I cannot, for the life of me, get my horse to eat his supplements! Up until this week, I have had him on Cosequin SP (which is a powder). He always just sifted through it and left any grain that had the supplement on it. I figured Id just switch him to the Smartflex III ultra pellets–same nutrients++, and in a pellet form he will love! WRONG. Now he just sifts through the pellets. Today I soaked the pellets in molasses/water. Still ate around it! I then put the soaked mixture in a wormer tube and squirted it in his mouth. This is not practical to do every day though. Does anyone have any ideas for the worlds pickiest pony??
Go back to the powder and add a little water to the feed so the powder sticks? Or try mixing the whole thing with applesauce? Or mix the powder with water or corn oil or apple juice and syringe it in every day.
I use Jello powder to disguise my herd’s supps. They are quite fond of Cherry and Raspberry. Only takes a teeny weeny bit. One of those tiny Sugar free paks lasts me almost 2 weeks on 6 horse (they all HATE their Source supp and until I run out and can get pellets, they WILL eat it).
[QUOTE=jaimebaker;4291494]
I use Jello powder to disguise my herd’s supps. They are quite fond of Cherry and Raspberry. Only takes a teeny weeny bit. One of those tiny Sugar free paks lasts me almost 2 weeks on 6 horse (they all HATE their Source supp and until I run out and can get pellets, they WILL eat it).[/QUOTE]
hmm… Do you think it would work to disolve the pellets and then add the powder? My guy is super picky. He’s quite clever…He always knows when I try to give him something healthy!!:winkgrin:
[QUOTE=spmoonie;4291762]
hmm… Do you think it would work to disolve the pellets and then add the powder? My guy is super picky. He’s quite clever…He always knows when I try to give him something healthy!!:winkgrin:[/QUOTE]
That’s what I do. My herd is on either soaked beet pulp or soaked pellets (depending on horse of course) and I sprinkle it right on top, give it a few good stirs with a big plastic fork, and bon appetit! But even as yummy as it is, it is something new and might be suspected as poison by a paranoid horse. So add just a tiny bit at first and get a few different flavors. They really do have a preference (at least mine do). I haven’t tried orange yet, but will next week. I’ve done Strawberry, raspberry, cherry and strawberry banana. To date raspberry seems to be the flavor of choice. I had bought a bunch of sugar free but when I got to thinking about it, #1 I use such a tiny amount it can’t possibly be more than 10-20 calories worth (of the NON fat-free stuff) and #2 I’m not entirely certain sugar free would be good for them with the Splenda in it. But either way, it’s such a tiny amount I can’t imagine it would be too terrible for them. And the gelatin is the old timer method of getting nice, healthy hoof growth. I used to feed Knox gelatin to mine for their hooves before biotin supplements were everywhere and cheap enough.
My gelding is ultra-picky too. The only multi-vit he will eat is Thera-cell’s “Optimum” and it took several weeks to build up to a whopping two wafers/day, mixed with his XTN and beet pulp.
He usually regards any supplement (and the supplement’s cover-up) as some sort of toxic sludge… apparently he thinks I am trying to knock him off! :winkgrin:
I did get him to finally eat 1/2 scoop of eletrolytes - but I sprinkle it in the bottom of the feed bin then spread his food on top of it… and he eats it! If I try to mix it into the food, no way will he touch it. So quirky…
I should consider myself lucky since my gelding will eat anything in his grain. He gets Pro Balance, a B vitamin supplement, flax and Cool Calories 100. Scarfs it up everyday.
I did have him on Canola Oil at one point and that might have helped it all stick together so you could mix in a glob of that.
Implement it very slowly into the grain.
I hate powder supplements…well, actually my mare does. 
The best solution I’ve come up with, especially because I don’t want to do the whole disguising thing… Is don’t give the full dose of supplement at first.
I put my mare on garlic for the flies and when I dumped the whole dosage in her grain, she wouldn’t touch it.
But when I added it very very slowly over the course of two weeks, she will now eat the whole dosage. Just a tiny bit of supplement. Even a few pellets at a time until he becomes accustomed to it might work for you.
I have to add some molasses and mix feed and supplements with water to get my horses to eat their supplements.
Smartpak I believe has “flavors” to help dont they? Or is that Uckele?
My mare used to HATE any powdered anything. I used to have to put a HUGE glob of molasses in her feed and mix VERY VERY well. That got very old very fast.
When I boarded, I did go every night and mix with applesauce and syringe into her mouth.
Now, she eats soaked t/a cubes, soaked alfalfa pellets, and soaked beet pulp along with her ration balancer and oats. I just put the powder stuff in there and mix it all up and she eats it all and shes crazy picky.
I would try to back off the amount and slowly try to build up to the recommended dosage.
Raspberry Jello mix is the flavor of choice for my gelding.
If your horse likes peppermints, you could try crushing up some of the soft red and white ones, and mix it in with the powder, or add hot water to the crushed peppermint/supplement and pour on the feed.
I use peppermints for bute, and it works like a charm.
Try cinnamon - Mr Picky has decided that his mom’s feed bucket is very yummy to lick after it’s had her Breathe Ease in it. The Breathe Ease has cinnamon bark in it and has a very strong cinnamon smell.
Hey! Mikey likes it!
Brown Sugar and Raisens are horse favorites. Learned that when working the tracks in California. For some reason brown sugar is much more appetizing than mollasses. I found I could get my horse to eat his antibiotics that are really nasty after I added brown sugar. Plus I also feed soaked beet pulp. Not cold and dripping, use hot water and just enough to absorb and expand the BP.
chicamuxen
I’ve been trying the various SmartPak pellets (thinking they’d be tastier than the powders) and so far, all my horses have hated them. I’ve gone back to the powdered supplements.
Another option for you, if adding some sugars is ok for your horse, is to buy dried molasses. Most feed stores will have it as it is marketed for cattle. Add about the same amount as the supplement and the molasses powder and supplement powder will tend to mix together. The only drawback is that you’ll probably end up with a 50lb bag of it so be sure you have the dry storage space for it. It makes a great treat to add into a bran mash too!
1 Older Banana + Fork + Supplement + Mash well = Down the Hatch :winkgrin:
[QUOTE=ChocoMare;4295917]
1 Older Banana + Fork + Supplement + Mash well = Down the Hatch :winkgrin:[/QUOTE]
I tried bananas… two horses wouldn’t eat them, but the TWH ate it without a problem. But then she’ll eat just about anything I put in her feed bin!
I turn 1 cup of hay stretcher pellets into a mash with water and stir in three different powder supplements. It works like a charm. Adding a little bit of unsweetened apple sauce can help it go down the hatch if you have a fussy one.
When my gelding decided to be picky about his supplements, I would add just a little bran and water to make a very light mash out of his food. That usually works well as everything sticks together and it’s difficult for even the cleverest of horses to separate things out.
I’ve also had good luck adding a healthy glug of vegetable oil, but if your guy is real picky, he’s probably past this one.
Now my mare on the other hand licks up every drop of her supplements, with or without grain in the bucket :lol:
Naturally! :lol:
Hmmm, maybe I need to do an unofficial poll thread: Who is pickier about feed, mares or geldings? :winkgrin:
