FAQs Page

Because we love having a natter, we always encourage our customers to give us a call to chat about any queries. But we understand that some people just want to crack on and find the answers to their questions online, and fast.

Below are answers to our most frequently asked questions, but if you can't find the answer you're looking for then call us on +44 1458 258185 or email info@twomares.co.uk and we'll do our best to give you the information you need.

FAQ by Dale Moulton

What is Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition made from?
The ingredients are straightforward, they are of the purest quality available, and minimally processed to create the digestive ease that Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition is already famous for. Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition does not contain the enzyme inhibitors that can create so much digestive distress in equines. Strangely, nonstructural carbohydrates have been blamed for Cushing’s disease, laminitis, founder, and a host of other problems. Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition has viable amounts of nonstructural carbohydrates, yet the horses on Dale Moulton’s Equine Nutrition never display these problems, is that enough to make you think and maybe investigate more. Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition operates with its own set of rules, the old thinking simply does not apply. Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition is rewriting the rulebooks of equine health, and I’m proud to say our horses are benefiting from this in a major way.

What are the ingredients in Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition?
1. Alfalfa
2. Linseed Meal
3. Whole Soya Bean Meal (non –GMO)
4. Timothy Grass
5. Kelp
6. Grain Sorghum

The background to why Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition is so good?
To understand why Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition works so well, you first have to understand the attributes of the ingredients horse feeds are made from. The most fundamentally important fact is that wholegrain is naturally designed to be INDIGESTIBLE for equines. This is for a very good reason. Nature intended grazing animals to eat the grass including the seeds. The seeds have (naturally producing) chemicals included to stop them being digested in order that they pass through the animals’ digestive system and are excreted somewhere else, in effect a natural seed sowing process designed as part of nature. The system is perfect, and has worked very efficiently since creation.

What we have done is interrupt the natural process; we have harvested the seeds from the grass, and fed the animals the seeds that were never meant to be digested in the first place. The chemicals contained within the grain and grain by-products are powerful enzyme inhibitors and they effectively resist the enzymatic action of digestion. The non-chewed grain berries pass through the gut unharmed, and are deposited in a pile of nutrients, germinate at the right time, and grow more grass so the animals can live on in the future. If the first part of a horse’s digestive system is driven by enzymes and raw grain has enzyme inhibitors included in it, it is not hard to work out what happens when horses are given concentrated amounts of grain and grain by-products with those inhibitors in an active state. They do exactly what they were designed to do, effectively limit the very processes needed to build and re-build a healthy horse.

What I have done is to process the enzyme inhibitors to denature them, but leave the nutrients intact. When Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition is consumed, it encourages and supports normal small intestine enzymatic digestive function. This is why we see horses being able to consume in excess of 50,000 calories per day of the feed without any ill effects. To the best of my knowledge this has never been safely achieved before, yet it is practical, safe, and proven on many rescue horses, most of which were in terrible states of starvation when they started to eat Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition freely.

Why is Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition unique?
Apart from the carefully chosen, natural ingredients, it’s the processing that makes it different. Our (one and only) formula has been created to work in harmony with a horse’s gut providing optimum digestive and an 97% absorption rate.

How is Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition made?
It is a (wet) steam extruded pellet (an extrusion). There are no secret ingredients included in Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition, but the processing to very precise pressure, temperature and time constraints produce what no one else can and this is what makes it unique. It creates a highly digestible pellet which is almost like a malteser inside and crumbles when chewed. Thrive has no waste as it has a 97% absorption rate.

What is an extrusion/extruded feed?
Wet Steam Extrusion is a gentle form of cooking which means beneficial nutrients are kept intact right through to the finished product that is fed to your horse

How does Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition help create a more efficient use of hay and grasses?
A horse’s gut is most efficient when the intestinal pH is in the correct range. Because Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition encourages a desirable pH in a horse’s metabolism, the enzymes work efficiently in the small intestine, and the bacteria in the cecum flourish in the more alkaline environment. A more efficient use of grass means less total feed intake in the long term, and that saves you money.

Why such amazing results?
We start with high quality, wholesome, pure ingredients. The process I use to produce Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition can only create the results I demand by using the very best raw ingredients I can procure. My fundamental requirement is, “always use high quality raw ingredients.” It goes without saying that any by-products, ground roughage products, generic groups of ingredients, and human food production waste products like beet pulp are not on my ingredient list. Essentially, what goes into Thrive you would be happy to eat yourself and you could!

