Stunoverian Feeds

16/03/2022

23/04/2021

07/01/2019

13/02/2018

CERTAIN FEEDS MAKE HORSES HOT?
For decades the idea has circulated in barns that certain types of feed are responsible for making horses “hot.” Sometimes corn gets the blame, or oats, or molasses, or alfalfa, or any feed that is high in protein. Owners and managers see a direct correlation between “I fed my horse this, and my horse acted like that.” So, they assume it was the specific type of feed that caused the behavior.

But it’s a myth that only certain feeds, like corn or sweet feed, are responsible for causing those excessive energy spikes (silly, stupid behavior) in horses. While there’s no denying the change in behavior that can happen after a feed dump, the issue isn’t always the type of feed, it’s the amount. And any grain-based feed can be at fault.

Why Certain Feeds Make Horses “Hotter”
“That horse is feeling its oats” is a common idiom that can actually apply to any type of grain-based feed. Oats, corn, barley, and bran – and pelleted and sweet feeds made of that stuff – are all simple carbohydrates (sugars and starches) that pack a high-calorie punch. In horses, simple carbohydrates are broken down in the stomach and absorbed through the small intestines in a matter of hours. With 40 minutes at most to move through the stomach, these carbs can start getting into the bloodstream and affecting a horse very quickly. Essentially, that exuberant equine behavior in the hours after a feed is a sugar-high.And it may be worse with certain types of grain feeds than others. For example, corn (and barley, too) does not have a fibrous hull like oats do, making it a higher-calorie, more concentrated energy source. So if you substitute corn for oats and feed it in the same amount, you are giving your horse more calories in the same scoop of feed. It’s the higher caloric content in certain types of feed that gives your horse an even greater energy boost.

Why Horses Have Energy to Burn
The majority of our horses are fed some kind of grain-based feed, which we think they need for nutritional reasons and to meet their caloric needs. In addition to the sugar-high and naughty behavior that can happen immediately after a feed, horses can simply be a bundle of too-much energy around the clock. While some horses are naturally more high-strung, more often than not this is evidence of one or both of these root causes:

The horse is consuming more calories than it needs for its activity level.
The horse is in great physical condition.
If your horse seems like it always has energy to burn, the issue may simply be that it’s getting more energy than it needs from its feed for the level of work its in.

And keep in mind that a fit horse is naturally a more energetic horse. Thoroughbred racehorses are a great example of this concept. They are overly energetic because they are in top condition – not because they are fed high-protein alfalfa instead of timothy.

Tips for Managing Your Horse’s Energy Level – and Digestive Health
Besides the fact that grain-based feeds are dense in calories, they are also hard on the equine digestive system. When overfed (a single meal of more than 4-5 pounds at once), undigested starch moves too quickly through the intestines to be properly digested and poses a risk to hindgut health. For both those reasons, one of the best ways to manage your horse’s energy level – and overall health – is to increase forage and decrease concentrated feeds.

Quality grass hays (and pasture grass, of course) are a great way to get horses the nutrition they need – and they are digested slowly over a matter of days in the hindgut. This provides a steady source of energy, without the sugar highs. And it’s a lot healthier for your horse, too.

If your horse truly does need more calories than what’s available in grass or hay due to a high activity level, consider feeding beet pulp instead of more grain. Beet pulp is a high-calorie yet healthy feed because it is a forage that is easily digested in the hindgut. Also, feeds higher in fat rather than carbs are less likely to cause that after-meal sugar high.

And keep in mind that it’s always smart practice to feed by weight rather than scoop size; a coffee can full of corn weighs a lot more than a coffee can full of oats.

Finally, to fully maximize nutrition from healthy forages and to offset the impact from concentrates, feed SUCCEED once a day every day to support your horses total gut health. SUCCEED provides natural ingredients that help to moderate transit time in digestion, maximize nutrient absorption, support a healthy hindgut, and provide fuel to muscles.

Bottom line? Maintain a healthy balance of calories in, energy out. Offer free choice hay and only add in healthy, higher-calorie feeds like beet pulp as needed to keep that balance.

