Due to a recent bout of laminitis, my senior horse has been switched to a low NSC grain. I began with Enrich, which he wouldn’t touch, then switched to Triple Crown Senior, which he liked initially but now barely eats. Does anybody have suggestions for making low NSC grains more appealing to a fussy eater?
Uckele makes some sugar-free flavorings that look promising. I’ve heard of people having success with fenugreek or beetroot powder as well.
Dampening the feed with diluted apple cider vinegar is also worth trying.
I’ve noticed my oldie’s appetite wanes when he’s ouchy. Bar that, some horses prefer damp feed or soaked feed. Perhaps a kool aid packet
Sometimes you have to shop around until you find the right grain. Other times you are better off combining a couple of grains together for longevity. We found that out years ago with our appy oldsters. On one grain they got bored. Mix 2 or more together, and you could go for years without a problem. The current mix: Poulin FibreMax, Blue Seal Sentinel LS Performance, and Blue Seal haystretcher in a 1:1:1 mix. Keep it the same throughout the year, just change the weight up or down to accomodate the cold/hot temperatures. Good luck with your horse!
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Enrich is a ration balancer, TC Sr is a (complete) fortified feed, 2 very different categories. What do you actually need? Significant calories? Not a lot of calories?
That will determine where you start looking.
Then, what brands of feeds can you get?
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Just as a heads up and yes not everything is ulcers, but my pony was much better about eating after a 30 day ulcer treatment when he had steroid induced laminitis. Laminitis and pain can make them get worried and stressed real quick.
Enrich is pretty tasty for majority of the horses.
My pony won’t eat TCS so can’t speak for that one. He hates beet pulp.
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Thanks to everyone who has replied. Lots of good suggestions. To JB, he is a hard keeper and needs lots of calories.
I’m in the Midwest where it has been extremely hot and humid recently. The heat and humidity are down today and he is eating the Triple Crown Senior much better,.
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Can you get Triple Crown Senior Gold? My horses like the TC Sr but they love the Senior Gold.
Many will disagree with me, but once you are over the laminitis bout, giving a tiny squirt of molasses in their grain to get them to eat it is usually fine. Of course this depends on the horse, and keep a close eye on any laminitis prone horse when you make diet changes. Some horses can’t tolerate any sugar at all (looking at you, haflingers) while others are ok with some sugar and treats.
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Thanks for the suggestion stb. I looked up Triple Crown Senior Gold and it is even lower NSC than TCS.
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You could try Stabul 1. Any horse I knew would just about climb over the stall door trying to get to that.
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Is he on Prascend by chance?
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Excellent point, @TheHunterKid90. Prascend seems to quell appetite. Don’t know if it an appetite suppressant or just makes things taste bad.
I had the exact opposite experience. My horse hated the Senior Gold but loves the regular TC Senior.
It’s funny how individual it can be. Worth buying a bag of the other just to see what he thinks!
yes he is.
At 11.7% vs 11.4%, the difference of total
NSCs is pretty insignificant. But the starch is different enough that the Gold could make a big difference to an EMS horse - 3.6% for the Gold vs 6.4% for the regular.
If you haven’t done this already, and the Prascend is fairly new, back his dose down until his appetite is normal again, then ramp up again slowly.
If he’s been on is a while, and even if it is a relatively new addition, consider the supplement called APF APF - Advanced Protection Formula (smartpakequine.com)
Have you tried Cool Calories ( https://www.mannapro.com/equine/nutritional-supplements/cool-calories-100 )? I’ve never used it because my horses are easy keepers, but I’ve seen posters on other threads mention this as something they feed their hard keepers. I think it’s formulated for horses that need calories but not sugar.
ProElite Senior is comparable to TSC, and some horses like it better. I have also found that adding corn oil helps with palatability.
