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Kenzie needs a new grain

1K views 11 replies 7 participants last post by  horselovinguy 
#1 ·
So Kenzie's hooves are quite a bit better so we are back to riding. With the cooler weather we are out daily and she's playing more in the pasture. We actually have a 50 mile charity trail ride coming up next week.

My issue is she's getting a bit more ribby then I'd like. She had very nasty ulcers, one of the worst cases my vet had ever seen when I purchased her in January so I've been very reluctant to go the grain route, but I think I might have to. She's of course UTD on teeth and worming. She just had a FEC done last week and it was great.

Her current diet is

24/7 access to Tifton 85 horse hay.

2lbs of Empower Balance which is a ration balancer

6lbs of Beet pulp pellets, before soaking

2tbs of salt

2tbs of Slippery Elms Bark

1 cup of Aloe Vera Juice

MSM

Current pic of her. She's not skinny but her ribs are starting to show more then I'd like, especially with her work load being upped and winter starting.

I'm considering Safe Choice Peform
SafeChoice Perform Horse Feed by Nutrena

or

Sentinel LS

https://www.sentinelfeed.com/pe.html


Has anyone tried these with an ulcer prone horse? My vet has always suggested keeping horses that have had ulcers off grain if possible. But I'm not sure what else to try.

Thanks!

 
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#2 ·
I wouldn't switch out anything.

What I would do is call Nutrena's 800 number on the bag, explain what you are feeding her, and ask them how much you can increase the Empower. I don't think two pounds is enough, given that you are working her more and she is getting ribby.

I think upping the Empower to the maximum Nutrena recommends, would be your best bet.

Possibly adding some alfalfa is she can tolerate it no you can get it

Kenzie may also end up being a hard keeper, which is out of character for Arabs.

Streeter was about a three on the Henneke scale when I rescued him as a seven year old. He was always a hard keeper, getting more difficult to hold weight as he aged. Bless his Soul, he made it to 29 and I was feeding him 3-4 meals daily to keep him eating. His 13.3H self literally ate more than my three Walking Horses combined and he was still thin. I always wondered if being starved so bad, played a role in him being such a hard keeper.
 
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#3 ·
The Empower is a ration balancer. Its not really much for calories more her vitamin and mineral needs. The max for a horse her size in heavy performance work is 2.85lbs. So I can up it a bit, but I'm not sure if it will do much.

Other then our 22 year old senior with very poor teeth the rest of our herd does amazing on the minimum even Harley in moderate work but he doesn't come close to Kenzie in terms of work.

40lbs squares of baled alfalfa are running about 22 bucks at my local feed store but I can get cubes and hay pellets easily.

Streeter sounds a lot like Kenzie. I got her out of a crappy situation and supposedly she'd been starved before I got her. So I do wonder too if that plays a part.

That and she never sits still! She paces in her stall. She grabs hay and paces the fence line. She is never content to sit still! I had her rescoped for ulcers she got so bad when I had to stall her because of the sweet itch which is finally cleared up. thankfully she looked good but I do worry about hindgut,
 
#6 ·
That and she never sits still! She paces in her stall. She grabs hay and paces the fence line. She is never content to sit still! I had her rescoped for ulcers she got so bad when I had to stall her because of the sweet itch which is finally cleared up. thankfully she looked good but I do worry about hindgut,
Along with other's advice I agree with on avoiding grain & sweets... copra & rice bran are other ingreds that can add fat/calories without carbs. But wanted to comment on the above. If she is stressing so much, that's not good for her, for other reasons than weightloss. I'd be ensuring she's getting extra magnesium for starters, which is probably not in the RB, and get her out of her stall & into a group paddock ASAP, to break the chronic stress cycle. Sweet itch could be related to lack of Mg too.
 
#4 ·
Id hate to put her on anything with grain due to her old ulcer issues.

Duke had hind gut ulcers and corn was a big no-no for him.

I had him on Succeed for 2-1/2 years - it was the only thing that stopped his colics.

EquiShur is another product for the hind gut. It is about half the price of Succeed. EquiShur didn't do anything to help Duke but that doesn't mean it won't work on another horse, if you suspect hind gut issues.

Kentucky Equine Research Equishure Digestive Health Supplement For Horses 2.75 Pound - Kentucky Equine Research EQUISURE275LB - Digestion Metabolic Supplement - Supplements - Calvins Equine

If hind gut issues are the case, Kenzie really should be kept off any sort of grain. I might still call Nutrena and ask them how much you could up the Empower. It is a high fat product, thanks to the rice bran. Generally what the bag says is a conservative "CYA" for the company and more is doable.

