Alfalfa Gold 20kg

Alfalfa Gold - the original alfalfa with oil and still the best!

• Flash dried at 800 degrees to preserve natural feed values
• 20% high grade soya oil for a high fat/high fibre diet for slow release energy
• Dust-free feed that is high in digestible fibre
• Promotes superb condition and assists hoof growth
• High natural source of Biotin and Lysine
• Rich natural source of organic protein, vitamins and minerals
• No sugar additives and naturally low in sugar
• No preservatives applied
• No prohibited substances have been used in the preparation of our alfalfa as defined by the Jockey Club and the FEI
• Each batch is independently analysed to guarantee consistent quality

FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS

A minimum daily intake of 2kgs of Alfalfa Gold will provide 400mls of pure soya oil which is the recommended amount for maintaining condition on horses leading an active life. 

It can also be fed at lower levels as a partial hay replacer.  For a superb conditioning feed it can be increased to 5kg per day until desired results are achieved for very busy horses. 

Also excellent for older horses who need extra condition and youngsters who need steady balanced growth to avoid developmental problems.

Natural Alfalfa 20kg

100% Natural Alfalfa

Available as a chop or in large (10mm diameter) pellet form

• Flash dried at 800 degrees to preserve natural feed values
• Dust free long chop that is very high in digestible fibre
• Supplies natural sources of biotin for hoof growth
• Rich natural source of organic protein, vitamins and minerals
• No sugar additives and naturally low in sugar
• No preservatives applied
• No prohibited substances have been used in the preparation of our alfalfa as defined by the Jockey Club and the FEI
• Each batch is independently analysed by leading laboratories to guarantee consistent quality control
• Also available in large 10mm diameter lightly compressed pellet

FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS

Mix in with sugar beet or in with the normal hard feed to increase fibre intake. Natural Alfalfa can also be fed as a total replacement for alfalfa hay.

An ideal fibre source for laminitics, good doers and horses prone to sugar intolerance. 

All horses should be fed between 1-2% of their bodyweight in fibre every day to maintain a healthy gut action i.e. a 500kg horse should be fed a minimum of 5kg of fibre per day.

Fibre Plus+ 18kg

A unique triple blend with no molasses

Fibre Plus is a mixture of flash dried English rye grass, oat straw, alfalfa and soya oil, which has a consistent nutritional value, higher than most grass hays. In order to achieve this, the alfalfa is always harvested at the same stage of growth, whilst the rye grass and oat straw come from crops grown to strict standards.

FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS

Fibre Plus is designed as a complete hay substitute, but it can also replace molassed chaffs and can be mixed in with a hard feed, to stop greedy horses bolting their ration.  

It provides a healthy and safe alternative to dusty or poor quality hay and is very high in digestible fibre and low in sugar; excellent for good doers, native breeds and laminitics.

Feed each 450 / 500kg horse up to 6kg per day when resting, walking and trotting. Feed up to 4kg per day when conditioning or cantering.  Feed up to 3kg per day when in fast work or racing.  When fed solely as a hay substitute, feed a minimum of 1.5% of their body weight.

Green Meadow 18kg

The best of English summer grazing – all year round!

Green Meadow is quite simply flash dried top quality English Rye grass, which has a consistent nutritional value, higher than most grass hays.  To achieve this, our English Rye grass is always harvested at the same stage of growth and comes from crops grown to strict farm standards.

FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS

Green Meadow can be fed alone to horses in light work due to its natural energy levels used to reduce the boredom factor for those horses on box rest or just mixed in with the normal hard feed to increase fibre intake.

Ideal for horses who do not have access to normal grazing, or who are travelling to and from shows, it encourages long periods of chewing and stimulates the production of saliva: Nature’s own way of providing protection against a build-up of acidity in the gut.

Because Green Meadow is like ‘a field in a bag’ it can be fed ad-lib or as a complete hay substitute, but can also replace chop or chaff and be mixed with the hard feed to stop horses bolting their ration.  It provides an ideal and safe alternative to mouldy or dusty hay.

Feed each 450 / 500kg horse up to 6kg per day when resting, walking and trotting.  Feed up to 4kg per day when conditioning or cantering.  Feed up to 3kg per day when in fast work or racing.

