Case Studies
31-year-old pony with numerous health conditions that affect her diet and management
Kizzy is a 31-year-old ex-riding school pony who has numerous health conditions that affect her diet and management.
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55kg Lost After Diagnosis of Laminitis & Insulin Resistance
In November 2020, Jazmine suddenly went lame. Nerve blocks and X-rays were conducted by the vets and a diagnosis of laminitis was given; she was also found to be insulin resistant.
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A balancing act between maintaining ideal weight, behaviour and stamina
Jayne Simmons got in contact with Dengie for some nutrition advice for her daughter’s New Forest pony, Flint who could be quite fizzy at times, and yet be lazy and lack energy on other occasions.
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Ace
Ace, owned by Matt Ilston, was in light work, doing a mixture of schooling and hacking 3-4 times a week and successfully competing at unaffiliated dressage. Ace was turned out for six hours each day on really good grazing and was receiving ad-lib haylage. He was carrying a little too much weight, resulting in him being a little lazy, with Matt wanting a little bit more sparkle!
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A challenge to manage weight and ulcers
Amber was kept on an ulcer friendly diet after being scoped clear, but being a good doer she started to gain too much weight. This was a particular concern as Amber has arthritis in her hocks and a previous stifle injury, plus the increased risk of laminitis.
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A diverse range of fantastic fibre feeds
Tania Grantham from Inspire Dressage is a long-term Dengie fan and has been feeding our fibre feeds to a diverse range of horses for years; she wouldn’t feed anything else.
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A fibre diet can supply enough energy for a competition horse
Alicia Griffiths was initially sceptical as to whether a purely fibre diet would supply enough energy for a competition horse who spends so much time away from home. But she is completely converted now.
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A happy and healthy miniature horse
Shane O’Connor first got in contact with the Dengie feedline back in June 2020 for some feeding advice for his 30inch Falabella Shammy who needed to lose some weight. Shane was concerned Shammy may get laminitis if he didn’t do something to get her weight and diet under control.
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A healthy tummy = a healthy and happy horse
Conner was suffering with faecal water issues that were particularly bad after being on fresh grass or if he was stabled. Gemma also believed that Conner had ulcers from the stressful upbringing he had before she bought him. It was suggested that Gemma tried Conner on Dengie Healthy Tummy which she says made a huge difference.
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Alfa-A Molasses Free fuels my old boy who has been brought back into work!
25 year old Cougar was recently brought back into work. His owner Kate switched him onto Alfa-A Molasses Free to supply a few more calories!
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Alfa-A Original helps my racehorses achieve their best
Flat trainer William Knight has been feeding Alfa-A Original since he started training; it is a staple part of all his horses’ diets.
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Alfie
Cher East owns ten-year-old Alfie, a 17hh ISH x WB with a bit of an identity crisis! At a recent BE event, a lady approached Cher to ask if Alfie was for sale, as she thought he’d make a lovely working hunter.
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Althea is now a totally different horse
When Bethan brought Althea she was a blank canvas and thanks to Alfa-A Oil she has become the pony Bethan has always dreamt of having!
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An essential necessity for his happiness and management
Healthy Tummy plays a major part in Fritz on-going management. It provides him with plenty of slow-release energy required for his workload and condition.
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Antiopa
It’s not just British horses benefiting from Dengie fibre feeds. Vesna, Dengie’s representative in Slovenia, tells us about her 16.2hh KWPN mare Antiopa, who is fed on Alfa-A Lite.
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A tasty low starch and sugar feed for a hot headed, good doer!
When tasting the different chaffs, Luca was very keen on what was revealed to be Dengie’s Hi-Fi Molasses Free. Although Luca is not actually laminitic, he is a good doer and also very hot headed, so his owner tries to keep sugar levels to a minimum to avoid weight gain and excess energy.
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At risk of developing laminitis if weight wasn’t under control!
When Eleanor bought Izzy in April 2019 for her daughter Jenny, Izzy’s bodyweight was already of major concern due to her previous access to lush pastures and little to no ridden work for many months prior to her purchase. Eleanor’s vet warned her that Izzy would be at high risk of developing laminitis if her weight wasn’t brought back under control.
