Jay and I have been accepted on Winergy Equilibrium’s latest feed trial…. read how we get on here!
WE is on trial!
The WINERGY Equilibrium feeding trial helps us to make sure WE is continuing to keep your horse in great shape. WE is looking for people to switch from their traditional feed and give WINERGY Equilibrium a try. We will send the successful applicants one month’s feed for one horse. All we ask in return is that you give us your honest opinion on how WE has benefited your horse.
WE is looking for horses who maintain weight well but lack shine in their coat, are spooky or anxious, require slow release energy or if you are afraid to feed too much. |
Winergy Equilibrium produce horse feeds that are high in fibre and oil, and low in starch and sugars.
It has taken me a while to find a diet that suits Jay – she is tricky to feed because she is highly strung, and she’s usually a fairly good doer. She can be turbo-charged with ‘adrenaline’ energy, but often lacks fuel in the tank once she settles to work properly. She’s also exhibited some symptoms of stomach ulcers. Her current feeding regime is working – but it’s complex. So when I saw Winergy were running this trial I leapt (cautiously!) at the chance to try it, and am thrilled to have been accepted. It’s a bit nerve-wracking changing Jay’s diet having finally got somewhere with a feeding regime that works; however the research I have done, and the previous Winergy case studies I have read, indicate that this should be a successful feed for us!
Winergy have suggested I trial Jay on their ‘Low Energy’ feed. The feed arrives and the trial will start on the 15th February. Watch this space….
Jay’s Current Feed
Jay’s feed currently is high fibre, high oil, and low starch. She is entirely forage-fed, not having any cereals in her diet at all. Due to her temperament, and the signs of stomach ulcers she has shown in the past, this is the best way forward for her. So prior to the Winergy trial her feed consists of the following:
- Dengie Alfa-A Oil (the mainstay of her diet – fibre, calories, oil and slow-release energy. Alfalfa is also a good feedstuff for horses with stomach ulcers, due to it’s calcium content)
- I’Ansons Linseed Lozenges (for additional protein)
- Badminton Triple Top Up (for protein and oil to aid coat condition and slow-release energy)
- Trident Unmollassed Sugar Beet (to mix the feed and dampen it – it is also palatable, economical, a good source of fibre, and Jay likes it! It is also an easy part of her diet to increase if she needs more weight on, and supplying her energy in these different forms means it is released at different ‘stages’ thereby delivering a constant source of energy)
- NAF Haylage Balancer (to supply all her vitamins and minerals – this also is a digestive supplement, helping to counteract any stomach acid and settle her gut)
- Dodson and Horrell Placid (a herbal calmer, which she has at a low dose in winter to ‘take the edge off’!)
- Ad-lib hay. Since January, Jay has also been having a small amount of haylage (3kg a day) as she dropped some weight during the prolonged cold snap over Christmas – this is most unlike her as she is normally a ‘good doer’, but the haylage has quickly helped to put it back on!)
- As Jay and Tangle are both unshod, they also have their diets supplemented with salt and magnesium to maintain hoof integrity.
|
The Trial…
15th February 2010
Well, the five sacks of feed needed to see Jay and I through our one-month’s trial was delivered today – very exciting! (Is it an in-bred thing for horse owners to get excited about new hay and feed I wonder…)
The feed looks really nice; I am a little concerned that it smells quite mollassed, but it doesn’t feel at all sticky. Mollasses are in the ingredients list… I’m not sure what the actual sugar content is tho.
I gave Jay a handful of the Winergy to see what she made of it – and it seems to get a big ‘hooves-up’ from HRH!
I also weigh-taped and body condition scored Jay today, at the beginning of the trial. She is showing as 365kg on the tape, with a CS of 2.5-3. This is a reasonable weight for her, however she is lacking topline due to a snow-bound winter! She is always slow to build muscle, so this has been a disappointing set-back, but it is good news that she has maintained a fairly healthy weight despite the severe cold.
20th February 2010
I have now built Jay up to 1 scoop of Winergy morning and evening, gradually reducing the amounts of her previous feed that she was getting. I am still feeding her all her supplements, but have now cut out the Linseed Lozenges, and reduced the Alfa A Oil and sugarbeet to a double-handful per feed (approximately half a scoop).
Jay is persevering with her latest habit – tossing the feed bucket around and then turning her regal nose up at any food spilled onto the floor… sigh… For the first three days of the trial I almost thought she’d decided the Winergy was too yummy to waste in this way – but it was a short-lived interlude. I have added a clip to the stable wall to fasten her bucket to!
22nd February 2010
I thought Jay was shiny before I started the trial – her coat was like plush velvet tonight! I’m not sure whether to put this entirely down to the feed – she was re-clipped two weeks ago and that has just grown out to a nice length, and she’s also had a lot of extra grooming and a couple of massages lately due to being in more with the very wet weather. But the clipped areas of her coat in particular were absolutely gleaming!
It’s difficult for me to assess any behavioural changes just yet, as due to the weather and various circumstances out of my control at home/work, I have really not been riding as much as I would like. Perhaps the best I can say is that Jay has been showing no signs of stomach discomfort with her diet change – no recurrence of any of the symptoms that led us to investigate the possibilities of ulcers – and that can only be a good thing! I managed to school her last Friday evening, and she certainly had plenty of energy! We are also off to a Riding Club polework clinic this coming Thursday – I will be really interested to see how see does then, as it as at a new venue as well – normally Jay is a bit of a fire-breathing dragon at new places. Will the Winergy have had a chance yet to ‘promote good behaviour’ I wonder….
