Yes, LMF is a sweet feed because it is bound with molasses as you
went on to say in your correspondence. Some pelleted feeds that I
mentioned such as Tiz Whiz and Sterling Pellets do not have molasses
added to them so I know they're out there. I do not add any
vitamin supplements other than biotin to the LMF endurance-G but I do
add the LMF supplement to the rolled oats for my younger mare. I have
tried so many different feeding programs in the past. Last year I spoke
with Marlen of the LMF company. Per his suggestion I had my hay sent out
for analyzing, I put my mare on 6 lbs. of LMF Endurance-G and still could
not put weight on her and she was nervous and flighty - "no brains" as
they say. The hay analysis turned out excellent according to Marlen and
my veterinarian. By the way, I wasn't working this horse on a conditioning
program either at the time, I was simply trying to put weight on. My older
mare whom I endurance rode last year lost weight on the LMF alone at 4 lbs.
a day. I rode 25 milers at the beginning of the season and finished the
season with three 50 milers in two months. She finished the season too thin.
Marlen told me that although he did not advocate it, some clients were feeding
as much as 12 lbs. of LMF endurance-G per day with no ill effects! I can't
afford that much LMF per day for two horses just to keep weight on. That's
why I switched to the rice bran as an added supplement to the LMF for the
older mare. I also had heard from a friend that pit crewed for the FEI last
year that the winning horses were all eating rice bran. That was good enough
for me. I've had great results with the combination that I now feed and our
entire team has added rice bran. It certainly hasn't hurt anyone's horse at
this point. I had to switch to rolled oats and rice bran for the younger
mare to calm her down. She simply cannot tolerate molasses (sweet feed) in
her diet. The proof is in the results. Seeing is believing. I know formulas
work in theory, and I'm not a scientist or a biologist, but I know what works
for my horses.
I also wanted to mention that during my conversations with Marlen he stressed
the neutral detergent fiber and the acid detergent fiber in the hay as being
extremely important factors with regard to digestion and absorbtion of the
other nutrients in the additional feeds. Look again at the article in the
AERC Endurance News, June, 1996, and read about the importance of fiber as an
energy source that is overlooked. It states, "the endproducts of fibre
fermentation can be used as energy sources throughout the day since fermentation
continues long after a meal has been eaten". It makes sense to me, therefore,
that fiber, as a vehicle for the other nutrients that are absorbed during a
meal is significantly important and that we should be looking at our hay
stuffs more closely (since percentage-wise we feed more hay than feed/grain)
for it's nutritive value. We tend to place more importance on the supple-
ments and grains, on protein and fat.
Joyce
Arlington, WA