This message is from: "Chris McMahon" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I have had Elph for most of his 8 years, and have been through a variety of feed programs. As a result he has been at a variety of weights, and also went through a bout of anemia last year. The vet attributed this to his diet, which was a nutritional mismatch - very scant (sweet) feed, hay, all-purpose supplement, and limited pasture. If he is on too much pasture, he gets tubby in a hurry - to me pasture is just not an option. Plus in my opinion the quality of the pasture was questionable - it was not seeded, manure not spread, not limed, in other words it is left to figure itself out. I don't think that the sweet feed was doing him much of anything except being tasty. The hay was grass hay, of unknown and variable quality. At the vet's advice I switched him to Strategy plus hay (Strategy is not a complete feed but requires the hay roughage), and he has leveled out to a perfect weight (and he gets a satisfying plenty of both!) I hand-graze him as a treat for a good workout, and I have recently added Hy-Flex as a supplement for joint support.
I think that unless you are getting your hay and pasture tested on a regular basis (and hay quality can vary from bale to bale), how do you know what you are actually feeding your horse? The place I am boarding is wonderfully fussy about everything for his care, but even they don't test on a regular basis. Several years ago Elph was at a large boarding stable (75 or so horses) and that is the only place where the hay and a (Strategy-type, though mixed at the mill) feed were regularly sent to the U for testing and were adjusted accordingly - and his weight during those two years also went from very tubby to perfect, and his health was excellent. So having been through many feeding ups and downs, I guess I just like the simplicity of the concept, the lack of variability, and the fact that he is not battling the bulge. Hey, I wish someone would control my feed! Tish and Elph in Minneapolis Elph says: and mom forgot to mention those yummy butterscotch-flavored horse cookies I get sometimes!