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Bracken
“Bracken is a 13hh Exmoor X who is in his late 20’s and retired (he does go on the odd hack occasionally though!). Not only is he getting on, but he has previously suffered from laminitis and was diagnosed with Cushings Disease two years ago.
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Brook and Corey
“Corey’s daily Dengie diet gives him energy to perform at his best and look fantastic without affecting his temperament. What more could I ask for?” says Brook.
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Cereal free diet still provides plenty of energy and stamina
In the past, Clare found cereal-based feeds made Ben very bolshy and difficult to handle on the ground. After taking advise from Katie Evans, one of Dengie’s Feed Advisor’s, Clare swapped Ben onto the Dengie Meadow Grass with Herbs & Oil alongside a balancer.
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Chewy’s Weight Loss Success
Chewy is a 26-year-old, 14.hh Connemara cross, who had his first bout of laminitis when he was nine. He suffered recurrent bouts through 2010 and 2011, which lead to testing and diagnosing of Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) and PPID (Cushing’s).
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Concerned about ulcers and maintaining a healthy weight
Otto is a 6-year-old Irish Sports Horse owned and ridden by Amy Roberts. With Otto being a good doer, Amy was keen to reduce his weight to avoid putting excess strain on his joints, however at the same time she was concerned about the risk of gastric ulcers.
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Condition for Showing
Dengie customer Caroline Chambers got in touch recently to let us know how pleased she has been since changing her horse’s diet on to Dengie Alfa-A Oil.
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Della’s weight loss plan
Karyce realised she was going to have to make some drastic changes to the lifestyle of Della her Welsh Section C mare – she had to lose some weight as she was at risk of getting laminitis.
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Dengie Diets for Lillisford Equestrian
Michael ‘Mikey’ Tuff and Harriet Web run Lillisford Equestrian and specialise in show jumping. Mikey has competed up to 1.50m Grand Prix and has jumped nationally and internationally.
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Dengie helps keep my sheep’s guts healthy!
Being a vet, Rhian Rochford knows the importance of keeping her sheep’s guts healthy, that’s why she chooses to feed Dengie Alfa-A Original.
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Dressage Para Equine-Athlete Weight Loss Programme
Remi is a para dressage horse who is on the World Class Para Programme and was long listed for Tokyo 2020 along with rider Amanda Shirtcliffe. Remi has always been a chunky horse and was diagnosed with Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) last year. Unfortunately, Metformin, the veterinary medicine which is often used to manage EMS, isn’t allowed under FEI competition rules so his condition had to be managed through dietary changes and weight loss strategies.
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Driving Ponies Powered by Dengie Alfa-A Lite
Although Hope and Star are in a lot of work and competing regularly, being native ponies they’re owners Hannah and Matt Illston-Barsby need to keep a close eye on their weight. Their ration of Dengie Alfa-A Lite helps maintain the levels of nutrition they need, without adding the calories.
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Easy to Chew Soaked Mash
Miranda Gray has had her 41 year old Thoroughbred x ‘Billy’ for 34 years. He now has very few teeth left and those that he does have are very worn, meaning he struggles to chew most things including grass.
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Ex-racehorse prone to fizzy behaviour
King was being fed a high starch mix, which made him very sharp and tricky to sit on. The Dengie Nutrition team suggested Healthy Tummy as it a slow energy feed that was low starch and sugar.
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Ex-racehorse struggling to maintain condition
Leah Grange was concerned about giving her ex-racehorse Colin too much sugar in his diet and it “blowing his brains”. After a chat with the Dengie nutrition team she realised that his current ration was completely wrong for him in other ways too.
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Feeding Alfa-A Oil to Promote Condition
When Helen acquired 15 years-young Sports Horse, Todd, sadly he was in poor condition.
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Fibre diets fuel Shetland racing ponies and keeps them in tip top condition!
Cherhill Shetlands is a team of racing and showing ponies that travel all around the country to compete in the Shetland Pony Grand National. Isabella Bride, founder of Cherhill Shetlands, has chosen to feed her ponies Dengie Hi-Fi Molasses Free to support their busy lifestyles.
Fibre forms the major part of my horses diets
Tina Canton has fed Dengie Alfa-A Original to her whole yard as the foundation of their diets for over 30 years.
