# Another soaked oats question



## emmilou (28 August 2008)

Hi all,
i no this is an old topice but can someone tell me scoop-wise, roughly what quantities they feed? im thinking about putting my old boy on it but im unsure of how much oats (1 scoop, 2 scoops...) and how much Alflafa to give him.
can someone help me?
Thanks


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## flowerlady (29 August 2008)

You're winding us up Yes?


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## emmilou (29 August 2008)

Soory, i didnt mean to offend anyone, i was mearly asking for some advice. i have read all the information people have posted but just want to know how much 3lb equivilate to and whether people found that this amount twice a day was sufficiant.

i will have to look elsewhere maybe.
sorry


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## S_N (29 August 2008)

Why is she winding people up Flowerlady?  The soaked oat diet has been much discussed on here!!

emmilou, I used to feed this diet and in a way I still do, except I no longer soak the oats!  I was fortunate enough to meet Dr Derek Cuddeford (leading international nutritionalist) in July and I made a point of running this diet past him.  He was astounded that anyone would want to soak oats, even whole ones!!  In his opinion, oats are the best grain to feed to a horse, as they utilise them far more efficiently than other cereals and he actually recommends feeding whole oats over bruised, rolled, crushed etc.  

Part of the thing about soaking them is it apparently softens the husk of the oat, allowing the horse to digest the entire oat and something about making the oat a 'live enzyme' - this is tosh apparently 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 lol!  

When I initially stopped soaking the oats I noticed a few in my mares droppings, but only for about a week.  She's obviously digesting them fine now!

It's SO much less fiddly NOT having to soak them.  

She gets a scoop a day, split between 2 feeds.  She is a 16.1hh WB and has a 4 month old foal at foot.  She also gets Alfalfa and Suregrow and at night, some Outshine - she wouldn't get the Outshine if she wasn't lactating, it takes a lot out of this particular mare.

Hope that helps.


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## emmilou (29 August 2008)

Thats just the information i was looking for. thanks for helping.
its strange that so many soak them if its not needed!
i think ill try it you way!
thanks again


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## the watcher (29 August 2008)

I'll still be soaking mine, I think - I prefer that it makes them noticeably softer and I feed wet sloppy meals anyway.


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## emmilou (29 August 2008)

i suppose its personal preferance in this case. i dont know if there are any benifit to either but i do think that my old boy might find it easier to eat soaked. will have to try and see!


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## S_N (29 August 2008)

[ QUOTE ]
I'll still be soaking mine, I think - I prefer that it makes them noticeably softer and I feed wet sloppy meals anyway. 

[/ QUOTE ]

I always feed wet feeds!!!!  Dr Cuddeford said that soaking them was actually detrimental and pointless!


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## the watcher (29 August 2008)

I don't mind pointless - half my life is spent doing apparently pointless things LOL.

But why is soaking detrimental?


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## S_N (29 August 2008)

LMAO S!!!  Apparently it leaches the goodness from them.  He said the only reason you may wish to soak whole oats, would be if your source was questionable and you were washing them so to speak.


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## the watcher (29 August 2008)

AH HA! So I could soak them for a shorter time (to soften them a bit) but keep the liquor for adding to the feed instead of straining it off, and I would still be ok? That would actually be much easier to manage. 
Actually I seem to remember Tia saying she doesn't strain hers, just soaks everything together - and all her horses seem to survive their feeding regime


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## emmilou (29 August 2008)

hhmmmmm interesting. i does make sence that soaking rather than washing make remove some of the goodness but im not sure. will have to look into it!


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## S_N (29 August 2008)

Yes that is exactly what Tia said she did when she feeds this diet.  

If you insist on soaking them I'm not going to stop you, but since I have started using D&amp;H whole oats and not from Farmer Giles (lol) I have noticed that the quality of the oats is just excellent - nice and fat and clean looking!  B LOVES them and she is not mental on them either - another falsehood regarding oats IMO.


