opposite to calmer?

[aimee]

Fern gets bog standard economy nuts and dengie hifi once daily.
As the winter is coming in I am beginning to feel her sort of drop down a few gears, becoming lethargic?
I have no experience with supplements for energy at all! My last horse was TBX so was quite opposite!

Whats on the market? Is it still just oats that are used for energy? my friend feeds tiger oats, I didn't know there was such a thing! what about upgrading to a higher quality mix, like competition mix? would that do anything?

Sorry, but like I said, I have no experience in this side of things, this is still my first year of having Fern so I dont really know what do do or whether just to leave her and work my legs extra hard when riding her!(even though it makes me feel guilty to keep pushing her as she is usually more responsive!)
Any advice greatly appreciated!

[racaille]

Aimee, I think this is the same problem as the thread Feeding - increase amount or change feed. Is she rugged yet?
Personally I would not like to give competition mix all the time.
Read the other post first of all, do make sure she hasn't got a physical problem, then talk to a feed company. Although, it does occur to me that feed companies are of course promoting their own products. I would always start with good old-fashioned high quality hay ;D

[madcatwoman]

the only real high energy feed would be maize or micronized barley , as they both have high suger leval, oats are oil based so its slow realese energy , more for endurance type energy , but if she's not doing the work to burn up the energy it can either have 2 effects , you get 1 very hyper horse , or she gets very fat ,

[aimee]

Thanks yes she is rugged and having hay every night with feed as grass is sh!t. I have read other threads and had an ask about and it seems all horses tone down a bit before winter, so maybe I should just leave it and see what happens.

[fimacg]

Hi aimee, I have recently changed the boys feed to Hi fi Lite and Baileys low cal conditioner as they were getting fat (previously on paddock mix and normal chaff) they were sluggish and lethargic on this )and also the grass. but since swapping their feed and giving them more they just keep getting better Chompy is having a ball galloping around the stubble fields and Brave is going well and has cut out some of his silliness.

I think they weren't getting the proper balance of minerals before as the feeds were too small to really count. And with the changed system they feel a lot better in themselves.

[abi]

Aimee! we are not alone! its not just me struggling to get sox going!

we have exactly the same problem, i'm about to email feed companies to see what they reccomend as sox is fed nearly the same as fearne and our grass is pants too, so i reckon she'll need upgrading to a mix over winter.

try a few feed companies and get an overall idea of what she needs, then you can see the most suitable?

if she's like sox i don't think it is health problems- sox is fine for the rest of the year and even in winter is prefectly happy in herself- just lacking oomph when ridden. if feed doesnt make a difference i might think about blood testing, but we only got the last bill for the Jabs on friday so in no rush to do that!

[abi]

i forgot to say - a local feed merchant said a lot around here lack eneergy and they reccomend hickstead sports mix for them, apparently its good as its doesnt heat them too much but gives the energy they need, and they tend to be reasonably priced too

[jane]

A good high energy (without the fizz) slow release energy feed is Baileys Top Line Cubes (No 4) - you don't feed as much as traditional cubes but they are a superb feed. There is also endurance by Baileys too which is a mix similar to No $ but with a much higher oil content.

Ring a feed manufacturer who will give you the best advice.

[racaille]

Well, I think I'm going to be the voice of dissent here. Assuming all the GGs have nothing physically wrong with them (but get that B12 checked) I would be tempted to leave alone. It might be annoying for us to have a sluggish horse for a few weeks but perhaps they need a break once in the year when they slow down and take it a bit easy. I have the same 'problem' with Paco, only he slows down in the summer as he can't bear the extreme heat. So we take it easy, amble about a bit. I fed him up for the two-day competition thingy and he was a rocket, but that level is unsustainable. Now it's cooler, he's back to normal. I allow him this rhythm as he gets a bit of a holiday in the summer - not just physical but it gives his mind time off too, time to just chill.

[FirenLady]

I feed Lady Barley Rings, she certainly seems to have plenty of energy! I dunno if the vet mentioned veggie oil as slow realease calories. Wish i had your problem Fire has been full of beans...pinging off the wall. I tried giving him a calmer and if anything hes worse!