<< Has anyone been feeding any of the commercial feeds that are
low
protein/high fat like Manna Pro's Superhorse Elite 10? I
>>
It's hard to make conclusions about one
feed over another, but just a few general comments (as we've already talked
about privately a bit). Yes, extruded feeds are higher in digestibility,
though not nearly as much for horses as they are for the simple-gutted critters
like dogs, pigs and humans. So there is some advantage to feeding a
"cooked" feed (which is what extruded feeds are, of course), but not necessarily
enough to justify a tremendous increase in price, or in making a tremendous
effort to only provide cooked feeds. Also, the advantage to be gained has
to do with the type of starch used. For example, you won't get any
advantage in cooking a grain like oats, because oats are already so digestible
for the horse, cooking doesn't increase it.
Corn, on the other hand, does benefit by some heat
processing. The primary advantage to this is that a lot more of the
glucose is absorbed in the small intestine and less gets flooded into the cecum,
thus decreasing the likelihood of cecal acidosis and other associated Bad
Things. John, when you and Willy measured glucose spikes during exercise,
this *might* be one explanation for a more level glucose spike you saw with the
Manna Elite. It could also be explained by the use of oats in the formula
(which tend to produce a more even glucose curve), by the use of fats or beet
pulp, or a combination of all of the above. I haven't seen the ingredients
list, so I couldn't say. From John's comments, it sounds like the Elite
contains a lot of corn---and if I were going to feed a high-corn ration, then
some form of heat processing is some advantage. Enough for me to pay more
than a few dollars more than for a good quality grain mix, probably not.
Well, if I were really competing hard (which I don't)...maybe.
I agree with John's comments about convenience
carrying it in a baggy and so on, and y'all already know I just love hearing
about riders that carry any feed on the trails to hand out to their horses
between vet checks. I also perked up my ears about John's Icelandics
getting a tad colicky, possibly from too much undigested carbos passing through
the small intestine and into the cecum. It may have shown up with John's
ponies, but is a concern with any horse, so this is definitely a feed to provide
in small and frequent amounts, and not just banging down ten pounds in front of
a horse and walking away. But I agree with John that the Manna is probably
a (slightly) better choice from a colic perspective than for unprocessed
grain. Not much, though. Being a very concentrated feed, it's not
going to do much to maintain gut motility, so making sure a horse gets some
grazing or hay at and between checks as well is a big issue.
More about John's comments (cuz I know he
won't mind my using his post as a template) :-). Anyone else in California
that doesn't feed alfalfa, I wouldn't be concerned about the stuff being
formulated for alfalfa rations. The primary difference is only going to be
in the calcium and phosphorus contents, and as long as you're not feeding a
straight orchard grass ration, you'll be okay.
OK, about the Flint River mix you mentioned.
I'm not specifically familiar with this brand, either, but you mentioned that it
was formulated under the direction of the nutrition people at Univ of KY.
That would be mostly Laurie Lawrence's lab and that's an *excellent* equine
nutrition group. Probably the best in the country IMO as far as
rock-solid, basic this-is-what-works knowledge, especially in the areas of
availability of vitamins and minerals. The data about beet pulp increasing
hind gut fluid reservoirs came out of Univ of KY. Anyway---if they worked
on the formulation, it's good stuff. If you don't know by now I like
beet-pulp based feeds, you've been hiding under a rock, and apparently this mix
is beet pulp based. So I wouldn't have a single quibble about your using
this feed, either.
Between the Flint mix and Manna, I think the
deciding factor has to be up to you. Do your horses eat well at vet
checks, and do they prefer one over the other (you already mentioned your
stallion is still suspicious)? Are both readily available year round in
your area? Are either/both bags date stamped so you can check to see how
long the bag has been on the shelf (always an issue in a high fat feed in hot
areas). Whats the difference in price, and are you going to be feeding
enough that an extra dollar a bag is really an issue? Are you going to be
doing any cross-country traveling where the Manna might be easier to find than
the Flint?
Well, that's enough rambling. :-) Hope this
helped a little.
Susan G