The Pure Feed Company

When I agreed to work with The Pure Feed Company on a trial feeding programme for my horses over the winter little did I realise that the feed would end up being trialled at such a difficult time!!

I was introduced to PureFeed by Fiona Price of the HorseHero website. I liked their new approach to feed focusing on slow release energy and low levels of starch and sugar, so we worked on a trial plan over the winter.

First of all I love the consistency of the feed. Unlike most 'traditional' feeds it is very fibre based. This means that the horses spend much more time chewing it. I reckon at least twice as long. Apart from keeping them occupied for longer over the long winter days when they could not go out, this is great for their teeth. However, most importantly, it cuts down gastric problems, which are always a risk to high performance horses. The extra chewing means extra saliva and extra time in the stomach, limiting the effects of the dreaded gastric acid.  

Secondly the horses absolutely love the taste. I have struggled in the past with fussy eaters, and have to admit I have been tempted at times to add molasses or other wicked tasty things to tempt them to eat(dare I mention Ribena!). The great thing about PureFeed is that it is tasty WITHOUT the starch and sugars that are tasty but unnatural. 

Thirdly the horses look fabulous and are in great form. Although we have not yet competed on PureFeed yet, my horses have had more excuses to be stressed than any normal competition season:

To start with we moved yards in December just as we started the new feed. I know, this is not recommended, but circumstances dictated. Then the snow came! And for some reason it decided to dump most of it on Basingstoke and my new yard! No turnout, then no exercise as the outdoor school froze over, then finally no walker...for 5 days my horses could not move from their stable. Everyone was desperate. Friends were calling me with horrific stories of colicking horses. My horses were holding up OK but were going stir crazy 24 hours in their stable. This is not the ideal situation for any horse, let alone an advanced eventer in the process of getting fit for Badminton! We called our good friend Nikki Ryan, who has an indoor school and an undercover walker. She generously agreed to shelter us poor refugees (and many others). We set off in my massive lorry, which was the only vehicle with enough weight or grip to get through the 6 inches of solid ice on the drive. We are now back in Basingstoke and all the horses are in brilliant shape, none the worse for their stressful winter, looking forward to a full and exciting year of competition:

-FBW Chico-

Chico is full German warmblood, eats very well, and is a very good doer. We fed him Pure Condition for a few weeks initially just to help him put a bit of winter condition on.  We now find that Pure Sport and Stud provids all the energy he needs for his everyday training, maintaining his condition so he doesn't gain or lose any weight. Previously, we have had big issues with Chico bolting his food down at an incredibly rate, so we always had to feed scoops of Alfa-A in each meal. The first thing you notice about Pure Sport and Stud is that it is mostly fibre. So,  although Chico still always finishes his dinner first, he can't swallow whole mouthfuls at a time and has to chew properly. And no more need to buy in Alfa-A!

-Jeans-

Jeans, like Chico, is warmblood and a good doer. However, having been away in Europe last winter, he returned to start the season looking in poor condition. We kept him looking adequate throughout a busy competition season but we were determined to get him looking his usual magnificent self this winter. Having had him on a diet of Pure Condition, Pure Sport and Stud and Pure Balance, he now looks incredible and his coat has an unusually lovely sheen for a clipped chestnut (he normally goes a horrible peachy colour). The most important thing, however, is that we have been able to up the amount of feed, to more than I would normally be comfortable giving him, and he has yet to show his wild side! Jeans is known as my sharp one and used to be very spooky. This winter so far, I have been able to ride him without worrying what he was going to spook at next!

-Magenta-

Maggie is half Irish draft, and although this reflects itself mentally (very lazy) we have always had a lot of problems keeping any weight on her at all. So the name of the game has always been to feed her as much as she would eat and cross our fingers that it might put a bit of weight on her before her galloping starts in earnest. This winter has been astonishing. After two months of Pure Condition she has a cresty neck and her topline keeps growing. She certainly looks the best she ever has.

-ESB Irish Fiddle-

Fiddle used to rather stand at his door stressing about what the other horses were doing rather than eat his food. He would go through stages of picking at his meals gradually and others of not eating at all. I now feed him three whole feeds a day of  Pure Condition and Pure Sport and Stud, all of which he hoovers up without distraction. He is certainly happier, less stressed and far more content with his life than he has been before.