Grubs Up

Tack & Tuck being in the horse business for the past 20 years, noticed that there is definitely a need for a wider variety of horse feeds in this area. The Garden Route area has become an increasingly popular area to live and thus the horse market has also grown in leaps and bounds. We also now have various competitive sports from endurance to dressage. Each of these horses have different feeding requirements.

Introducing a new range of horse vitamin, mineral, trace mineral, organic trace mineral & live yeast culture supplements. Developed by Vitaline using the latest international research combined with practical South African experience.

Nutri-H

Nutri-H is a low protein feed (10%) with a low level of energy but does exellent in sports that require a higher level of energy, such as endurance riding, by adding extra energy in the form of cold pressed canola oil, sunflower oil, corn oil or Bergafat.

Ingredients of Nutri-H
Clipped Oats, full fat soya, whole sunflower seeds, liquid molasses, lucerne “chaff”, limestone, salt, Moldzap, Premix, Prosacc and low protein pellets. The pellets consist of
Wheat bran (without pollard), lucerne, oaten bran, liquid molasses and SGO.

Feeding instructions
Feed 1.5% to 2% of the horse’s body weight or as instructed by a veterinarian or horse nutritionist.  Always ensure accessibility to ample good quality roughage and clean drinking water.

Weight per bag
40 kg

VITALINE FEEDS

BENEFITS OF FEEDING VITALINE FEEDS

• Supplementation of fats and oils is safer than adding carbohydrates and proteins as it does not produce the high internal heats. Contains balanced Omega-3, -6 and-9 fatty acids.
• Extrusion of grains, leads to the gelatinization of the starch component, and it has been proven to significantly alter digestibility of these grains in the small intestine. Gas, heat and acid production in the hindgut is reduced, leading to lower incidence of colic and laminitis.
• Improves fibre digestion by containing live yeast which stimulates natural fibre-digesting bacteria in the hindgut.
• Chromium improves muscle function by reducing lactic acid accumulation in both the faster exercise speeds and post-exercise.
• High in anti-oxidants: Selenium and Vitamin E protect cells from degradation during cellular metabolism, which leads to reduced muscle soreness.
• Magnesium plays a very important role in muscle function and helps prevent tying-up syndrome. It also has an anti-anxiety effect and helps alleviate stress.
• Improves Hoof quality by containing highly available Calcium, Biotin, Lysine and Methionine as well as Sulphur, Zinc and Copper to promote stronger hoof development.
• pH Buffering with a natural calcified seaweed containing highly available Calcium.
• Reduces Stress with high levels of Magnesium and Vitamin B-complex which help prevent the formation of toxic compounds produced during physical or emotional stress. High Zinc, Selenium, Copper and Manganese inclusions further helps reduce stress.
• Essential Amino Acids like Lysine, Methionine and Threonine which play an important role in the immune and growth systems.
• Balanced, High levels of minerals, trace minerals and vitamins are essential for the overall sound skeletal development of the young horse.
• Improves Fertility by providing high levels of Selenium, Zinc, Copper and Manganese as well as Vitamins’ E and A, which improves spermatogenesis in stallions and fertility in mares.
• Strong bones, hooves and joints with balanced levels of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium as well as copper, zinc, manganese, selenium for strong bone and joint development and maintenance.

VITALINE RANGE

RIDE
Fibreline
Low protein and low energy pellet, suitable for good doers and ponies prone to obesity. It is highly concentrated in minerals, trace minerals and vitamins and meets the horse’s and pony’s daily requirements when fed at low intake levels

Calmline
A “Cool Energy” feed consisting of low grain and no maize, with a relatively high fibre content, formulated specifically for high fat and low starch content. High fat diets enable high performance horses to safely meet their energy requirements. Increasing energy by supplementing fat rather than carbohydrates reduces hyperactive behavior. Oils high in omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial in regulating blood pressure and heart rate, which makes this feed ideal for any horse performing a sustained stamina activity. High magnesium and vitamin B1, B2, B6 and B12 helps the performance horse cope with stress.

