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re: commercial feeds and endurance horses



<< 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


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