From the smallest to the largest, all our horses enjoy Dengie!
Simon Pearce has been training since 2019 having started out his racing career as an amateur jockey. All of the horses at Simon’s yard are fed on Dengie, from Fifi the Shetland, who has Hi-Fi Lite, to Kempton winner Abraaj, who is fed Performance Fibre.
Good Bedding is an Essential for my Chickens’ Health and Comfort!
Kat from Hen Weekend Chicken Boarding has used Dengie Fresh Bed for Chickens for over three years for her own girls and now uses it for her hen hotel residents too.
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The Dengie team first met Google, a four-year-old KWPN gelding, when he took part in a Dengie Diet Clinic at brand ambassador Hannah Esberger’s yard in June 2015. His owner Jo, who is a pupil of Hannah’s, had only had Google for a few days and was keen to get their partnership off to a good start with the perfect diet.
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Happy Hens
I am so pleased with Dengie Fresh Bed for Chickens, having tried lots of different bedding for my 3 girls (Mrs Brown,Violet and Ashley) this is a winner.
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Harry’s Weight Loss Success
Unfortunately it is true that you can have too much of a good thing. 10-year-old Irish Draught Highgrove Harry (aka Harry) piled on the pounds when the grazing at his yard was just too good to resist. Owner, Donna King arranged for her vet to visit who diagnosed laminitis and Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) plus a review of his diet and day-to-day management.
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Hascombe Stud; Feeding Alfa-A Original for 11 years!
“We have been feeding Dengie Alfa-A Original for the 11 years I have been at Hascombe. We always want to give our horses the very best, so every single horse on the yard is fed Alfa-A Original and they all love it” Co Stud Groom James Frank.
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Healthy Tummy Powers Polo Ponies
Katie O’Driscoll from Ireland contacted the Dengie team to let us know the difference that Healthy Tummy has made to her polo ponies.
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Hector gets trim to take up side saddle
At 513kg, Hector needed to lose weight in order for a side saddle to fit him properly, as well as being beneficial for his general health and wellbeing
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Hi-Fi Molasses Free Fuels Eventer
Lisa Mancuso is an amateur eventer. She has two horses – six-year-old PRE Andalusian Isleño, aka Spider, and eight-year-old ISH Prince Flynn, known as Flynn. Lisa and Flynn have competed successfully at BE90 level and have recently moved up to BE100. This year they qualified for the Mitsubushi Motors BE90 Grassroots Championships 2016, which will be held at the Mitsubushi Motors Badminton Horse Trials in May.
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Huge change seen in horses after stepping up to Alfa-A Oil
Storm Straker has been feeding Dengie horse feeds for as long as she can remember, she stepped up from Alfa-A Original to Alfa-A Oil a couple of years ago and saw a huge change in her horses.
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Icon has gained condition, and he’s looking happy and healthy!
Icon, a 4-year-old Welsh Sec D owned by Jude Raywood was diagnosed with grade 3 ulcers in March 2023. Jude’s vet suggested changing Icon’s feed to Dengie Healthy Tummy to support his overall digestive health and as part of his on-going management. After making the changes to Icon’s ration and following the vet’s treatment plan Icon scoped clear of ulcers 4 weeks later!
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I feed Dengie to all 13 of my ROR/TB horses with great results
My yard of horses all look great and have a brilliant shine on the coats in summer and winter. Since being on a fibre diet their performance has improved dramatically, and they are just as keen to get back out competing as I am.
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Improved Overall Condition and Feather Quality
“I’ve been delighted with the Dengie Fresh Bed for my grower pens and breeding groups and would highly recommend the product to any poultry enthusiast”.
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It’s A Winner
“I love the Fresh Bed for Chickens and so do my hens. Since I started using it, the egg production has gone up, the coops smell sweeter and the cleaning is much easier. I had a sick hen at home beddedin the Fresh Bed and my wife didn’t complain because of the nice pine smell – it is a winner!”
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I wouldn’t feed anything else
Healthy Tummy provides everything Lewi needs to support his recovery from ulcers. He has never looked so well – I wouldn’t feed anything else!
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Jake loses 99kg!
