I need a hand sorting out a diet for a horse that has recently foundered. I understand that my hay should be tested for starch content. Is there an easier way? Can I feed Timothy alfalfa cubes or Maaax longfibre to keep the diet more consistent?
You send your forage, whatever it is, to a place that does equine hay tests. They will give you a breakdown of the non-structural carbohydrates, broken down into classes of sugars. Where I live, such a test is $25 and takes a few days. Then discuss the results with a nutritionist, perhaps available via the testing company.
There will be a bit of a learning curve for you here.
I recommend Julie GEtty’s book “Feed your horse like a horse” for basics on nutrition.
If the cubes have a guaranteed NSC of under 11 % they should be safe to feed, but if they don’t have a guaranteed NSC, you will need to get them tested same as hay.
Some metabolic horses don’t do well on alfalfa, despite it having a low NSC.
You can also find a hay supplier that tests their own hay. This is standard practice for dairy hay, though they want a different nutrition profile than for your horse.
Thank you for the detailed post Scribbler! I guess one concern would be that our hay supplier has 400 acres so I’m not sure all the hay would test the same. This is why I’m questioning the option of cubes instead. I’ll inquire with my hay guy first and see what he says. I know he has tested his hay, I’m just not sure how recently.
I use alfalfa-Bermuda cubes with Triple Crown Sr for my 29 yr old IR horse part of the time. He still has very good teeth and can eat hay, but sometimes he’d rather have cube stew. I believe that Timothy cubes are safe to feed, but it would be best to test.
I currently have another horse who is IR. I feed the younger horse alfalfa hay with about a third of the meal being Bermuda. She verges on chunkiness and also, I’m hesitant to feed straight alfalfa to any of the horses, for fear of enteroliths.
You’re likely right about 400 acres producing hay that would have different mineral content, but afaik, minerals don’t cause IR. However, magnesium is thought to protect against it.
I use Equi-Analytical.com for testing. They also post results of forage they have tested for years and years–a good place to visit to get an idea of what different hays include.
Find a good trimmer to get and keep the feet in order. If she’s in pain, you can buy therapeutic boots to get her through. I use SoftRide boots although they cost a lot. Easy-Care also makes a boot that’s good for foundered horses for a little less money.
I think more and more hay growers are getting savvy about testing hay. Around here there are lots of hay growers who advertise that they test and some seem to specialize in low-NSC hay. They also advertise if their hay is for horses or cattle.
Until/unless you know the NSC of your hay, you can soak it to leach some of the sugars out. I do remember reading that as far as cubes or pellets go, alfalfa is a bit lower in NSC than timothy - maybe by 1% or so? But again, that is a generalization and not a guarantee, so who knows.
Do you have your horse on any supplements? A lot of people on COTH like Remission and/or Mag Restore for their IR horses.
Hony I’m going through founder right now too.
I got my grass hay tested (cost 42.50 + tax through a lab in Guelph) and it came in at 20% NSC :eek: I’m soaking it in hot water for 30-60 minutes to bring the sugar content down. I think because of the drought conditions we had this summer a lot of the grass is higher in sugar.
If you find a source for low NSC hay PLEASE let me know! I don’t need much!
Timothy Complete cubes (made by Ontario Dehy) are supposed to be the most controlled/tested hay cubes for horses with laminitis, cushings, IR etc.
I recently emailed the MAAAX cube people and they sent a “typical” analysis from 2015. That test was low NSC but the cubes are either pure alfalfa or over 50% alfalfa which can be a problem. And they aren’t guaranteed to always be that low. I can email the analysis to you if you like.
You can safely feed Timothy-Balance cubes from Ontario Dehy. They are specifically formulated for IR / laminitic horses.
I think hay testing is more common out west. No one local tests their hay though we can send off for it if there is a specific need.
No one has mentioned soaking–soak submerged in water for an hour, then drain to safely remove sugars from your normal hay. It works very well.
