I don't know anyone else except you that feeds it


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## horseelady (9 February 2012)

Amaranta said:



			Agree and would also add that although it is high in protein you are supposed to feed very small amounts, ie grams and not kilos. Many balancers are higher in protein, ie TopSpec being 25% and Blue Chip 18%, but again, you feed small quantities.

Protein should not cause any foot problems but starch can and if this feed is indeed only 1% starch it is amongst the lowest on the market, anything under 10% starch should be OK for a laminitic.
		
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From experience no starch at all should be given to laminitics, it was starch that sent mine crazy in hoof and mind. Protein is a funny thing because it all depends on your horses work load, but a general guide would be 16% to 22% protein, obiviously the harder work a horse does the more protein the horse would need, but if the horse is on a high protein diet then the horse will also need carbohydrates to get the protein to absorb into the body, and this is what an expert told me, which I've tried and tested with flying colours!!
I've never heard anything bad about coolstance, but it is a bit expensive to want to try.


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## horseelady (9 February 2012)

YasandCrystal said:



			Thanks for that information and dispellling the myth about calcium. I love feeding carob. It is also great if my pony gets diahorhhea. All my horses seem to love it, but I don't know anyone else except you that feeds it 

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They say the best kept secret is the secret that is never told. I'm competing mine and they are doing wonderfully, even a judge asked me if it was bluechip I was using, because their condition was so good. I just smiled at him and wondered to myself will I tell him or will I keep it to myself, (naughty I know), but I told him what it was and he was amazed, but he did hear of carob, and knew that the Spansih use it.


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## buzyizzy (2 June 2017)

It's fabulous for laminitics, totally ideal feed so not sure why you are so against it. I had my laminitic pony on it for three months  with no adverse health effects to him.


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## NOISYGIRL (2 June 2017)

I wanted it for weight gain but mine wouldn't eat the minimum they recommended as it swells 3 times its dry weight and the meals were too big.  Then someone on my yard got there first and decided the soaked meal ready was too big and gave him a dry meal instead and he went right off it


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