Emma Williams got in touch to arrange a diet clinic after her horse, Jake, was diagnosed with EMS. “I keep him on a cattle farm” explained Emma, “where the grazing is fantastic but not ideal for a 15hh Connemara who’s a good-doer! He gradually piled on the pounds and before I knew it he was very round!”
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John’s Weight Loss Journey After Diagnosis of Laminitis and Equine Metabolic Syndrome!
John weighed 318kg on the day he was diagnosed with laminitis. With him being overweight, his diet was reviewed and his bucket feed changed to Dengie Hi-Fi Molasses Free, which is low in calories, sugar and starch.
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Kate Welch, Salthorse Stud
I have been feeding Dengie products since I started the business, almost 10 years ago! I feel Dengie Performance Fibre meets the energy requirements of my competition horses completely.
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Less Tetchy Behaviour and Looking Fantastic!
Bridget Allen purchased six-year-old Bunny for her daughter Philippa, who is a keen Pony Club member, to bring on herself. Bunny had previously been quite an unhappy mare, who got particularly tetchy when being touched or groomed. After changing to a fibre-based ration Bunny is far less tetchy, and it’s kept her looking fantastic.
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Lost the excess weight and performing better than ever
Freddie has lost the excess weight he was carrying and is looking and performing the best he ever has!
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Low in calories & super tasty! It’s a win-win for us both!
Meadow Lite with Herbs is perfect for Roo who is a good doer; it’s low in calories & super tasty!
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Low in sugar, starch and calories, but super tasty!
21-year-old Barney suffers with various health conditions including PPID, calcium deficiency, white line disease and low blood cell count. Barney’s owner Ros needed to find him a palatable feed to disguise his various veterinary medications and supplements.
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Maintaining Condition & Aiding Digestive Health
Dudley is such big horse it’s never been easy to keep weight on, but I’d never seen him look so poor. After taking him to Oakham and discovering he had ulcers, we were stuck with where his career might go; he kept losing weight and consequently felt flat, grumpy and uncomfortable – above all he was unable to do his beloved job!
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Maintaining Winter Condition
19-year-old Welsh cob, Carys has always struggled to maintain weight in the winter months and can often go off her feed, her owner Helen Johns was in despair with what to feed her until she was recommended Dengie Alfa-Beet.
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Making preparations for the colder months ahead
As the year turns, I need to start making some preparations for the colder winter months ahead and the fact that the flocks will be spending much more time indoors. One of the key aspects of the chickens’ indoor space during the winter is the use of good quality litter.
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My horses look and feel amazing
Laura Fisher has been feeding Dengie to her horses for many years and wouldn’t feed them anything else – “My horses look and feel amazing” Read the case study
Natural sweetness encourages fussy feeder to eat up
Piglet always eats up her bucket feed now and her feet have improved no end. Her coat is also super shiny and she’s put on the condition she needed. All in all I think we have found the key to her feeding regime!
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Paddy’s Weight Loss Success Story
When Lauren brought Paddy, he weighed more than the weigh tape would allow her to measure – around 710kg on the weighbridge.
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Perfect for a fussy good doer with a history of ulcers
Despite being a good doer, Spirit can also be quite fussy too. His owner Liz has tried various ulcer friendly feeds in the past but as they are typically higher calorie it resulted in unwanted weight gain, that was until they trialled Ulser Lite.
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Perfect for a horse with EMS and a history of laminitis
Morag was recommended Dengie Hi-Fi Molasses Free for her horse Johnny by Andrea at The Laminitis Site, after Johnny got Laminitis in 2018 and was subsequently diagnosed with EMS.
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Prada is a completely different horse – a happy one at that
Caitlin O’Kane shares with us her horse’s story and transformation – from being diagnosed with grade 4 ulcers to a happy, healthy horse.
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Promoting condition without excitable behaviour
Bailey came to owner Vicky as a very scrawny four-year-old, he was underweight and had no muscle. Bailey was also quite highly strung with a lot of natural energy, so Vicky didn’t want to give him anything heating but needed to build muscle and condition.
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Promote muscle and condition, without excitability
Olly had a lot of natural energy, so Alec didn’t want to give him anything heating, but needed to build muscle and condition.
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Promoting Digestive Health & Condition
When Kim brought Roxy she suspected gastric ulcers and when looking at different feeds to promote digestive health and condition she decided on Healthy Tummy. Now all her horses are fed Healthy Tummy!
