Making the Heathier Switch

As many of you probably already know & read, Ben had made some big changes with his feeding management. For a refresher for those who don't remember here it is.... Ben was eating 9 quarts a day of Cavalor feed. Two quarts Fiberforce & 1 Quart senior three times a day. His weight never really came back from when he was sick with his severe ulcers. Anyone that knows Ben knows that his weight fluctuates at the drop of a hat. You don't know a hard keeper until you met Ben! He did just ok on the Cavalor & sometimes looked decent & sometimes did not. He was able to stay ulcer free while eating it, but certainly didn't thrive on it. So after trying numerous ways to get him to gain weight without increasing his grain which is a big NO especially for ulcer prone horses (which lets be real is basically all horses..) I finally made a huge leap or at least it felt that way. I was finally able to purchase the much awaited Astrids Oil after I had been legit stalking it since Ben was diagnosed with severe ulcers. It has only just as of December become available for those USA folks! So I began the oil & within 3 days noticed some pretty amazing changes. Now not quiet 2 months on the oil & he's gained at least 50 pounds of weight & muscle. The oil is cold compressed oat oil. So after seeing these amazing results rom just oat oil the wheels in my brain began spinning drastically. If Ben was improving so much from an oat oil imagine what he might do on whole oats as a main part of his diet..... 

I had also been stalking the Crypto Aero feed since the summer, but due to again limited availability I would have had to drive 2 hours just to buy it. Trust me I thought about it too! So I had to just sit back & wait. Well again just recently the feed store that I had already been buying Ben's cavalor feed begn carrying the Crypto Aero feed! You know the emoji on your phone with the hearts as eyes? Yea that was me when I found out it was within the reach of my grabbing fingers. So after many lengthy conversations with the Crypto feed owner I decided to take a leap off a cliff is how I like to put that one. I was excited but nervous because Ben looses weight if the wind blows the wrong way (he always has even as a youngster!) I went ahead & began the transition to the Crypto within a week. Now over 2 full weeks into the change I am astounded at the results. He does not need this feed soaked & able to chew it perfectly fine. He has not lost any weight which that alone is amazing. He is eating the higher amount they recommend at 6 pounds a day (due to his hard keeper nature) but after 4 full weeks you revaluate & make changes at that time. Why 4 weeks? Their body & GI tract are basically going through a detoxing program from eating soy, corn, wheat scraps, fillers, overload of sugars, & overload of GMO's. The GI tract is being built up again to restore its normal state that it once was. I also decided to put Ben on the supplement that compliments the feed. Crypto Aero Plus is an al around vitamin & mineral supplement that supports the entire horse inside & out. Ben loves the flavor & I must say it tastes pretty good! (not that I've eaten it...)

I have been doing a ton & I mean a ton of research into why whole food diets are better for horses.... The main reason is that its what horses are supposed to eat!!! Why is it that horses have so many metabolic issues these days & GI issues as apposed to years & years ago before "fortified bagged feeds" became the norm? Isn't this a clue & wake up call that we are the ones screwing up horses??? We need a serious change in how things are done. Whole foods & letting horses live like they were meant to along with 24/7 hay access. No I am no expert nor do I claim to be one, but I can tell you the differences & I don't mean minor ones at making & implementing these changes to Ben. He is a completely different horse than a year ago & even before that. He's moving so much better, he's gaining weight & muscle, he's happier , he's extremely ridiculously shiny (LOL), his overall demeanor is alert yet has an apparent calmness & tranquility about it. He is just plain happy inside & out finally. 

Your horse may "appear" to be doing great & even look shiny & healthy but I'm sure there's something (there always is!) that isn't where it should be. Like feet aren't great or GI issues, or overweight, or shiny but bleached out, or too much energy or not enough energy. All these things are signals. Ben looked awesome when his ulcers began he was borderline being too heavy actually & had a great shine & things "appeared" great but low & behold his GI tract was plotting a war against him.

Ben's new healthy regimen will be Crypto Aero, Astrid's Oil, Crypto Aero Plus, & Assure Plus (for sand removal). That simple & that's it. He will continue with his alfalfa at 2 flakes per day (around 12 pounds) & free choice grass hay in slow feeder nets (nibblenets), plain salt block, Himalayan salt lick, Redmond Rock salt lick, 24/7 turnout, & his awesome little solar tank that keeps powering through to ensure water is always available despite any weather conditions!  

Here is a before & after photo top being today & bottom before the new changes!