anti-lam

[Dummer&Drummer]

will this make a horse fat or help KEEP weight on

 

[Bay Mare]

I don't know the spiel but from my own experience Saff has actually put weight on and she's not even getting the full 'dose'. She's usually very stable and hasn't had a change of feed or routine apart from the anti-lam ... which I was only feeding for her feet. Haven't seen a change in her feet, only in her belly!

 

[Dummer&Drummer]

i was thinking that anti lam should not do that re weight as is technically for laminatics? i have not 'really' notice weight increase in drums but hard to say as we moved yards a couple of weeks ago. half his dose he has in his snack ball so may be a bit of wastage and consumes it slowly

if he stayed very sound i was going to change him to lami leisure

 

[Yann]

No it shouldn't, mine get it and I also feed them the condition cubes to keep weight on, but they're not laminitics.

 

[Bay Mare]

I agree, I didn't expect a weight gain and going into winter I certainly didn't expect a weight gain!

She's on the same feed, same turnout, same ad-lib hay and is being worked MORE than she was previously! The only variable is the anti-lam which I actually didn't consider until I read your post

 

[Bebe]

Mine isn't losing weight on it, which is a bit worrying at this time of year given that she's getting only token feeds (100g of JustGrass, 100g of unmolassed sugarbeet per day) plus grass & hay and isn't rugged. She is on the full dose of Anti-Lam.

I'm going back to Lo-Cal once I've used up this bag as I can't see any difference in her condition or hooves since switching to Anti-Lam and it's half the price. Hopefully she'll start to drop weight a bit once I've done that as I really don't want to have to muzzle her whilst the field is so wet and muddy, and it's January!!!

I think with my girl she's just so efficient at extracting goodness from feed by herself that any extra help is a bit too much.

 

[Yann]

Perhaps it's the probiotics etc that are in it increasing the efficiency of the digestion? The grazing is still pretty good though which hasn't been the case in recent years.

 

[Dummer&Drummer]

just taken a bit of advice. drummer has not put any weight on but he has not lost any....dont think the antilam is designed for that job though the antilam should not put the weight on. think a lot of people are saying the same this winter, it is wet and mild, which is going to affect the grass

antilam is better fed twice a day if possible, works better, and i have noticed improvement in drummer since he has been on it. he will remain on the antilam prob till after the spring and if he is still sound will be down graded to lami lesiure, which is half the price

i think i am also going to make the radical decision of down grading drummers rugs, he will go in a light weight day and night until we really do hit winter (if it comes this year) also he is going to be in by night and out by day and stable food will be soaked hay - he should loose some calories on this regime - and needs to loose a bit really before spring

(ps i know that you should not really down grade rugs, but figured that if i sold him tommorow, new owners could do what ever they saw fit) - just this once and next year i will rug up later, he is still too hot despite being half clipped out

 

[Jessey]

ps i know that you should not really down grade rugs,

Just wanted to say I think that is mad - I rug according to the weather, I aim to keep my horse at a contstant temp if its cooler outside he needs more, if its warm he needs less to achive that.

I think I will be down grading both of mine this week so long as that wind dies off/warms up - although it was warm last week that wind really cooled it down at our place.

The Anti-lam definatly shouldn't add calories to the ration, but because it is well balanced nutritionally and also has probiotics it will mean that the gut it at a high efficency so will get as much as possible (probably more than normaly) out of the regular feed stuffs

J x

 

[Bay Mare]

Actually thinking about it, it's LOW calorie but there are calories in it and adding calories is going to add weight if you don't compensate elsewhere in the diet. Like anything, you add calories, you put on weight

The reasonable grass quality would be a valid arguement if Saff didn't already live out 24/7. She hasn't particularly changed weight throughout the year even with a change of field so, in her case, it has to be the extra calories in the anti-lam that have put weight on her. I'm not seeing enough of a benefit to keep her on it anyway so after this bag will go back to what I was feeding normally.

 

[Bebe]

The grazing is still pretty good though which hasn't been the case in recent years.

Very true, and I'm not really complaining since it's halved my hay bill compared to this time last year. I suspect the probiotics aren't helping, though I've had to supplement with Pink Powder on and off for the last month or so to prevent loose droppings so I'm not sure how effective the ones in Anti-Lam really are. The bigger issue for me is the cost based on there being no obvious improvement in condition since switching (why spend the money if I don't need to?) and also the protein content is lower than I expected from a balancer and since that's why I feed it over a powdered supplement it's become a moot exercise.

antilam is better fed twice a day if possible, works better, and i have noticed improvement in drummer since he has been on it.

I split mine into breakfast & evening feeds, makes her think she's getting something. I like the pellets as I can fill a coat pocket and hand feed it as treats if necessary.

think i am also going to make the radical decision of down grading drummers rugs, he will go in a light weight day and night until we really do hit winter (if it comes this year) also he is going to be in by night and out by day and stable food will be soaked hay - he should loose some calories on this regime - and needs to loose a bit really before spring

When I do rug I rug according to the conditions, if it's really mild and wet I'd use a l/w, colder I'd go to a slightly heavier rug, then might swop back if it turned mild again. I also only rug as needed and remove it when not, as long as you time it right and know your horse it's ok. You may want to bear in mind that if it does drop cold he'll be colder in a l/w than with no rug at all as it flattens the coat and prevents the horse from fluffing up to trap air and provide insulation.

 

[Dummer&Drummer]

you dont think it is the CONTINUED good ness of the grass

i think with drums i am going to upkeep the anti-lam as he has been good on it and also i dont have to worry about vitamins, but de calorie the hay - eg soak for 12 hours

 

[Dummer&Drummer]

You may want to bear in mind that if it does drop cold he'll be colder in a l/w than with no rug at all as it flattens the coat and prevents the horse from fluffing up to trap air and provide insulation.

ok cool thanks. it has a high neck on the LW so that should help a bit and if he is in most of the week stabled should be ok for a bit in these temperatures

 

[Nookster]

Isn't he clipped also?

I really would rug according to weather rather than his weight.

I rug my boy more in the stable than turnout as he is stood still confined in a stable and more likely to become cold, rather than out and about moving and eating.

Best thing, feel the bottom of his ear this will allow you to assess you horses temp

 

[Dummer&Drummer]

yes clipped and still very warm under MW (do believe owners before the last used to fully clip him)

if you have a look in general - photos of our move, it shows drummer to date and also the field behind the gate/stables in the photo is his grazing field

 

[Bay Mare]

you dont think it is the CONTINUED good ness of the grass

In Saffy's case, no. A couple of weeks ago she was coming in starving, now (after all of the rain) she's not so hungry anymore. She tends to feed according to the conditions so I could tell that the grass was better because she wasn't so bothered about her hay and feed. I can put them under her nose and she won't touch them if the grass in the field is ok. (Wish I was like that!)

Since she's been on a forage diet her weight has barely fluctuated, it's only since going on anti-lam that I've seen a really noticeable weight gain. Of course the grass doesn't help but she didn't stick weight on like this when they changed fields and she *should* have done. Don't forget, though, that Saffy is very sensitive to feeds! She drops weight alarmingly on mixes and molasses! The dealer that I got her off commented to me recently that they broke the mould when Saffy was born and she's certainly right about that!