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## the watcher (29 August 2008)

I have always bought good quality branded ones (they are still cheaper than any mix), wouldn't know where to source any others and you are right, I have fed them to everything and never seen a change in excitability or temperament - although I am sure there are exceptions


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## S_N (29 August 2008)

Well I did get 6 sacks for £2 - that's £2 for the 6 sacks, not each!!  You get what you pay for eh!

Oh there are always exceptions to the rule.  Wish I could feed them to Berry.  I tried him with 1/4 scoop on Monday and on Tuesday he has a few small crusty lumps - he just cannot cope with cereals.  It must be an age thing with him though, as he was always fed oats/barley when in hard work when he was younger.


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## MissDeMeena (29 August 2008)

[ QUOTE ]
Well I did get 6 sacks for £2 - that's £2 for the 6 sacks, not each!!  You get what you pay for eh! 

[/ QUOTE ]

WOW, that's a good deal!!! 
	
	
		
		
	


	




  Where do you get them from, and what's the quality like??  I pay £6 a bag, and it's not a brand of any sort, and can have a few random bits in it  
	
	
		
		
	


	





But for anyone who is questioning how good the oat diet is... here's a before and after of Polly, a 4yr old ex-racehorse.. she wouldn't eat in training..
Since i've had her, all i've fed her is the soaked oat diet!!


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## S_N (29 August 2008)

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Well I did get 6 sacks for £2 - that's £2 for the 6 sacks, not each!!  You get what you pay for eh! 

[/ QUOTE ]

WOW, that's a good deal!!! 
	
	
		
		
	


	




  Where do you get them from, and what's the quality like??  I pay £6 a bag, and it's not a brand of any sort, and can have a few random bits in it  
	
	
		
		
	


	





[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah a good deal on the face of it!  I now get mine from D&amp;H and I get it through work, so not shop prices.  The difference in the quality is amazing!!

Out of interest, how much Alfalfa were you/are you feeding Polly?  She looks awesome!!


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## PapaFrita (29 August 2008)

[ QUOTE ]
Why is she winding people up Flowerlady?  The soaked oat diet has been much discussed on here!!

[/ QUOTE ]
It's the way the question has been phrased; it's like saying "How much should I eat, approximately plate-size wise"
We don't know if she has a Shire, a mini, how much work its in, etc, etc.
I think that's what flowerlady meant.


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## Tia (29 August 2008)

Yes I soak everything in with my oats and I don't drain the water away as there rarely is any water to drain away; I guess my pellets soak up the excess water.

Most of my horses are small horses and they are each fed 4lbs per feed, generally twice a day during the winter.  They always look terrific in the winter time so whatever the soaking does, it works.  Previously to this I fed dry oats and I have to say once I started feeding them soaked oats, there was a definite improvement in sheen and hoof quality.  Mind you, I also feed black sunflower seeds too, so who knows what is making the difference; all I will say is that when I was feeding dry oats, they all looked fine, but not as radiant as they do on soaked oats.

All of our hay has alfalfa in it, so our horses can have a good balance of this too.

I only ever feed triple-clean whole oats, locally produced, of very high quality - I am also a firm believer that soaking only good quality feed of any description is the only way to go if you wish to see good results.


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## MissDeMeena (29 August 2008)

[ QUOTE ]
Out of interest, how much Alfalfa were you/are you feeding Polly?  She looks awesome!! 

[/ QUOTE ]

She get 1 scoop with each feed, and gets fed twice a day.. she's not on a huge amount, as she's not doing alot of work, although i've just upped it now (since the last pic was taken)


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## jodixie (29 August 2008)

just to add to the subject of soaking oats, I mix the oats, chaff and top spec then wet the feed.  This way anything that comes out the oats, the good stuff they tell,is still in the bucket.  I have always found that horses like wet food and don't tend to scoff it as quick, which means the food has longer to get digested.  Thats my theory anyway!


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