Horse Feed Ingredients - buyer beware!

I called in to a local tack shop come feed merchants today to get some shavings for TC and happened to over hear another customer talking about what to feed their fizzy horse. She was promptly directed to a 'calm & condition' feed bag, which she happily picked up, payed for and and went on her merry way.

Being the nosey type I thought I'd have a quick look at the ingredients for said product and was amazed to see it contained Wheat, Barley, Oats, Maize, Peas, Soya and Molasses in varying amounts. All of which are high in energy.

Once home I thought I'd do an Internet search and comparison for various feed stuffs. Oddly enough very few companies show the ingredients for their products, they all show the Nutrient Analysis which to me is gobbledy gook.

I did find one company which was brave enough to show their ingredients which I've copied and added here for you all to see. So, why not play 'spot the difference'.

COOL MIX
A complementary feedstuff for feeding to equines in conjunction with
forage at a rate of up to 10 kg per horse per day according to size
and work rate.
Oil 5.00% Protein 10.50% Fibre 13.50% Ash 8.50%
INGREDIENTS:
Oatfeed, Flaked barley, Wheatfeed, Grass meal, Molasses, Flaked maize,
Flaked peas, Rice bran, Sunflower ext, Hipro soya, Calcium Carbonate,
Soya oil, Salt, Vitamin mineral premix, Calcined magnesite,
Vegetable oil, Barley, Dicalcium phosphate, Sodium bicarbonate

INSTANT ENERGY MIX
A complementary feedstuff for feeding to equines in conjunction with
forage at a rate of up to 10 kg per horse per day according to size
and work rate.
Oil 4.00% Protein 12.00% Fibre 10.00% Ash 7.00%
INGREDIENTS;
Flaked barley, Oatfeed, Wheatfeed, Molasses, Flaked maize, Rolled oats
Flaked peas, Sunflower ext, Hipro soya, Calcium Carbonate, Dicalcium phosphate, Salt, Vegetable oil, Wheat, Vitamin mineral premix

I'm sure you'll agree there isn't very much difference at all, which you would expect seeing as one is for instant energy and the other is meant to keep them 'cool'. I suppose my interpretation of 'cool' might be the problem, I view it as something that will NOT make your horse fizzy. Maybe the company views it as having a totally different meaning . . . . . . . sun glasses, trousers way to big and very baggy and saying "yo, be-atch". Then again to me that's not at all cool either, or is it just my age :)

Bad horse behaviour or Pain????

More and more I'm being asked to deal with a horse's 'naughty behaviour' when in fact a good vet would be better qualified to help in the first stage.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - a horse is a horse - they do not think or behave like us humans. Generally they want a peaceful and easy life and will put up with our ways in order to get it. They don't wake up one day and think . . . .
'I think I'll start to buck just to see if she's a good rider'.

So when a horse or pony "suddenly starts to rear/buck/kick/bite/spook/barge for no reason", please take a little time and try to work out why. Nine times out ten you will probably find it is pain related. It could be his teeth, tack, shoes, diet, any number of muscles, ligaments, tendons, infections etc etc. They have no other way of communicating to us other than by being out of character.

If we think of any and all the ailments we humans can get - why can't a horse get the same. If we trip over something don't we pull a muscle or bruise or slip a disc or fracture a bone or strain a tendon? Sometimes it takes days or weeks for us to be effected by an accident and it's the same for them.

If a horse suddenly starts to demonstrate unwanted behaviour there is probably a very good reason for it. It is in our duty of care to eliminate pain or discomfort long before we consider rectifying behaviour.

Remember - bad behaviour in a horse is a symptom.