Homemade Equishure

[Texarkana]

[QUOTE=Sempiternal;8559962]

Basically, though I waited until the mixture had cooled to add the baking soda.

Heated the oil on high, put in the flakes and waited for them to dissolve. Once they did I took it off the heat. The consistency is somewhat like coconut that’s “solid,” but just on the border of being liquid once cooled. (Photo) It was pretty simple to mix in the baking soda and it looks a bit like frosty. (Photo)

This first time I used 48oz of oil with 400g of the flakes. It’s been a pretty long week (yay 11 hour + days) and if I had been thinking a little more clearly when I threw everything together I probably would have only done about 24oz with the 400g of flakes to get it closer to a 50/50 margin. Obviously, the end result would have been, more than likely, thicker than what I ended up with and I would have mixed the baking soda in when it was still warm. Possibly also closer to a more granule like texture when all said and done?

I’m starting out with approx 50g of baking soda (a touch under a 1/4 cup) and mixing in the same amount (1/4c) of the oil/flakes (I have no idea where my scale disappeared to, so not a clue what that is in grams). This will be her ration for the day’s feedings. Pretty sure the oil/flakes mixture has more mass than the baking soda, so this first ration is probably over 100g total.

I haven’t been using my scale at the barn since I know if I fill up to this line it’s about a pound on my cup, so I may bring that home and adjust this a bit more. We’ll see.

Of course, if someone with more chemistry experience than me has any input, please do so!

Oooo, also the reason I didn’t throw everything together right away is I only had a limited stock of baking soda at home. I definitely forgot to bring the big box back from the barn with me and really didn’t feel like running out for more last night.[/QUOTE]

Neat!

An idea to get it more granular, and this is JUST an idea… I have no idea how well it will work… but have you considered adding the baking soda to it while liquified, then straining the excess oil/liquid out of the mixture and letting it cool? My thought is that the dissolved glycerin flakes will resolidify around the baking soda as they cool. If it works, you could control the size of the pieces by modifying your cooling technique…

I kinda want to try this now, although I don’t have any horses that really need it!

[Sempiternal]

Just a quick update.

I haven’t done any testing, so on that basis I have no idea if it’s working. However, (if I remember to bring it out with me for at least a few days in a row) her symptoms seem to be lessening. I’ll be moving to a boarding facility that is only 10 minutes from my house, so if I happen to forget to bring a “refill” I can easily run home and get it.

Of course, with moving to a facility where I won’t be doing self care I needed a formulation that was a little easier to feed than the paste. My most recent batch consisted of a ratio of 4 parts glycerin flakes : 4 parts baking soda : 1 part oil (used coconut oil this time). It’s still cooling off, but should be a solid chunk that’ll break up into easily feed-able granules!

I’m hoping the coconut oil, or just the reduction in the amount of oil will make it a little more palatable for my mare. Some days she just would not eat her grain if it had this stuff mixed in.

[RegentLion]

Please keep us updated!!! I’m tempted to try this.

[RegentLion]

Any updates?

[piaffevideo]

Bumping this as to find out if it is possible to make your own successfully?

[BoyleHeightsKid]

Bumping this up to see if @Sempiternal was successful in making this.

[drafting_dots]

@Sempiternal come back!

[Sempiternal]

Sorry guys.

Here’s the blog post I wrote about it (which I just realized I no longer have a signature).

https://thesempiternalhorse.wordpress.com/2016/04/03/dealing-with-hind-gut-ulcers/

I will say it was a bit of a pain to break up into granules and you have to keep mixing as long as possible to ensure it’s evenly mixed. Maybe if someone has a pelletizer it would be easier to breakup and you’d have uniform pellets?

For different ratios, keep in mind the amount of baking soda used and weigh the final product (all of it). Divide the total weight by the amount of baking soda, then multiply that by how much baking soda you want in each serving (it will give you the weight for that serving).

ie: (total weight of product/grams of baking soda) * (grams of baking soda wanted per serving) = serving size weight

I do feel that I noticed a difference in her, though I no longer feed it as she hasn’t been exhibiting ulcer symptoms for awhile (and ulcergard/gastrogard is just easier to deal with for the handful of shows/outings I do).

[fanfayre]

Wow!
I just mixed the baking soda and vegetable shortening together with a hand mixer at a 1bs : 1shortening ratio by mass (generally 1/2lb bs and 1/2lb(1/2 brick) shortening) and fed an ice-cream scoop amount once mixed. Noticed a difference right away; also haven’t needed to feed it in quite a while.
Glad your method worked well too!

[Thowra]

I am so excited to read this thread so I have finally joined. I woke this morning thinking about how to get bi-carbonate soda to the hind gut and wondered whether dissolving it in water and the soaking Speedi-beet or Microbeet would be an easy way to get it there since approx 80% of those products is supposed to digested in the hind gut. Any thoughts? I thought that perhaps that is why some people do manage to see differences in their horses when they add it to their feed. Perhaps the dissolved form soaks into the other foods that are added and those foods mostly get digested in the hind gut. If I tried it will a normal ph test strip be suitable to test the manure?

