Equus Feeds Newsletter

You will usually notice a vast difference in the
amount of information offered on the top end
products as compared to budget lines which
tend to specify only the minimum values as
required by law. Keep in mind that this law
was passed way back in 1947 and requires
the declaration of certain minimum percen-
tages of Protein, Moisture, Fat, Calcium,
Phosphorous and Fibre only. These are the
bare minimum requirements on very few
nutrient factors and it is not a difficult task to
mix these limited requirements, bag them,
and then sell them at an ultra low price.

Look at the product:

Always remember that horses have been
eating grass for approximately the last 55
million years. Together, the caecum and the
large intestine are more than 5 meters in
length with a capacity of about 80 litres
forming the horse's "fermentation chamber".
What looks appetizing to you is most
certainly not what is healthy for your horse.

Horses need fibre, and lots of it, to maintain
good digestive health. Even though hay is
offered on the side, it is still important to have
additional quality fibres in a concentrate. This
ensures that as the feed moves through the
digestive system there are never any sections
of the gut fill without a fibre component.

Because fibre generally provides less energy
than grains, more expensive, top range con-
centrates always feature a higher fat percen-
tage to compensate for the volume taken up
by the fibre, but still achieve the required
energy density.

If you prefer using pellets, break them apart
and have a good look at the contents, prefer-
ably with a small magnifying glass. Budget
feeds hide large quantities of fillers such as
bran in their pellets. This can easily be seen
as the contents are much finer and without a
diversity of components. It is very important
to also have enough fibre in pelleted products.
These fibres should be visible and not milled
to a powder, hence the importance of larger
cubes, because effective longer fibre will not
pass mechanically through the smaller
diameter machinery.

Products can easily be made to look appe-
tizing and taste nice by adding loads of
molasses. This, however, is not good for your
horse! Rather, feel for an oily residue on your
hand after handling the feed, indicating a
good fat content. If changing products, allow
your horse time to be weaned off these "nice
looking" high molasses, high grain based
products. As with children who prefer candy
to All Bran, their energy levels will fluctuate
and then run out!

When a bag of quality feed is R10 more expensive than the budget alternative it
does raise eyebrows. When the price difference is R20 or more, most horse
owners will query whether this can possibly be value for money. Interestingly,
however, even discrepancies greater than these can become savings!

When it comes to choosing a concentrate for your horse, opting for the bag with
the budget price often turns out to be the expensive decision in the long run! Not
only does it often cost more in terms of Rands per month to feed cheap concen-
trates, but the negatives also add up in terms of poor performance, poor condition,
the cost of additional supplements, greater quantities fed and the possibility of
additional veterinary bills which completely tip the scales.

When selecting your horse feed, you should do so in the manner you would select
a veterinarian for your horse. Most horse owners choose a veterinarian based on
the quality of service provided, not the price charged for this highly professional
work. Your horse's nutrition should be no less important.

There are many different feeds available on the market today and, without excep-
tion, cheaper feeds tend to contain a lot more fillers and less of the better quality
ingredients. The differences in nutritional value between different feeds are signifi-
cant and, generally, you get what you pay for.

Contrary to popular belief, the most expensive component of horse feed is not
protein but rather the total energy value. Other important factors which add to the
end price of better quality concentrates are:

- the amount and type of oils used
- the quality of the vitamins and minerals added
- the selection of starches incorporated
- the addition of a live yeast culture
- the quality and quantity of the fibres used in the composition.

The correct inclusion of essential Vitamin B and E alone can easily add R4-00 per bag, a live yeast culture up to
R8-00/bag and the inclusion of good quality oils can bump the cost up to more than R10-00 per bag. Just these 3
ingredients alone can account for more than R20-00 per bag but in the long run, however, will save money, improve
performance and ensure that riding, breeding, training or any other equine activity can be fully enjoyed.

Horses are no longer kept for transportation, but rather, because we are passionate about them and equine related
sports. Attempting to save R2.00 per day, thus, only to have a horse contract tendons, boggy hocks, tying up,
laminitis or dangerous colic, all related to the choice of feed, becomes nonsensical.

