Stable Mix

[O So]

Well, as some may have read, I got another mini!! He was being fed a coffee can ( the new plastic style of Folgers) of Stable Mix, mixed with water, twice a day. That was it. As far as I know he didn't have much fresh pasture or grass to eat. I have not weighed the coffee can yet, but will before I feed him for the first time. The bag say's to feed 1.5 to 2 lbs per 100 lbs of the horses body weight.

I was planning on weaning him off of that feed and get him on what I have been doing with O So. Which is Orchard grass hay and Strategy. I had to buy a 50lb bag of the feed, just so I can wean him off of it. Wish they had a smaller bag. LOL The thing is, he looks really good! Better then O So. O So still has what I would consider a big belly. He doesn't seem fat, just has a big belly. So it makes me wonder, should I switch O So to that Stable mix instead of switching the new guy over? Tell you one thing, it would be a lot less messy. LOL

What are your guy's thoughts on Stable Mix? In a way I think it would be easier, even though I would have to ad water to it every time I fed it, but yet, the hay gives them something to eat pretty much all the time. They have no fresh grass here at home, only dry lots.

If I do decide to wean him off, how fast should I do it? I was planning on giving him a bit less then he normally gets, and add a little hay to that. Then each week, continue to give less mix and more hay. Eventually I would start adding a bit of Strategy into the whole thing and continue to do even less of the mix till it is gone and I am barely giving him any of it.

Thanks in advance and sorry for another feed question!

 

[Little Wolf Ranch]

I've never heard of Stable Mix but I just wanted to say that I always wean them onto new feeds over a period of a week. I've never had any ill effects and everyone seems to do just fine that way.

Hope someone else can chime in and help out!

 

[mydaddysjag]

I just read the stablemix website as its not a feed I am familiar with.

Do I need to feed hay with Stable MixTM?

No. The Stable MixTM products are designed to be complete feeds, mostly hay products so the horse receives all of the benefits of the hay, plus the daily required vitamins and minerals. The pellets make it is easier for the horse to absorb the nutrients due to the smaller particle size. If you want to feed grass hay, reduce the suggested pounds of pellets per day according the amount of hay being fed. Feeding straight alfalfa hay may throw off the Calcium Phosphorus ratio and is not recommended.

It's a complete feed, so you don't HAVE to feed hay with it, but I highly recommend that you do. Horses are meant to eat hay, and it helps keep things moving in the GI track. I myself feed a complete feed, but I also feed hay. When Ive tried to cut back drastically on hay, my horses have gotten impaction colic, developed ulcers, or bad habits, like eating their sawdust. In winter I feed basically free choice hay. Its cold and munching hay helps to keep them warm. I just started fitting D for show season, but Im not cutting his hay back yet, still too cold.

 

[bluerogue]

Elk Grove Milling Stable Mix is a very good complete pellet. It's made by a local company out here. I feed it to my horses. It is alfalfa based, and they have several different varieties to choose from (regular stable mix, senior, and one or two others). I believe it's only sold locally, in Northern California. They may be trying to market it a little farther out, but I doubt too far.

 

[AnnaC]

Not sure if I have understood you, but did you mean that Pippin has been previously fed a coffee can of food (wetted) twice a day and nothing else? Even if it is a 'complete' feed this is nowhere near enough for even a mini IMO. Also if you are going down the omplete feed route then the correct amount needs to be spread out through at least 5 feeds a day to keep something going through the horse's system on a regular basis - remember that horses are 'trickle' feeders and need food regularly to cope with their gastic juices or you are asking for ulcers/colic etc.

By all means keep Pippin on the complete feed until you have used the sack - even change O So to it if you wish, but do add hay so they have something to nibble at day and night.

Anna

 

[drmatthewtaylor]

The bag say's to feed 1.5 to 2 lbs per 100 lbs of the horses body weight.

GREAT point, feed is never figured on volume it is figured on weight.

There is no such thing as a 1#, 3#, or 6# scoop. As the same volume of different feeds will weigh different amounts.

I encourage getting a scale in the feed room so we know the weight of a given volume of feed.

Dr Taylor

 

[O So]

I actually do have a scale. It is one of those ones like you would see in the grocery store, the kind that hang. I weighed the scoop that the PO gave me and told me was about what she fed him twice a day. It weighed almost 4 lbs. I need to re weigh another scoop today to double check that, but if it is right, I would think it is to much for him. If he only weighs in at lets say a low 150 lbs. He should only be getting 2 to 2.5 lbs of that mx, per the bags instructions. It does say to feed more or less depending on the activity level.

I still don't know what I want to do as far as keep feeding it to him and giving O So the same. Or wean him off and get them both on what O So eats. I would feed the Orchard grass hay on top of the complete feed because I agree that they need roughage to chew on throughout the day. O So is never without hay. I feed him 4 times a day and I make sure there is always hay in his feeder (or on the ground, lol) before I feed again. Meaning I don't let it run out, so there is a bit in there at each feeding.

I am slowly giving Pippin the Orchard hay too. The PO said he could eat it, but she only fed the mix. I want to do both for now.

Boy, I thought I had it rough with trying to figure out what to feed O So, now I have 2 to figure out what to feed! LOL

 

[Ashley]

I doubt he is that light. Try to figure his right weight. Honestly, if it were me, and the horse looks good and does good on it why change it?

 

[O So]

I doubt he is that light. Try to figure his right weight. Honestly, if it were me, and the horse looks good and does good on it why change it?

O So is a bit bigger then Pippin and he weighed a whopping 147 when he was gelded back in October. So I don't think Pippin is much heavier then that. Specially with his build.

Reason I would want to change it is to have them both on the same diet. I would like to make it as easy as possible on me and on someone that may have to feed when we go on a vacation or something.

 

[Michelle@wescofarms]

Hey Kim,

If it's Elk Grove Stable Mix, you can contact them, they're very helpful. It's made locally (as Jenn said) and you can buy it in 50 lb bags or the larger containers (refillable). If you have a scale, weighing is the best way to go.

What you can do if you're going to be gone, preweigh and store in marked containers (we did that when we showed), also easy to make sure the right supplements end up in the right horse! I have a bunch of cheap storage containers, buckets for the horses - Walmart in the summer is great once they sell off the summer/spring stuff - picked up a bunch of $1.00 each.

 

[mydaddysjag]

Was oso weighed on a scale, or did you use a weight tape? The weight tapes arent acurate with minis.

Domingo is 34" and when not fit, hes around 285lbs...

 

[O So]

Was oso weighed on a scale, or did you use a weight tape? The weight tapes arent acurate with minis.

Domingo is 34" and when not fit, hes around 285lbs...

O So was weighed on a scale at the vet. He is 28 inches and 147 pounds, give or take a few by now. LOL

Once I get the horse accustomed to each other, I plan to take them down to my dog vet and weigh them both there. It's a lot closer then my equine vet.