[Thowra]

Hi Everyone, As you may have noticed that I am new but I thought I would share my experiment which is not yet complete as I still need to test without the addition of bicarb. I dissolved bi-carb in water and soaked my speedibeet in it as speedibeet is mostly digested in the hind gut last night and then late this morning. She did a poop in her stable (she only goes in there to get her minerals but otherwise lives on lush pastures). I took a ball of manure and squeezed the juice out if it onto a ph test strip. The colour that came up matched that of a ph between 6.5 and 7. The optimal range for the hind gut. The only problem is that I did not test it before I decided to try adding the bicarb as I was too excited. I am really worried about her foundering as she has been getting white line disease and cd toe. I will be getting the pastures analysed onTuesday and have started to give fibre protect as a treat. I have increased her magnesium. She has infortunately put on heaps of weight this spring and Summer. I plan to get her diet balanced through feed xl. I only feed her enough to feed her minerals
​​​​ I know they say to take her off the lush pasture but she gets to run on 20acres up and down hills jumping creeks and rolling in mud. She walks and grazes like a wild horse rather than just eating in one area. I watch her cover ground in a very short time. I am trying my best to exercise her considering the current heat and the fact that she has an old injury which restricts what I can do with her. My other 3 have also got white line desease and one other cd toe. Two which walk over stones like they are hot coals I was assuming because of their white line and cd toe.

I have only had these problems since rain and then I moved onto lush pastures and it has not gotten better.

I am consider

[Thowra]

Sorry I accidentally posted the other one before I said that I am considering a grazing muzzle but am trying to fix the problem without so she can continue to live with limited restrictions, scratch her friends backs and herself. I also hate the idea of one on in the heat we have been getting.

[Scribbler]

My understanding is that wld is a fungal infection rather than a precursor to laminitis.

[JB]

WLD and seedy toe can come from a diet high in sugars, allowing weakening of the lamina connection (ie mild, chronic lamintis) which can then allow bacteria and small objects to enter, where the bacteria enters an anaerobic environment and thrives. They can also be caused by poor trimming allowing/causing a long toe with a stretched white line, also allowing the above.

The fact that she put on so much weight does indicate she really needs to be muzzled. I would highly recommend the Greenguard muzzle for their light weight, and high breathability, both of which equal a lot more comfort. A breakaway halter should also be used, not optional

[demidq]

I would also suggest taking an overweight, possibly laminitic horse horse OFF the lush pasture!

[Thowra]

Thanjs for the tips. I have ordered a greenguard muzzle. I have a few weeks to wait until it arrives. I only have a small yard on the side of a hill and stables that she could go in that doesn’t have much grass and would have to be for at least 6months of the year. The stress that would cause her would likely cause laminitis too. The lack of activity for the majority of the day would also not be healthy for her mind and body also. I am increasing her magnesium signifcantly as I believe it helps to stop the effects of high sugar. I remember back now that when the problems started it was not only raining but I went overseas for 5 weeks and tried to minimise their care of my horses for my sister. So I usually gave magnesium chloride but they were taken off it then. I had also run out of it. When I returned from over seas the problems had already started. They had some grass but not heaps as there were 4 horses in a small paddock. I bought Magnesium oxide but I really don’t believe that they absorb it as well. Years ago when I first started giving Magnesium Chloride, once I got it to a good dose she lost weight and kept it off. I am off to buy some Magnesium Oxide today.

[bathsheba8542]

Interesting thread! Anyone have thoughts on the accuracy of using pH strips to check fresh manure?

[JB]

@Thowra

I bought Magnesium oxide but I really don’t believe that they absorb it as well.

At 60% elemental Mg, and in the 30% range of bioavailability, it provides the most Mg per X dose of any of them. BUT, that doesn’t mean it’s the form that benefits a given horse the most, which makes it hard, and sometimes $$, to figure out the right combination of dose and form. Some horses show a clear preference for the $$ malate form. But MgO is the cheapest place to start for sure.

[Thowra]

I meant to say that I was going to buy magnesium chloride

[muddybanjo]

I am using Equishure right now for a horse I rescued and also used Succeed.I’ve tried a lot of things for her but she is still squirting watery poop.My vet says its fecal or free water snydrome I’m at the end of my rope.hah…Any ideas on what might help? She has been tested for just about everything as far as parasites and diseases. She is around 25…Tennessee walker.Was starving in a 12x12 dog pen when I found here!! I have had her almost a year now.Love this girl and hoping I find something that helps with the squirts! Fecal looks fine but when she passes gas…well you just don’t want to be standing behind her!!