This time we will write the blog in English, as we made an interview in English and the answers are always better un-translated. We have as many of you already know, started to collaborate with the horse feed Friesian Gold. This is a feed developed for the friesian horse and its needs, together with another collaborator of ours- Stal Baron Spahn and Marc Peter Spahn the rider of our breeding stallion Mees 497 sport elite.
”I started with Probarn/ Friesian Gold because I believe in a specific training for Friesians. So also in a specific diet , to help me gain as much as possible to compete against other races like KWPN and german warmbloods. Instead of giving all different supplements to influence my performance, I now give a completely balanced diet. My horses love it! They are super fit, Physical! Not crazy, Mental! Endurance and acidification is under control. Flexibility but also muscle strength improved. Mentally, my horses are focused for the heavy work. Like in human topsport ; specialists are involved in a diet”.
– Marc Peter Spahn.
We have asked some questions to Bert Hoogendoorn, Sales Manager at Probarn- the company behind the Friesian Gold line.
- What is the reason behind you started the Friesian Gold line?
First of all it started with the personal interest in these magical horses with their imposing appearance and gentle character. We wanted to make a product line for Friesian horses. As we were developing the line we came in contact with Marc-Peter Spahn, who was looking for a product line that covers the needs of Friesian horses. With Probarn we make custom feed for stables. Based on the analyses of the roughage we make a custom made pellet that covers the shortages in the roughage and adds all necessary vitamins and minerals for the horses to make sure they can perform in the best way possible. Whether it’s a sports horse, a pregnant mare or a young foal.
Marc-Peter Spahn was interested in our concept, and we were very interested in his 20 years of experience in breeding, training, feeding and riding horses on the highest level. During our conversations we talked about the specific things he found with feeding Friesians and the choices he had in products to feed them in the best way possible. The most important things we had to take extra interest in were muscle building, skin, coat, hooves and endurance- and that all without feeding a lot of kilos. We made a product range that covers all the needs and tested them for over a year at Marc-Peters stables, and made changes when necessary to optimize the products. Now we think it’s time to share these products with all Friesian owners and breeders!
- Why does friesian horses need a feed developed specifically for the breed?
As already mentioned above we had some points of interest where we had to look at differently with Friesian horses as we had to with other breeds.
Muscle building and endurance without to many kilos of feed
Although nowadays we no longer see the Friesian horse as a cold-blooded cart horse, the breed is originally quite sober. This means that she is more sensitive to carbohydrate- and protein-rich foods. Our Friesian Gold products takes into account these conflicting needs of a sober diet on the one hand and sufficient energy and proteins to be able to deliver sports performance on the other. The protein, starch and sugar in the products have been kept as low as possible, but use has been made of easily absorbable energy sources, healthy fats and extra amino acids have been added to ensure that there are no shortages for muscle development. In addition, the Friesian Gold products also contains a high level of natural vitamin E to slow muscle acidification and promote muscle recovery.
Skin, coat and hooves
The right food for the Friesian horse is also important to prevent skin problems and to maintain the black color. Friesien Gold Expert Balance contains a high content of Zinc, Copper and various B vitamins including Biotin. Zinc supports a beautiful, shiny coat and plays a role in the regulation of various skin functions and the construction of the skin structure. Copper is important in the pigmentation of the hair and helps to maintain the black color. Biotin is a well-known B vitamin that contributes to a healthy skin condition and strengthens the hooves.
Most of the vitamins and minerals mentioned above are present in the normal or average pellets from other brands, but it is either not enough (especially with zinc and copper) or way too much (when it comes to sugar and starch).
We wanted to change that and make a product range that keeps them black, shiny and healthy without adding all kinds of supplements and available for all Friesian owners!
- How do I know the dose of pellets- or supplements, that I need to give my horse in relation to the hay?
As we do a lot of hay analysis every year we gather a lot of information about the hay quality in that certain year. As the weather conditions and the moment of harvesting have a serious impact on the quality of the hay, for us these results are very important, especially with our custom made pellets. All our analysis are done by Eurofins, a leading company when it comes to certain procedures. Above that we get the average of all results of the analysis done by Eurofins every year. Based on that we calculate the ingredients needed in the Friesian Gold products for this year, and we will adjust them likewise every year. In this way we provide our customers with a product line that completes the shortages in the roughage without feeding too little or too much.
- Do I need to add extra vitamins/minerals to the pellets?
No, the combination of sufficient quality roughage and the pellets should be enough to cover the whole spectrum of vitamins and minerals your horse needs! As not every horse is the same we do have a range of supplements that can help to give some extra support for that one horse that needs a little bit extra.
5. In Sweden we have the recommendation of minimum 1,5 kg DS (dry substance) per 100 kg horse weight for a horse in normal work. How much hay is your recommended portion based upon?
We have the same recommendation. So we have calculated for all pellets (the recommended portion which is written on the bag) with 11 kg of hay that has 84% DS for a horse of 600kg. If you feed the recommended portion of the bag, make sure not to go over 1,7 kg DS per 100 kg horse. If you feed more hay to your horse, then the calculation of the portion of pellets has to be taken into consideration from the analyze of your hay.
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