Veteranline
This feed is specifically formulated to maximize the digestion in the older horse as well as horses with digestive and/or teeth problems. Live yeast helps prevent or minimize gastric distress by increasing populations of cellulolytic and lactate-utilizing bacteria in the digestive tract. Live yeast stimulates the natural fibre-digesting bacteria thereby increasing digestion of forage. The Digestive enzymes assist the natural enzymes in improving the digestibility of the total ration making all the nutrients more available for digestion and absorption. The enzymes improve the digestion of starch, non-starch polysaccharides, proteins and phytate bound phosphorus. Steam extrusion of the grain component provides the maximum digestible energy intake for senior horses. The increase in digestibility improves availability and absorption rates of nutrients. Veteranline is made in a small pellet so that even the old horse with teeth problems can chew it easily.

Powerline
Powerline is scientifically formulated for performance horses that need a higher level of calories for sustained activity during strenuous competition by using a combination of energy sources including cereals and oils. Maize and barley undergo the process of extrusion which results in the gelatinization of the carbohydrates. Grain extrusion facilitates digestion in the small intestine, thus increasing the energy available for exercise and reducing the risk of acidosis and over-heating.

STUD

Balancerline
Highly concentrated, high protein, high amino acid, low starch pellet suitable for brood mares, stallions, young growing stock as well as performance horses requiring low starch, low concentrate intake. Balancerline pellet is highly concentrated in minerals, trace minerals and vitamins and meet the horse’s daily requirements when fed at low intake levels. Native breeds and good doers often don’t need high energy Stud feeds, but these Mares still need the high quality protein, amino acids, minerals, trace minerals and vitamins required for late pregnancy and lactation.

Pastureline
A lower protein feed specific for mares on high protein pastures and/or hay that receive adequate levels of concentrated feed per day. This product can also be used for other breeds that require a slower growth rate for their young stock.

Studline
Reproduction requires additional nutritional demands from the brood mare, stallion and young growing horse. High quality protein, with added essential amino acids lysine, methionine and threonine ensures good milk production in the mares, as well as good muscle development and growth in the young horses. The feed is specifically formulated with a combination of energy sources: extruded maize, extruded barley and oats, high levels of cold pressed oils and digestible fibre to ensure a “slower energy release”. A very comprehensive supplement, balanced and with highly available minerals, trace minerals and vitamins is used to encourage strong overall skeletal development.

VICTORY RANGE

• A maize free, oat based, lower energy feed for horses in competition that require a calmer performance. It is suitable for horses and ponies in light to medium work.

• Oats has traditionally been known as the preferred cereal grain for horses, because it contains the lowest starch and highest fibre of all the cereals and are thus one of the safest energy sources used in horse feed. This feed is fully fortified in minerals, trace minerals and vitamins.

• Fully balanced formulation designed specifically for brood mares during pregnancy and lactation, but also suitable for stallions and young stock. The last trimester of pregnancy is a very important stage in the foetal development, but often also a stage neglected by stud managers. Forty percent of foetal skeletal structure develops during this period and therefore it is critical that the mare is fed a high quality, balanced diet. During this period the growth of the foal increases nutrient requirements whilst at the same time the capacity of the mare to eat large quantities diminishes.

• Native pony mares may not need extra energy and protein, but would still need higher amino acids, minerals, trace minerals and vitamins during this period.

• During early lactation, the mare’s metabolism will produce milk at any cost. Any reduction in feed energy intake below requirement means that the mare will lose condition. Stallions also have additional nutritional demands depending on their workload.

When feeding young stock it is important to monitor growth rates as a smooth growth curve gives greater bone strength than a regime that varies with the time of the year.

ROUGHAGES

CHAFF
Lucerne Chaff

Major Advantages:

• Lucerne chaff is commonly used as a supplementary feed to resting and lightly worked horses, or mixed with cereal chaff as a bulking feed in grain based rations.
• Lucerne chaff has the same nutritional value as Lucerne hay on a weight basis, but because of the small fragment size, it is more bulky. It can therefore be used to increase the bulk and fibre content of a grain based concentrate feed.
• Dry Lucerne chaff is usually more palatable and consumed more readily than dry cereal chaff when mixed into a hard feed, although all dusty chaff should be dampened prior to feeding.

Major Disadvantages:

• Dusty and poorly cured samples that contain fine particulate moulds can increase the risk of airway disease, unless the chaff is dampened with oil or water when mixed into the feed.

Selection and Quality of Lucerne Chaff
The highest quality Lucerne hay is green in colour; has a high proportion of leaves with thin evenly flattened stems; contains minimal dust and bleached leaves; has well attached non-fragmented leaves and is free from mouldy or musty odours, weeds or grass contamination.