Alfalfa Pellets 20kg

100% Natural Alfalfa

Available in large (10mm diameter) pellet form or as a chop

• Flash dried at 800 degrees to preserve natural feed values
• Then lightly ground and soft compressed into larger diameter (10 mm) pellets
• Supplies natural sources of biotin for hoof growth
• Rich natural source of organic protein, vitamins and minerals
• No sugar additives and naturally low in sugar
• No binding agent or preservatives applied
• No prohibited substances have been used in the preparation of our alfalfa as defined by the Jockey Club and the FEI
• Each batch is independently analysed by leading laboratories to guarantee consistent quality control
• Also available in dust free long chop that is very high in digestible fibre

FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS

Mix in with sugar beet or in with the normal hard feed to increase fibre intake. Natural Alfalfa can also be fed as a total replacement for alfalfa hay.

An ideal fibre source for laminitics, good doers and horses prone to sugar intolerance.

Can be fed totally dry, also as a warm mash in winter or soaked for horses with compromised dentition. Also ideal for Endurance horses when soaked as an effective way to rehydrate horses at the vet gates.

All horses should be fed between 1-2% of their bodyweight in fibre every day to maintain a healthy gut action i.e. a 500kg horse should be fed a minimum of 5kg of fibre per day.

CARBOHYDRATES

Where are they found? What are they made of?

In plants as cellulose / grass and other forage products

Also in molasses and starches such as found in compound feeds / coarse mixes etc..

How are they used by the horse?

Cellulose itself is insoluble and cannot be digested by the horse as it is, so it is broken down by bacteria which live in the large colon and caecum to enable the horse to make use of it as a food.

Fibre which is mostly made up of cellulose, is essential for the digestive tract of the horse to function normally.

Fibre stimulates the ‘swallowing’ action and slows down the rate at which food passes through the digestive tract, allowing greater absorption of nutrients.

Sugars and starches are digested in the small intestine and the products are used for  energy and any excess is stored as glycogen in the liver from where it is retrieved when extra energy is necessary. The downside of utilising and depleting the glycogen stores in the liver is that lactic acid builds up in the muscles as a result and can bring on azoturia, or tying-up.

Therefore slow release energy is best for all horses in whatever activity they are doing.

PROTEIN

They are made up of amino acids which form  building blocks chemically linked together to make different proteins. There are around 20 amino acids and about 50% of these can be synthesised in the body. The remainder are known as essential amino acids and they must be provided in the diet.

The best known essential amino acids are : Lysine and Thymine

Where are they found?

Proteins are produced by plants through photosynthesis. If the diet is deficient in protein the horse will be in poor condition with a dull coat, and poor muscle development. Excess protein is excreted via the urinary tract.

Feeding excess protein not only puts a strain on the kidney function, it also produces high levels of ammonia which can cause serious respiratory problems in stabled horses.

Protein = energy – The Myth:

If excessive protein is fed to the horse it cannot be stored for later use unlike other nutrients. The excess must be broken down and the nitrogen part is removed from the horse’s system as ammonia (see above)

The remainder of the protein molecule serves as an energy source but it is an expensive energy source and horses have to use their energy to break down the protein in the first place!

Feeds that supply the correct proportion of amino acids are called ‘quality proteins’, whereas those containing a high quantity which are dispensable are called ‘poor quality’.

All grains are lacking in Lysine and therefore contain ‘poor quality’ proteins. Soya however, is a good source of Lysine.

Protein is required by horses of all ages. But young horses and broodmares require the most and best quality protein.

FATS & OILS

This is particularly useful when making up diets for endurance horses and three day eventers as they can be used as a substitute or some of the starch in the diet making the ration less bulky.

What does the horse use them for?

Energy: to maintain body temperature and also to provide an insulating sub-cutaneous layer.

Growth: of cells, membranes and hair

Lubrication: in joints and tissues

Metabolism: converting one substance to another

Where are they found?

Fats and oils are found in vegetable oils, such as soya and also in linseed as well as oats.