07/02/2018

07/02/2018

Fibres
The two main natural fibre types used to supply the required roughage in our feeds are Lucerne and predominantly top quality Rhodes Grass. Only prime grade Lucerne is used and great care is taken not to lose the leafy part of the product which contains most of the sought after nutrients. In some feeds we also utilise Oat Hay and this is cut in the early bloom stage before the grain has developed, and is then sun dried until it is ready for baling.
Within some of our products Soya Hulls are used. They are often referred to as a “super fibres” due to their high digestibility and ease of fermentation. It is unusual to have a fibre product that is so completely and easily fermented by the horse’s digestive system and still able to provide a good level of energy.
With the current focus in the horse industry on lowering non-structural carbohydrates(NSC) in equine diets (starches typically derived from grains easily causing digestive disorders), it is important to note that some super fibres have an average NSC of around 12%. This fact, combined with their good calorie content and ease of fermentation make them an excellent ingredient for formulating high fibre, low carbohydrate diets. The use of super fibre diets can benefit not only older horses but also horses suffering from gastric ulcers, respiratory issues, metabolic diseases and many other feeding situations. (Read more on super fibres)
Starches
Our strategy is to use several different ingredients to supply the required non structural carbohydrate portion of the diet. Each ingredient is digested at different rates and energy is subsequently released into the bloodstream more gradually. This helps to prevent any insulin spikes and ensures more sustained energy for the horse. To ensure that there is no starch overload in the foregut (or any problem causing elevated levels of undigested maize in the hind gut), our maize is cooked by extrusion when used.
Protein
Our emphasis always falls on protein quality more than the total percentage of protein. When selecting protein sources great care is taken to supply a healthy balance of the 13 essential amino acids, amongst others lysine, methionine, and threonine, which are often deficient in the average feed. The main protein sources used are Soya meal, extruded Full Fat Soya and Sunflower Oilcake as well as prime grade Lucerne.
Fats and Oils
Within the Equus range we always aim to reduce the use of starches and sugars and thus Fats and oils play a very important role in increasing the energy density of our diets. Maintaining the balance between the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids is what makes the difference. Apart from Full Fat Soya which supplies this much needed energy from fat, a special blend of high omega-3 containing oils is used to achieve the correct balance. (Read more on Omega 3 containing oils)
Vitamins and Minerals
Few people realize how the quality of vitamins and minerals can vary depending on the source. The quality is determined by their stability in mixtures (which also affects shelf life) and also by the biological availability of these vitamins and minerals to the animal. Stringent quality control is applied in the selection of these and minerals in the organic form (especially chelated selenium and zinc and chromium) and are used wherever required.
Live Yeast Culture
The live yeast culture of choice for Equus is the Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain 1026, produced by the World Equestrian Game sponsors, Alltech.
This culture is based on a proprietary strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a yeast strain specifically selected for its influence on animal performance. Yea-Sacc 1026 ® has a large body of research clarifying its mode of action and performance responses and is ideal for inclusion in equine feeds for horses of all ages as approved by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
Molasses
At Equus we aim to keep the inclusion of molasses to a minimum. The use of molasses has its place but it should be used in moderation! Horses prone to laminitis and related conditions should not be fed anything other than a feed guaranteed to be very low in NSC. There are a number of contributors which cause an unwanted high NSC and molasses is a major role player amongst them and should best be avoided. Equus Safe n Lite is one such feed containing only 0.9% molasses.
Equus Feed’s stance on GM ingredients
At Equus we ensure 100% compliance with all legislation applicable to the animal feed industry, including all applicable GMO regulations. We keep abreast and study thoroughly the latest developments and scientific research on the effect of GMO’s on the health and performance of equines and ensure at all times that we are using the best possible ingredients. It is however extremely difficult to ensure that all ingredients are GM free as the prevention of cross contamination between GMO and non GMO raw materials (eg. Maize and soya) is not actively encouraged by legislation and therefore not pursued by the grain and raw material handling industry in SA.

07/02/2018

WHY EQUUS???
The philosophy behind the Equus range of horse feed combines the established and proven principles of natural feeding techniques with the latest research. With digestive health as the foundation throughout our range, your horse is able to perform at his best, naturally and effortlessly.

At Equus only ingredients of the highest quality are used: fibres are selected for their palatability and effectiveness in ensuring gut health; our proteins are selected based on their specific amino acid profile; fats included compose a specific Omega-3 profile; starches are selected for their specific speed of digestion to ensure a gradual release of energy and our vitamins and minerals are included based on their bio availability and stability in mixtures.

Each product is nutritionally complete, contains elevated levels of vitamins and minerals and electrolytes, and is formulated to fulfil all the nutritional requirements for this specific application. Normal healthy horses will need nothing else besides good quality roughage.

You will never look back… except at your competitors!