If you can get alfalfa cubes or pellets, I buy Standlee brand hay pellets at Tractor Supply. I have used their brand for several years and it has been consistently high quality and dust-free.
 
#5 ·
I think @walkinthewalk is thinking the Empower Balance is Empower Boost. Empower Boost is the rice bran supplement from Nutrena. You could consider adding this to the diet, it is high in calories and fat. A couple of pounds would add about 3,600 calories (1800 calories/lb). You need to increase it slowly so your horse can adjust to digesting fat without getting diarrhea.

For ulcer prone horses, any complete feed without grain ingredients will be digested in the hind gut. Triple Crown senior is one example of a complete feed that is made up entirely of things like beet pulp and other fibrous products that horses digest like hay. There is no corn, barley or difficult to digest grains. LMF and other companies also have similar products.

Another great way to add calories is to feed fats. Black oil sunflower seeds are very high in calories and you can feed a couple of pounds and add 5,000 calories to your horse's diet. I thought they were amazing until my very picky horse decided they were "for the birds." You can also add just plain oil, which has almost 2,000 calories per cup. If your horse will eat oils, you can safely add two cups daily to the diet as long as you increase it gradually. Canola oil is cheap and has Omega 3s.

Oils and fats are easily digested by horses and do not add to ulcer problems or hind gut issues.
 
#7 ·
Hi Rain!

My older TB was losing weight; noticed after his spring shed, and thru early summer, when the rest of the herd were getting plump on fresh greens. My vet put him on a Manna Pro product called Max-e-Glo; a rice bran feed supplement. He has been getting two pounds a day, in two feedings on top of his "usual" diet, which consists of free-choice Timothy hay, and a "breakfast", consisting of ~1lb Oats, 1/2lb sweet-feed, 1/2lb of the Empower Ration Balancer, a probiotic, and half of an apple or a carrot; a meal which they all get. Spoiled Horses R Us ;-)
This has done the trick, and he is looking his usual sleek self going into winter.
I would back off on the Empower (which, as others have said, probably isn't doing much to add weight), and try some Rice Bran. Also, 6lb of beet pulp? That seems like a lot, especially after you soak it. Maybe back off on that, too.

Steve
 
#8 ·
Those prepackaged feeds are not going to have any more calories than what you are currently feeding.... So just going to help the feed co's profit margin...

Adding calories with fat , as suggested, would be best.

Have you volunteered at any endurance races? I went out to visit one here (you and I are in the same region) and came home thinking my horses were obese! Most of them are, lol, but most of the horses competeing there were quite rangey.
 
#10 ·
Thanks guys. I've tried rice bran with her before and she would not touch it. Picky mare!

I'm going to try adding oil to her feed and see if that helps.

Greentree, yep I know how rangy they are and I've never minded her ribs showing, but its starting to hit the point where her hit bones and spine are sticking out more then I'd like and I'm concerned where her work is being upped even more and we are going into winter.
 
#11 ·
I fed Boost to my rescue and it made all the difference in the world.
It also took a year before his insides healed sufficiently from the negligent care he received before I took him in...
You may still be facing that....:sad:

Since you live in Florida, not far from Seminole feed mills...
Seminole Wellness Senior Mix? | Seminole Feed
http://seminolefeed.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/SemWellnessSeniorMix.pdf

This feed might do what you look for. It has in the mix many of the ingredients you will be adding in Boost or Balance...
Be careful that anything you "add" does not throw a balance out that could be detrimental not helpful to your final goal wanted...especially if you then add another product by itself...it needs to be balanced to work best.

As Boost and Balance are supplements, you may indeed need to just stop the supplementing and feed quality feed with a top-dressing of Boost since it is that higher fat supplement since pasture has now lost its growth season nutritional value and feeding hay is a must.

If you do decide to do feed, Seminole pricing can be set by individual dealers so there is sometimes a pretty large price range found...it pays to look around.
By me, {I am south of you}, if I go to my local dealer it is $10 more per bag than if I take a ride to Oxford or some Ocala feed dealers...
It is worth it to me to take a trip and buy 6 bags at a time... = 2 bags free at my local stores pricing!
That to me is quite a difference in price...beware!
:runninghorse2:....
jmo...
 
#12 ·
Seminole Feeds are also manufactured in a "medication-free" mill which means no chance or contamination from monesin or other ruminant additives....which are deadly to horses!!
We are surrounded by hundreds of thousands of cattle in this state...
Check any local mills carefully if you use one.
Triple Crown Feeds or any or their subsidiaries are medicated mills ...

To my knowledge only Purina and Seminole are medication free or dedicated to horse feed facilities....
:runninghorse2:.....
 
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