tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516065851105665939.post2793023335533505567..comments2023-07-18T07:06:17.272-06:00Comments on Autonomous Dressage: Teach Me Tuesday: Horse FeedAutonomousDressagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10326654414307652910noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516065851105665939.post-58381259938186365912017-04-06T12:51:47.304-06:002017-04-06T12:51:47.304-06:00good to know! What brand of complete feed is that?...good to know! What brand of complete feed is that? If it's hoffman's which of their rations is it?AutonomousDressagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10326654414307652910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516065851105665939.post-59490378801447391032017-04-05T19:31:47.095-06:002017-04-05T19:31:47.095-06:00I agree on hoffmans too! I have to feed my geldin...I agree on hoffmans too! I have to feed my geldings myself so their feeding schedule is a little inconsistent and wacky, I feed extra salt, aloe vera juice, probiotics, and scoop of complete feed (Henry gets soaked cubes - good for adding weight, and sometime he gets omega3 oil too, Apollo just gets a handful of rice bran with the same stuff). Can you hear my bank account depleting when you read that hahaha! Mystic just gets hoffmans free fed with a little bit of complete feed. KateRosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12870548960430847612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516065851105665939.post-87348649522922698962017-04-05T07:17:11.339-06:002017-04-05T07:17:11.339-06:00This is super helpful, thank you!!This is super helpful, thank you!!AutonomousDressagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10326654414307652910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516065851105665939.post-25259534135085023902017-04-04T22:48:32.651-06:002017-04-04T22:48:32.651-06:00I was going to suggest a similar thing. My friend ...I was going to suggest a similar thing. My friend was feeding a ration balancer (I believe by LMF but I'm not sure) that was in pellet form so there were some extra calories there, but not a lot.<br /><br />From what I understand, ration balancers don't support muscle development in the obvious way -- extra calories or actual protein being delivered to the horse. What they can do is allow the horse to absorb the calories from their current hay/feed more efficiently and effectively, which will then convert to more effective muscle building. So in a way, yes. But I could also be mistaken.<br /><br />Murray is not a fantastic eater, especially not of hay, so if he's in anything more than light work he needs some grain to balance his caloric budget (he is a tad on the thin side without it, and I prefer his bones all covered up!). I used a pelletized hay (Elk Grove Milling makes it, but it won't be available to you unfortunately) for the first year or so with great success, and in the last two years have added in rolled barley. You could look for something similar to pelletized hay -- it's not alfalfa cubes but hay that has been macerated and mixed with other stuff (ration balancing maybe?) and pushed into a pellet shape so it's more calorically dense. With both of those options you can easily go a day or week or even more without, and something that has dense calories in it will be finished up quickly before Kachina goes back in pasture.<br /><br />I have tried a few specific muscle-building supplements in the past. Equinety (straight amino acids) and Absorbine's Muscle Max (muscle building stuff in pellet form) specifically. I saw no real difference with either, especially because I had to give away my Muscle Max sample because it made Murray crazy. However, two friends saw positive results after they added Muscle Max to their horses' diets. So there's that!Nicolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13834098473974912416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516065851105665939.post-92224396825826409362017-04-04T15:47:55.541-06:002017-04-04T15:47:55.541-06:00Thanks! Ration balancer sounds like a good term to...Thanks! Ration balancer sounds like a good term to look for. Do you know if that just supports minerals, or if it has extra elements that might help specifically with muscle development?AutonomousDressagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10326654414307652910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516065851105665939.post-17885287624651438532017-04-04T15:46:32.042-06:002017-04-04T15:46:32.042-06:00Hoffmann's minerals is what she gets for miner...Hoffmann's minerals is what she gets for minerals. I associate Hoffmann's with their minerals so much that I wasn't considering them for actual feed, that's a great idea thanks!AutonomousDressagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10326654414307652910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516065851105665939.post-26110817398596599482017-04-04T13:12:58.103-06:002017-04-04T13:12:58.103-06:00Seconding the Hoffman's recommendation. I'...Seconding the Hoffman's recommendation. I've also fed just the standard pro-form/otter co-op/triple crown/whoever your supplier is ration balancer...essentially a pelleted grain designed to be fed alongside hay and pasture to supplement the minerals/selenium missing. Fed in less quantity than a complete grain so the bag goes a long way. Your local feed store can likely recommend the one suited to your area.Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05438372155463437107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516065851105665939.post-20494611755719968302017-04-04T07:36:22.058-06:002017-04-04T07:36:22.058-06:00Since you are in AB there is a very good chance yo...Since you are in AB there is a very good chance your hay is deficient in selenium, copper and iodine. Hoffmanns (https://www.hoffmanshorseproducts.com/Home) is an Alberta company that makes a mineral as well as a line of feeds that would likely work very well for you. It is available at UFA. LoveLaughRidehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04408180801317705985noreply@blogger.com