25th February 2010
Mixing Jay’s breakfast is so simple now – 1 scoop of Winrgy, a dollop of beet to dampen it, and job done! In the last few days she’s taken to whinnying louder for her breakfast as well – a sign that she likes it perhaps?
I am pleased to report that Jay was remarkably chilled at our clinic today. She did have a few ‘arab moments’ when we first got in the school - when other horses were coming and a bit on their toes – but she came off the lorry totally calm; this is really unusual for her at a new place. Her ‘moments’ only extended to one little whip-round, and showing off her passage and wonderful range of snorts for a few minutes; she quickly settled, and I didn’t at any point feel she was ‘out of control’ in her spiritedness.
She did still tire quite dramatically about half way thru the session – however it has to be borne in mind she is really unfit after the winter moreorless off, and our instructor always works us hard!
On another good note, the instructor commented how well she was looking, and how positive her behaviour was after the last time she saw us (which was sometime in November…)
2nd March 2010
We fnished the sack of Alfa A Oil five days ago, and so Jay has now been having 1.5 scoops of Winergy in her evening feed (still 1 scoop in the morning), mixed with a small amount of beet to dampen. However, altho she has been finishing her morning feed, she has been leaving considerable quantities of her evening feeds (one quarter to one third of it each night)
She is obviously doing well on the amounts, as she has put on a further 5kg, making her 375kg now which is spot on for her. Her topline is starting to develop nicely too – in actual fact she really is looking rather well.
I contacted Winergy for advice regarding the feed she is leaving, and was advised to cut the evening feed down to the same amount as her morning feed, ie one scoop for each. This is just over half the recommended levels for her size/type, so to make sure she is not lacking any essential nutrients, I will continue to ‘top up’ her feed with half rations of her NAF Haylage Balancer. Winergy recommended half measures of Benevit for this purpose – but I already have the NAF so have decided to stick with this.
4th March 2010
So far, so good – for the last two nights Jay has finished the reduced amounts of her evening feed…
10th March 2010
Whoops – I spoke too soon! On the 5th and 6th March, Jay took to leaving half her evening feed again, despite the still reduced quantity! She is still finishing her breakfast tho, contrary mare!
I decided to ‘change tack’, and made the beet I use to dampen/mix her feed with really dry and fluffy. This seems to work – by the third night I tried this, Jay was emptying her night-time bucket again. Occasionally she has been leaving a small handful, but at least most of it is getting down her!
Her weight is perfect on this reduced amount, and I am thrilled with her energy levels. She has still tired towards the end of a couple of harder lessons we have had, but she is still not fully fit after her snow-bound winter so this is hardly surprising. What is fabulous is how calm and focused her energy is – she really is a joy to ride at the moment!
11th March 2010
I spoke to Winergy again about Jay’s fussiness with the feed, and they have suggested I try her on
Winergy Senior. Although she’s not an oldie just yet, WE Senior is very similar to Low Energy in terms of calories, but contains a slightly different mix of ingredients which Jay might find more palatable. It also contains live yeast so could help support Jay’s digestive system even further which is important given her possible gastric ulcer issues.
I’m so pleased with how Jay is looking – and performing! – on the Winergy, that this seemed a good idea to try. So we are awaiting the delivery of a sack of Senior, and we shall see what Madam thinks…
13th March 2010
Wow – what a day! Jay and I had our first ever XC schooling session with our RC today! Apart from the odd log out hacking, neither of us have tackled solid fences before, so I was a little apprehensive, as neither of us are the bravest…!
Jay was a little spooky to warm up, but soon settled into a rhythm, and really I could not be more pleased with her. She was calm, focused, attentive to all my aids, and had plenty of energy to see us thru the mammoth two hour session – the longest we’ve ridden for in a long time!
18th March 2010
The Winergy Senior arrived on Monday, and I started introducing it to Jay in her evening feed – splitting the amounts 50:50 with the Low. It looks and smells identical to me – but evidently I know nothing – Jay says it is completely different and much yummier – she is now licking her bucket clean every meal!
I had a lovely comment from a friend I rode out with on Tuesday, who said how very nicely Jay’s topline is looking at the moment, and how well she is looking. It’s nice to have it confirmed by an objective pair of eyes! This is probably the quickest she has muscled up in all the time I have had her, and presently I am still only managing to ride 3 or 4 times a week!
20th March 2010
We made it to our so-called ‘monthly’ dressage lesson at long last today – after several being cancelled over the winter due to the weather. Jay went superbly and was on her very best behaviour – in fact I’m not sure our instructor didn’t think we’d both been abducted by aliens… He also noted how well her topline and muscle overall was developing.
Despite the soggy weather, we managed to get some nice photos:
..
The Verdict…
This probably rounds off my trial nicely – altho because Jay has not been having the full amounts I do still have almost two sacks of Low left. I shall continue to split that with the Senior until it is used up, and then move her completely to the Senior.
I can safely say that I will be keeping Jay on Winergy of some form from now on; My only criticism is that it does work out very slightly more expensive than what I was feeding – but making up the feeds up is stupidly simple now – one or two sacks (winergy and beet!) compared to four or five! Jay also looks – and feels - so well on it that it is worth paying the extra!
Like this:
Be the first to like this page.
