I have a 16 yr old DW/TB who is a hard keeper. He has Shivers and I currently have him on Triple Crown Low Starch, soaked Alfalfa Cubes, and E-Se-Mag in SmartPaks. He is on 24/7 turnout also. Last week Tractor Supply started selling Blue Seal Sentinel LS. This would save me a 40 min drive to buy feed if this would be equivalent for him. Any thoughts on these feeds? Any other suggestions for managing his Shivers?
I know horses can have shivers and not have EPSM, but the part about him being a hard keeper would make me wonder. My shivers/EPSM guy got super thin when I sent him away for training and the staff were not giving him enough oil. He was on a very low NSC diet, but without the oil he just couldn’t maintain any muscle mass. Plus his shivers got much worse - they could never get his hind legs clipped, wrapped, or even booted. Otherwise, I only have experience with Triple Crown which I like, but my horses seem to be sensitive to the soy - they get the squits…
Anyway, might be worth looking into adding oil to see if he fattens up. I would say at least three cups.
They don’t have them where I live now, but I do really like the Blue Seal feeds. They make a great product.
I also really like Tribute’s feeds.
I would try adding a fat supplement of some variety as well. I like Cool Calories. Tribute makes one called K Finish. I’m sure Blue Seal makes one as well. You could also go with an oil, but that’s messy and can be a hassle.
i like sentinel - a lot of sport horses i’ve known are fed it. it looks to be comparable to what you are feeding now – imho, i’ve always liked blue seal better than triple crown, but the last time i used triple crown was over ten years ago and i am sure they have changed.
i have a friend who had a very bad shivers horse. in addition to the e-se-mag, you may want to consider E alone (without the SE/mag) as in shivers horses it is not uncommon to see too much selenium, which can be detrimental and affect their hoof and hair health. the problem is selenium has a very small range between “adequate” and “overdose” and can cause tissue issues. in addition you will want to look into a high fat supplement on the side; oil seems to be the most accessible but like others have noticed is messy. i am not a fan of canola oil, in a perfect world i would like sunflower or flaxseed.
good luck.