It must be noted that where a horse is fed, for example, 4kg per day, the difference in feeding costs between a
budget feed at R125/50kg compared to a much higher quality product priced at R150/50kg (ie.R25 more per bag)
will be R2.00 per day. This becomes a negligible amount when compared to the cost of treating a bad colic, not to
mention the costs of added supplements, impaired performance and the additional quantity required for feeding.

GUIDELINES FOR CHOOSING HORSE FEED COST EFFECTIVELY!

Always study the bag tag!

Choice of concentrate has a major cost implication on the upkeep of your horse, hence the importance of studying
the bag tag and also of researching all further information provided on the website of any product you use.

Do not make the mistake of stopping your research at the advertised protein level as the protein level per se does
not tell the whole story. When comparing products it is important to study factors such as energy value, yeast
addition, specified vitamin/mineral levels, the use of organic minerals, fat percentage, the type of oils added and
specified amino acids such as lysine.

Make the calculations:

Because bags come in different sizes (usually 22.5, 40 or 50kg), the actual price per bag means nothing!
There are only two factors to consider in your calculation:

1) The price per kg of feed
2) The amount of feed required per day.

The price per kg of feed is of course simple mathematics. If a 40kg bag costs R160-00, the price per kg is R4-00
(160 � 40 = 4), which is the same per kg as the bag costing R90-00 but only weighing 22,5kg (90 � 22,5 = 4).

The amount of a specific product required per day can only be determined after at least 6 weeks of use. Quality
products can usually be fed in smaller quantities while still maintaining condition and performance. Rather feed
less of a good quality concentrate, but more hay! Your horse will look better and, in the long term, your veterinary
bills will certainly be less!

All things considered, the difference in value between a bag costing R160-00 and the one costing R185-00 is
actually a lot more than the R25-00 difference. Sometimes spending a little bit more per bag can reduce the overall
cost of keeping a horse simply by ensuring that the horse is healthier. He will, however, also look better, perform
better and consume less concentrate. Note that feeding a horse 4kg per day of the "expensive" R185-00/bag feed
will still work out cheaper than feeding 5kg of the cheaper R160-00/bag feed.

Don't forget the additives:

Feeding budget lines often requires the addition of all sorts of supplements. These include oils, vitamin packs,
electrolytes, anti-colic remedies etc. Keep in mind that if you are feeding 5kg of a R160/bag feed, and you are
adding supplements worth R3-10 per day, you are spending as much as you would be if you were feeding the same
amount of a top quality feed costing R25/bag more (R185/bag). If you used the more expensive ration, however,
you would probably only need 4kg per day, and this saving, together with the saving on the supplements, would contribute to a significant overall saving of R4-62 per day or R140/month/horse.

Also bear in mind that adding all sorts of supplements to support budget line products can lead to imbalances in
the ration which create other problems. Good rules to follow are not to mix fortified commercial rations or supple-
ments, and also not to mix fortified commercial rations with oats or other grains unless the feeding instructions
permit it.

Reduce your Carbon Footprint!
None of the products in the Equus range have been specifically developed to compete in price per se with any of
the budget line products available. There is however a continuous flow of testimonials from customers who testify
that Equus products offer better value for money than what they have previously experienced.

Equus also takes great pride in the fact that most of our products are packed in environmentally friendly, breathable,
natural fibre Hessian bags, providing you with the opportunity to reduce your carbon footprint on planet earth.

See www.equusfeeds.co.za to read more about the Equus range of products.

I then read about the Equus range and thought I would try it on Aqua. I
started with 4kgs per day Cool 'n Perform 12 and after 2 weeks he
had picked up 20kgs. I couldn't believe it! I then reduced his feed to 3kgs
and he picked up 15kgs the following two weeks. Still not in work at
present, I now have him settled on 2kgs per day with 6 kgs of my own
chaff mix and his weight remains constant. Other than the weight issue
I cannot believe the shine on his coat in the middle of winter.

I have now changed all 40 of my horses to Equus. Most are fed Cool 'n
Perform 12, the ponies Nice 'n Easy, the older horses Train 'n Leisure
and for some we also use the All Time Balancer. I no longer have a shelf
full of supplements and I have found great solutions and flexibility within
the Equus range for all the horses in my yard.