Fats and oils are also a valuable source of vitamins and minerals

VITAMINS

They can be divided into 2 main categories:

• Fat soluble: Vitamins A D E and K
• Water soluble: Vitamins B and C

Fat soluble vitamins can be stored in the body, whilst water soluble vitamins cannot

FAT SOLUBLE VITAMINS A D E & K

WATER SOLUBLE VITAMINS B AND C

MINERALS

Minerals are split into two categories:

• Major minerals
• Trace minerals

MAJOR MINERALS

TRACE MINERALS

WATER

Water is probably the most vital nutrient in the diet. It is present in every cell and is required for all the chemical and physical processes that maintain life.

The body of an adult horse is 60-70% water and although a horse can survive losing almost all his body fat and around half his body protein, a 20% loss of water can be fatal.

A horse will drink up to 55 litres or 12 gallons of water a day depending on its temperature, health, work, milk production, diet and loss of water through sweat and droppings and it is essential that fresh, clean water should be available at all times.

The Importance of Nutrition

The usual reason for feed problems occurring is that the horse has been removed too far from its natural diet or lifestyle.

In the wild the horse would wander for up to 22 hours grazing non stop as it travels in the herd. The horse’s digestive system is designed to digest fibre for its health and for the essential energy to prepare for any ‘flight’ that may be required when predators approach. When we stable horses we need to simulate that ability to graze as much as possible. This will keep the horse occupied and much happier when confined and less prone to reacting to the sight of feed buckets when they approach!

The work we expect of them and the environment in which we ask them to live has resulted in the horse’s natural foraging instincts being restricted and even substituted by the introduction of hard feed. To make matters worse the type, quantity and even feeding times are not adjudged by the hungry horse but by their keepers! Combine this with the fact that horses are naturally inefficient converters of high protein starch based feeds and you can begin to see why both common sense and scientific evidence both state that horses thrive on forage:

Example: When horses in training suffer from gastric ulcers the usual remedy would be 3-4 months of being turned out at grass.

Result: The ulceration reduces and the inflammation disappears. Normal absorption of nutrients resumes

The first thing to do is go back to basics ask yourself the following questions:

• Am I using the right type of feed relative to the work the horse is doing?
• Am I feeding enough of a suitable diet for the work the horse is doing?
• Does the forage I use have any nutrient shortfalls?

Rules of Feeding

• Feed by weight not volume. Buy some bathroom scales!
• Give feeds several times a day / a minimum of 2 per day but ideally 4
• Change feeds over gradually
• Feed at least an hour before the work begins and to suit the level of work the horse is doing
• Offer hay / haylage to taste to simulate free grazing for stabled horses
• Water and a mineral / salt lick should always be available

REMEMBER……..

It only takes 15 minutes with no fibre travelling through the gut to allow the ‘balance’ of bacteria to begin changing.. the ‘bad’ bacteria start to destroy the ‘good’ bacteria..how often have you gone to the stable in the morning to find the haynets empty? A lack of fibre can lead to colic.

MAKE SURE THERE IS ENOUGH HAY / HAYLAGE TO LAST RIGHT THROUGH THE NIGHT!

To maintain its health a horse should be fed 2% of its own bodyweight per day.

At least 50% and preferably over 80% of that should be in the form of forage

Forage feeds can include hay or grass but other forage feeds have been developed based upon ‘lucerne’ or as it is also known, ‘alfalfa’. This plant has been grown in the Middle East as fodder for horses for five thousand years and is known there as ‘the prince among feeds’.  Alfalfa grown in the UK is usually harvested 3 or 4 times a year then flash dried at high temperatures to seal in all the natural minerals and vitamins. High in calcium, lysine and biotin alfalfa has an extremely beneficial effect on the horse’s digestive system.

Feeding a High Fat  / High Fibre Diet

Fat supplied 2 ¼ times more energy than cereals and is fully utilised by the horse when in hard work.

Because the horse learns to use the fat as an energy source instead of depleting its own glycogen stores, there is a reduction in the occurrence of lactic acid and tying-up or ‘set fast’. If the glycogen stores are spared for longer then the onset of fatigue will be delayed. This also helps to reduce recovery times and is particularly beneficial for horses competing or working hard on consecutive days.