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Provides energy without promoting weight gain
Despite her active routine, Pearl is a very good doer so needs a low-calorie ration to help keep her looking trim. Ulser Lite provides Pearl with plenty of slow-release energy and stamina for her workload without promoting weight gain.
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Racehorse in Poor Condition
Five-year-old racehorse Red had one run before arriving in Richenda Ford’s care in 2020. He arrived in very poor condition, so Richenda decided to put him on an ‘ulcer friendly’ diet which was high in calories, fibre, and oil, but low in starch.
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Retired Racehorses Fuelled by Dengie
Often when coming from race yards the horses are fed on cereal based, high starch rations and aren’t used to a high fibre diet. Jo Massey founder and Chief Executive of Racehorse Relief feeds her entire yard Dengie.
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Ryland loses 100kg in weight after being diagnosed with laminitis
Ryland was diagnosed with laminitis in May 2021. At the time, he was very overweight with a condition score of 4.5/5 and weighing 670kg on the weighbridge. A year later, he has lost 100kg!
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Senior horse living an active lifestyle
Dermot is a 21-year-old Connemara who, despite being in his senior years, still lives a very active lifestyle. Dermot has poor dentition; various diastemas and having had three teeth removed means he struggles to chew hay effectively and requires a partial forage replacer ration.
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Spud now licks his bowl clean!
Spud is now having plenty of chopped fibre in his bucket feed to promote a healthy digestive system, without greatly increasing his calorie intake.
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Stamina for Endurance
Lianna was interested in changing Holly on to a non-cereal diet as she would often become over-excitable when on a cereal diet. However, Holly still needed energy to compete at cross country, showing and endurance.
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Stepping up to Alfa-A Molasses Free to provide more energy
When Deb Larkin first got her daughter Jess’ pony Mouse she started him on Dengie Hi-Fi Molasses Free as they knew he was likely to be a good doer being a native. They also didn’t want anything that might make him fizzy as her daughter was quite young. After they’d had him a while and Jess had got to know him more, Deb felt he needed a bit more and contacted the Dengie Feedline.
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Struggle to maintain a healthy weight without excitability
Dario took a while to adjust to his new home and gain weight. He also started to exhibit behavioural problems and then went lame prior to a navicular syndrome diagnosis.
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Super Stan gets super fit after EMS diagnosis
After an EMS diagnosis, Claire Hirst sought nutritional advice to help Stan lose the excess pounds.
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Tasty and Easy-To-Chew Hay Replacer
When Kate first got Bodie on loan, she was very underweight and at 26 years old, Kate was worried she wouldn’t ever put the weight back on. Bodie also had very few teeth, making grazing and eating hay particularly difficult.
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The health and condition of my horses is paramount
Sarah-Jane Brown has fed Dengie to her horses for years as she believes it is the best fibre available. She recently represented Great Britain at the European Championships for Veteran Riders with her mare Fliss.
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The Perfect Blend For A Fussy Horse
Adonis B is the ultimate fusspot, but he now asks for his dinner instead of turning his nose up. I’ve been able to remove the high starch feeds from his diet and feeding a fibre based ration has helped keep him more focused whilst training and competing.
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Underweight rescue mare now in perfect condition
When Jess first got her rescue mare Robin she was concerned with how underweight she was. Jess contacted the Dengie Feedline for advice where Equine Nutritionist Tracey Hammond suggested Dengie Healthy Tummy for Robin.
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Using Fibre to Reduce Reactivity
Dengie customer Carol Bardwell contacted our nutrition team because she was having problems with her horse Charlie. Charlie was a little overweight and his behaviour could be unpredictable. He’d be quiet one minute and then lively the next.
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Weston One Vision
Weston One Vision (Bonnie) is a 2*event horse owned and ridden by Paul Graham and kept at Langton Farm Livery. The pair recently competed in the Intermediate at Rockingham and are aiming for their first Advanced later in the year.
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Zorro’s feet are looking great and he’s back to being the cheeky chappie!
Zorro’s hooves are nearly back to normal, his coat is gleaming, and I couldn’t be happier with how Hi-Fi Molasses Free has helped him.
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