Each day we get questions from horse owners about anything to do with feeding our products all the way through to advice on health, nutritional requirements for specific disciplines or phases in a horses life, care and husbandry questions as well as some small animal related questions for horse owners feeding our products to their dogs.

Here at Stance Equine we thought we would share these questions with you in the hope that it may answer one of your own questions, as well as add to your knowledge bank on horses and why feeding our product is one of the best decisions you can make for your horse.

If, for some reason, one or more do not take to the feed right away I realize I may have to separate them to feed for a while but I am hoping eventually to be able to feed them all in an open paddock the way I do now.

Kim Sturgeon, Ravenel SC. USA

Answer:

Coolstance can be fed wet or dry.

People in the UK feed it wet. In Australia it is fed wet or dry. There are no issues with feeding it dry. We recommend that you place the feed bin away from the water trough. You will observe that your horses will rotate between the feed trough and the water. Horses eat CoolStance much slower than other feeds. CoolStance is one of the very few high energy feeds that does not cause a glucose spike, ie it is a “Slow Feed”

Feeding rates are usually 1lb per feed and can be increased with work. You can feed Coolstance together with pasture and/medium quality hay....together it is a total feed.

Question: "I have a mare that has PSSM, can you recommend a supplement?"

I have an 8 year old mare who has tested positive for PSSM do you have a supplement that you would recommend? Standing 14.1, she is a bulldog type horse with an energetic personality. We ride her at least five times a week so she is exercised well. She is fed 1/2 a flake of grassy alfalfa morning and 1/2 half a flake at night. Her weight is good now but she is a very easy keeper so I have to watch what she eats closely. I supplement only to provide minerals and vitamins that are missing from today's feeds. I am interested in more information about your product. I am currently using CoolStance for another mare that has a tendency to bloat out quickly and but on weight by just looking at food and I seem to be getting good results so that is why I thought I would contact you about the PSSM mare.

Thank you, Nancy Ingebrigtsen, UK

Answer:

PSSM, Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy, can be a common problem for horses fed on high starch/sugar diets. Where PSSM occurs as a result of excess glycogen or glucose -6-phosphate presence in the muscles. We can discuss this problem in relation to the NSC % (Non Structural Carbohydrates) found in horse feeds and its effect on nutrition. I have attached some information on NSC in Horses and the effects it can have.

You mentioned that you are currently feeding one of your other horses CoolStance, this feed would also be suitable for your horse suffering from PSSM, as CoolStance is low in NSC, less than 11% sugars & starch, and contains coconut oil which contains MTC (medium-chain-triglycerides) which are highly beneficial for maintaining gut health and normal function.

Research on PSSM recommends a feeding regime providing low starch & sugar, combined with high in fat supplementation. CoolStance is a natural and safe complete feed which reflects both these qualities of low starch and sugar and containing 8-10% coconut oil.

You may have noticed a product on our website, PowerStance, which is a powdered MTC for horses, containing 70% natural coconut oil. This product may also be of benefit to your PSSM mare as it is the perfect representation of a high fat supplement.

Question: How to Maintain Weight on Harness Horse In Work?

Hi there, do you have a distributor in Victoria and if so what do you recommend I feed a harness racing horse that struggles to hold his weight during a hard racing program?

Cheers, Darren. Victoria, Australia

Answer:

Thanks for your enquiry, we have several distributors in Victoria. Can you advise which region of Victoria you are based in and the store you currently purchase with?

For racing horses, which required high levels of energy without the fizziness we recommend a feeding regime of GoStance and supplementation with PowerStance.

GoStance is a complete feed, consisting of CoolStance copra meal, wholesome Australian wheatpollard & wheat bran and VitaStance vitamin & mineral mix, that provides all the nutrients required by working horses to promote health, vitality and peak performance. PowerStance is a powdered coconut oil, rich in Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT) and is recommended for weight gain and maintaining condition, providing rapid release of energy for horses in hard training.

Question: My Mare Has Bighead Is There A Supplement For This?

Hi There. My pregnant mare has big head and we have no where to run her that doesn't have buffle,so wondering if there is a pre mix supplement I can get to help rectify this? Have been onto the vet and they have ordered some bone supplement but will be a week before it gets here.

Hope you can help, Brenda. Queensland Australia

Answer:

You have described many of the symptoms, including swelling around the face and lameness so hopefully with this early detection you will be able to treat it quickly.

We do offer a complete feed, GoStance, which is a copra meal pellet specifically designed for horses grazing high oxalate pastures. It contains a mix of copra, wheat pollard & bran and vitamin & mineral supplementation, with extra electrolytes and calcium.

While GoStance is highly recommended for feeding to prevent diseases like Big Head, the calcium quantities are not high enough to reverse the effects once established. We encourage you to continue using all advice that the vets have provided, you are on the right track!!

In regards to feeding and teeth, if you are concerned that feeding dry food may be causing discomfort GoStance pellets can be feed both dry and wet (turns into a mash).