Equifibre Meadow Pro

 
Equifibre Meadow Pro

You will all be aware that, due to various reasons, there has been a shortage of Chaffs and Hay around the Country over recent months.

Dunstan, in association with Let’s Bale, the manufacturers of the Equifibre range of ensiled forages, were planning on launching the Equifibre Meadow Pro variant later this year.

However, given the dire shortage of Chaffs and Hay, it was decided to launch Equifibre Meadow Pro earlier than planned to meet the ongoing demand for quality fibres for the equine feed market.

To do this we needed to launch Equifibre Meadow Pro in temporary packaging – a plain white bag with an over-label.

The final packaging ( see the image) is now at the printers and so, Equifibre Meadow Pro will be available in its final smart packaging later this year. 

There have been a couple of queries regarding Equifibre Meadow Pro, particularly around recommended feeding levels, energy levels and its suitability for laminitic horses and horses prone to other metabolic conditions

Equifibre Meadow Pro is comprised of 100% natural high-quality permanent pasture blend including ryegrass and  clover, ensiled under optimum conditions.

Firstly, the recommended Feeding levels for Equifibre Meadow Pro are:

  • Ponies: 1kg – 3kg / day
  • Horses in Moderate Work: 3kg – 5kg / day
  • Spelling/Maintenance : 2kg – 4kg / day
  • Horses under High Workload  : 4kg – 6kg / day
  • Weanlings/Yearlings :  2kg-4kg / day
Secondly , to address the issue of energy levels:

  • Equifibre Meadow Pro is described as a ‘cool energy’ fibre supplement.  
  • Calories (Megajoules, MJ) are a unit measure for energy.  
  • Equifibre Meadow Pro is a low-calorie feed and therefore it is described as a ‘low-energy’  or ‘Cool energy’ fibre supplement. 
  • ‘As Fed’ ,Equifibre Meadow Pro will provide 4MJ/kg. This compares to Barley at 13 MJ/kg, Linseed Meal at 11MJ/kg or Copra at 12MJ/kg. So Equifibre Meadow Pro is low in energy and therefore it is described as a  ‘cool energy’  fibre supplement.
    Lastly , is Equifibre Meadow Pro suitable for laminitic horses and horses prone to other metabolic conditions? 
  • So much around the issues of horses with metabolic issues and those which are predisposed to Laminitis are management related and excess feeding of any feedstuff can pose a risk to the horse..
  • Equifibre Meadow Pro has a Starch level of <1.2% (Dry Matter) . This would equate to less than 5g of Starch per kg of Equifibre Meadow Pro ‘As Fed’.
  • Horses prone to Laminitis should have ideally no more than 1g of starch per kg bodyweight per meal.  
  • So, based on a 500kg horse, this would be no more than 500grams of starch per meal. 
  • So you if you feed 2kg – 4kg of  Equifibre Meadow Pro per day, the horse would only be getting 10gms – 20gms of starch – well below the highest recommended levels of starch for laminitic horses.
  • The Soluble Sugar level in Equifibre Meadow Pro is less than 2% ‘As Fed’ which would work out at 20 grams per kg of product being fed.  This is indicated by Technical data obtained from Hills Laboratories as a ‘low level’ of soluble sugar.


Please let us know if you require any further information about Equifibre Meadow Pro.

 

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