Cereal Chaff: Oaten Chaff

Major Advantages:

• Mixing limited amounts of no more than 2:1 in volume of cereal chaff with grain helps dilute the concentrate portion of the ration, slowing intake and increasing the time taken to consume the meal, thus reducing the risk of grain overload into the large intestine.
• Good quality cereal chaff reduces the selectivity of horses, especially “picky” eaters, and minimizes wastage of the roughage as compared to equal quality cereal hay.

Major Disadvantages:

• Cereal chaff can vary considerably in plant maturity, stem to leaf ratio, amount of dust, grain content and digestibility depending on the time and conditions of harvest.
• Cereal chaff can be dusty and blow away easily from paddock feeders situated in windy or exposed areas, if it is not dampened when mixed into the feed.

Selection and Quality of Cereal Chaff

Leaf to stem ratio:
A higher leaf to stem ratio indicates a greater content of fermentable cellulose to indigestible lignin, especially in mature stands.
Colour of the leaf content:
A green leaf does not always indicate a high Vitamin A or other nutrient content. However, bleached leaves and stems may suggest that soluble nutrients and vitamins may have been bleached out by weathering prior to harvesting.

Presence of grain:
Although some grain may increase the energy and protein content, a high proportion of mature stems and a low leaf content in hay or chaff indicates less nutritious sample.

Length of chaff fragments:
Chaff containing larger bruised fragments of stem and leaf (variable length or long chop chaff) is less likely to compact in the large intestine as horses will normally chew and salivate more to prepare it for digestion.

Mixed Chaff
Mixed Hay chaff is made by chaffing Lucerne hay, Grass hay and Oaten hay.

Major Advantages:

• A combination of Lucerne hay, Grass hay and Oaten hay all Chaffed together in one product offers a unique roughage product that supplies the horse with a well balanced, palatable form of roughage intake. The horse owner doesn't’t have to purchase 3 types of hay just to offer their horse a well balanced hay mixture, but can buy one product.
• Good quality chaff reduces the selectivity of horses, especially “picky” eaters, and minimizes wastage of the roughage as compared to equal quality cereal hay.
• Mixing chaff with grain helps dilute the concentrate portion of the ration, slowing intake and increasing the time taken to consume the meal, thus reducing the risk of grain overload into the large intestine.

Major Disadvantages:

• Chaff can be dusty and blow away easily from paddock feeders situated in windy or exposed areas, if it is not dampened when mixed into the feed.

WHEAT BRAN

Wheat bran, or common “bran”, is a byproduct of wheat flour milling. For centuries it has been popular as a laxative feed for stabled horses. The fibre in bran holds an additional reserve of water in the hindgut, which in large amounts produces softer, more moist droppings. However, bran has no significant laxative effect when added in small amounts (up to 1 litre/100kg body weight) to the traditional roughage base of hay and chaff, even when given as a “hot” bran mash after soaking in hot water.

Bran is made from the fibrous coating on wheat grain. Bran is palatable to horses, it is bulky with a low weight per volume (density), containing 8-11% crude fibre, 4% fat and 14-16% crude protein. Although bran is slightly higher in the majority of essential amino acids than whole wheat, it is still low in those required for growth.

Bran contains useful levels of B-group vitamins, including niacin, pantothenic acid, and folic acid, but is low in most other vitamins. It also contains 1% phosphorus, of which 90% is in the form of phytate. Bran contains very low amounts of calcium and as phytate binds calcium (as well as zinc and iron) and decreases its uptake from the small intestine, large amounts of bran can lead to an induced calcium deficiency known as Nutritional Secondary Hyperparathyroidism (NSH). Historically, it was referred to as “Millers Disease” in horses because flour milling companies often fed their horses rations containing high amounts of “flour offal” or bran.

Calcium, zinc and iron supplements should not be mixed into large amounts of bran, as they may become bound to the phytate in the small intestine and less will be absorbed. Calcium especially, should be fed in the main feed rather than in a bran mash. Calcium can be added to rations containing a small amount of bran as an appetizer without significantly affecting its uptake.

It is not recommended to add additional bran to commercial feeds as this will change the Ca:P ratio of the balanced concentrate feed. It is more advisable to add Chaff to the horse’s feed for extra bulk and to prevent horse’s from bolting their Concentrated feed.

For more information on this feed, please contact Tack & Tuck at 044-8840550