Thank you all for your help. I am lucky to have an excellent vet/farrier team looking after things.
Higgs and Hobbs, maaax is made by Bruce Dehy so I suspect that is the same as Ontario Dehy for the most part. I have emailed Maaax about their Timothy only product to get an analysis.
Do you know if the Ontario Dehy cubes need soaking?
Pocket Pony, I don’t feed supplements but I do feed Buckeye Grow n Win and will continue to do so though we have discontinued all hard feed for now until we are out of the acute phase at least.
Unfortunately they are not the same.
As far as I know MAAAX does not make a pure timothy product (at least they don’t show one on their website).
Ontario Dehy also makes a Premium Timothy cube but it is not the same as the Timothy Complete cube. The Timothy Complete cubes are the only ones that are guaranteed to be low NSC.
The Ontario Dehy timothy-balance cubes would be a great choice for cubes in your situation. I had my mare on them for quite awhile (laminitis, IR, Cushings - all under control now). I always soaked them as it was a great way to get extra water into her especially in winter. I haven’t fed them in probably about a year as she decided she wanted something else (super picky OTTB who is a ridiculously easy-keeper). But she did great on them when she liked them :-).
[QUOTE=Hony;9037063]
Thank you all for your help. I am lucky to have an excellent vet/farrier team looking after things.
Higgs and Hobbs, maaax is made by Bruce Dehy so I suspect that is the same as Ontario Dehy for the most part. I have emailed Maaax about their Timothy only product to get an analysis.
Do you know if the Ontario Dehy cubes need soaking?
Pocket Pony, I don’t feed supplements but I do feed Buckeye Grow n Win and will continue to do so though we have discontinued all hard feed for now until we are out of the acute phase at least.[/QUOTE]
Yes they need to be soaked as they are quite hard.
This is what Maaax says: Good morning Annie, do to the time we cut our hays (after bloom stage), both our cube types are considered low in NSC-levels.
I think I’d feel more comfortable knowing the NSC though.
They are sending their analysis!
I am so feeling for you. I have been dealing with the metabolic horse for 8 years. Dr. Frank Reilly, of Equine Medical Surgical in PA makes a supplement called HEIRO that I have fed for years and he has been an amazing resource for me personally. His website has a lot of good information on it about nutrition. My guy participated in two genetic research studies. One was for Arabians specifically and the other was a USDA funded study at the University of MN. They tested everything…every morsel he ingested, blood work…the works. My obviously IR horse, never has tested positive for anything. Talk about frustrating. I have learned that you need to treat the horse…not the blood. If he looks metabolic…he is metabolic. As he is aging, the episodes are increasing despite all of my efforts to manage him. I test the hay, weigh his hay, he’s on Prascend. I use Nibblenets, grazing muzzles. You name it, I do it. Exercise is very important and that is the hardest for me. I work. I have hand walked, ridden a million miles in 8 years. I have learned to look at him through “thin eyes”. The minute he looks good to me, he’s NOT. I love my Porta Grazer for soaking hay. I wish you well.
Maaax makes a Timothy alfalfa that is below 10% NSC. I have used their sample bags and found they broke down well. The benefit is that you can do more precise amounts and you don’t have to soak.
I don’t think it would work for those with alfalfa sensitivity but otherwise seems like a really good choice. I’d rather use something that I don’t have to soak hence Maaax over Ontario Dehy.
Maaax makes a Timothy alfalfa that is below 10% NSC. I have used their sample bags and found they broke down well. The benefit is that you can do more precise amounts and you don’t have to soak.
I don’t think it would work for those with alfalfa sensitivity but otherwise seems like a really good choice. I’d rather use something that I don’t have to soak hence Maaax over Ontario Dehy.
Please update as to how it goes with the MAAAX cubes. Is your horse overweight?
FWIW the Ontario Dehy cubes are much smaller and softer than traditional hay cubes. I do not soak them and my horse has no issues.
I’ll keep you posted. I have ordered the ones you recommended to start!
