Which feeds in the Dengie range are nutritionally balanced?
Fibre feeds, especially those based on alfalfa, can supply many naturally occurring vitamins and minerals to help meet the horse’s nutritional requirements, but levels are very dependent on the soil they are grown on. As UK soils are typically low in selenium and copper, the plants that grow on them tend to be low in these nutrients too. This is why it is recommended to feed a balancer or vitamin and mineral supplement alongside a straight fibre feed to ensure the diet is balanced. To help make feeding simpler, we have created a range of fibre feeds with added vitamins and minerals which, if fed at the recommended levels, mean you don’t have to feed anything else. More information on supplying a balanced diet can be found here.
The Dengie fibre feeds that are nutritionally balanced are outlined below.
Healthy Hooves Molasses Free
- 8.5 MJ/kg Digestible Energy
- 2.5% sugar
- 1.5% starch
- A blend of soft cereal straw with chopped and pelleted nutrient-rich alfalfa, containing no added sugar, making it the ideal choice for horses and ponies prone to laminitis
- Contains Methyl Sulfonyl Methane, commonly known as MSM, and biotin for healthier hooves and stronger joints
- Includes garlic to tempt fussy feeders
Click here to learn more about Dengie Healthy Hooves Molasses Free.
Cool, Condition & Shine
- 11 MJ/kg Digestible Energy
- 10% sugar
- 2% starch
- A nutritionally balanced, high-fibre fusion of soft, chopped and pelleted fibre with a high oil content to promote weight and condition without excitability
- A spearmint oil and light molasses coating help to tempt the fussiest of feeders
Click here to learn more about Dengie Cool, Condition & Shine.
Healthy Tummy
- 11.5 MJ/kg Digestible Energy
- 4.5% sugar
- 2% starch
- A highly digestible fibre feed based on alfalfa with high specification ingredients to promote gut health
- A tasty herbal blend aids palatability whilst a light rapeseed oil coating has been included for slow-release energy and coat shine
- With a higher digestible energy content at 11.5 MJ/kg, Healthy Tummy is an ideal choice for poorer doers or for whose who struggle to maintain weight and condition
- Approved by BETA for horses and ponies prone to Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome
Click here to learn more about Dengie Healthy Tummy.
To supply a balanced diet alongside forage, these feeds need to be fed at the recommended daily quantity of 500g per 100kg of bodyweight. For example, a 500kg horse would need 2.5kg per day. If less than the recommended amounts are fed, a balancer or vitamin and mineral supplement can be used to top up your horse’s nutrient intake.
Remember that fibre weighs much less in a scoop compared to most mixes or cubes – usually around 500g per level Stubbs scoop for a chopped and pelleted fibre feed. In contrast, a Stubbs scoop of cubes may hold 1.5-2kg. It may therefore feel like you need to feed relatively high quantities of a nutritionally balanced fibre feed, but actually the weight of feed required each day will be very similar to a traditional mix or cube.
A fibre feed will be preferable for supporting digestive health for your horse, as it will not only be lower in starch but will also provide more chew time and therefore a greater saliva production. Saliva contains bicarbonate which can aid in acid buffering within the stomach and so promoting plenty of chew time is vital when it comes to digestive health. High fibre diets also encourage the horse to use slower, larger movements when chewing, which results in more even wear on the teeth, compared to feeding mixes or cubes (Bonin et al., 2007). More information on digestive health for horses can be found here.
For more information or if you would like the Dengie nutrition team to review your horse or pony’s diet and help you select the most appropriate feed, get in touch by calling us on 01621 841 188 or by completing our feed advice form.
References
- Bonin, S.J., Clayton, H.M., Lanovaz, J.L. and Johnston, T. (2007) Comparison of mandibular motion in horses chewing hay and pellets. Equine Veterinary Journal, 39(3), pp.258-262.
Frequently Asked Questions
Shouldn’t a horse get everything they need from grass and hay – particularly good do-ers?
Whilst UK pasture and forage can supply many horses with plenty of energy or calories, typically it lacks certain trace minerals including copper, selenium and zinc and conserved forage e.g. hay and haylage also lacks vitamin E. Having a balanced diet is important for long term health and longevity. Zinc for example is important for hoof condition and whilst in the short term your horse may look great on just grass alone, a long term deficiency of zinc can result in poor hoof quality.
What’s the difference between a balancer and a supplement?
A balancer tends to be in the form of a small pellet and a supplement tends to be a powder although there are always exceptions to the rule. This usually means that the feeding rates of supplements are much lower than balancers – typically less than 100grms per day as opposed to 500grams per day for a balancer. This also often means that a balancer provides more of the macro nutrients such as protein and also energy – although a balancer is a low energy option compared to a traditional mix or cube, supplements tend to be even lower energy than balancers. The pellet format can be more convenient to feed – powders need to be mixed into something and often dampened. Supplements can offer really good value for money.
The key to doing a comparison is to look at the daily amount supplied – to establish this you need to know how much is in the product and the feeding rate. It’s also important to look at the other additives and ingredients the product contains – things like glucosamine are expensive to add so will push the price of the product up. A nutritionist can compare products for you if you’re not sure.
For example:
Product A contains 10 000 IU of vitamin E per kg and is fed at 50 grams per day
Product B contains 5000IU of vitamin E per kg but is fed at 100 grams per day
Product A provides 500IU vitamin E and Product B provides 500IU vitamin E per day – if you had just looked at the level of vitamin E in the product you might have thought that Product A was “better”.
Why do some feeds contain B vitamins and others don’t and why do the levels vary so much?
A healthy horse on a high fibre diet produces B vitamins when fibre is fermented in the hind gut and should be able to produce enough to meet their own requirements. Nutritionists tend to add B vitamins to feeds for horses that they expect to be receiving lower fibre intakes. This would typically be performance horses and also often good doers whose rations may be limited to control their bodyweight. Not every product for these types of horses will have B vitamins added though so do check – it’s one factor that determines the quality and price of products.
Levels of B vitamins vary because there are few recognised or published levels for horses – biotin is the exception to this in that it is generally accepted that 15-20mg improves the rate of hoof growth and possibly quality of hoof horn too. Some feeds contain what might be referred to as a maintenance level of biotin which could be around 2mg to 3mg per day. The levels of other B vitamins included is really down to the individual nutritionist to decide on.