What is Micro milling? Why is the process so important?
The process of micro milling creates a meal with a huge surface area. This allows the digestive enzymes, bile salts, bacteria, and protozoa to efficiently convert Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition into useful nutrients.

The micro milled raw ingredients are conditioned, then steam extruded. The process of wet steam extrusion processes the raw starch in the ingredients and makes the starch water soluble. This allows the horses digestive system to treat Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition as though it was grass. Ingredient conditioning, and then wet steam extrusion increases the digestibility dramatically, it’s over 90%. Most of what you feed becomes horse and not wasted in its poo!

Is Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition expensive?
Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition is an investment in your horse’s health and longevity. Many people consider Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition good value for money, but some people think it’s pricey. I guess it’s the difference between organic / free range chicken and the rest. Really, the cost of a horse feed can’t be measured in how much a bag it is, but rather what effect it has on your horse’s health over a long period of time. I know people who don’t feed Thrive all year round because their horses gut is in a pristine state and they are able to live on just grass for a good part of the year. That makes the Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition very good value. Also, it’s extremely difficult to compare the Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition to normal horse feed bag by bag. You simply can’t do the things you can do with Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition with normal horse feed. Really, when considering which feed to purchase, the question you should be asking yourself is, “Is my purchase going to be an investment supplying dividends, or an expense with a future price to pay”.

What size bag does it come in?
The sack holds 15kg. Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition is de-hydrated, with 93% digestibility ensuring the contents equal or exceed the usable nutritional value of a normal 25kg sack of feed. Another benefit is the lighter sack is much easier to move around.

How do I switch over to Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition?
The way you change your horse to this unique diet is just as different as the results you will achieve. DO NOT MIX DALE MOULTON'S EQUINE NUTRITION WITH ANY OTHER TYPE OR BRAND OF HORSE FEED. The only acceptable addition is forage grasses, and water. The reason for this is the rate of digestion. If you mix other feed with Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition , you may induce a digestive upset that is easily avoidable. Please be aware that many vets are still unaware of the difference in Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition to normal horse feeds, and may advise you to change over slowly. If you have professional advice telling you this, please ask them to call me and discuss why the difference. To change over, stop feeding your horse all rations except hay/grass pasture and water for 24 hours, then feed the appropriate quantity as per the initial feeding quantities printed on lower left back of the bag.

Do all horses love Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition straight away?
We find the majority do but those who have been fed very sugary rations beforehand may take a day or two. Two factors come into play, the first is mouth feel. Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition is light and crunchy, and some horses take longer than others to adjust to the new feel in their mouth, and also how they get it back to their premolars and molars. Although it feels quite hard to the touch, Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition dissolves so readily in a horse’s mouth and it is actually effortless to chew. It is an extrusion. The next issue is that of flavour. Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition is not a flavoured or sweetened ration, it relies on naturally delicious flavours to entice horses. If a horse is in a yard where feeds containing oils and molasses are used, or the horse has been fed a ration of oil rich or senior feed, sweet feeds or feeds with flavours or odours included, you may experience an initial fussiness to Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition, your horse will want the sugar, not the vegetables! In our experience, those who do not take to it straight away, get used to it after a few days. The stubborn ones can be encouraged by some chopped up apples or carrots.

How much do I feed?
You can start with 4 (1.81kg) pounds per day per 1000 (454kg) pounds body weight. That’s a bag every 10 days. Dale Moulton’s Equine Nutrition is like the accelerator on your vehicle, when you want more performance, you push down on the pedal. If you want more performance, you add more feed, all the way up to free choice. Extended testing with all different types of horses in different situations revealed that the average amount consumed by a 1000lb horse is a little over 4 pounds a day. That being the case, the average horse should get at least eight days from one bag of feed. No additional supplementation is suggested. Please note, hotter breeds like Thoroughbreds may use and burn more for the same size.

How often do I feed?
You can break the daily ration up into multiple feeds if you choose. If you need to leave your horse unattended for longer than a day, you can place the feed in a dry manger out of the weather, and let your horse feed him or herself during your absence. Make sure that a constant supply of clean water is available at all times for your horse to drink… and a salt lick is also advised.

How soon before I see a change in my horse?
Dramatic changes in horses have been observed very short time periods, many owners report obvious improvement in their horse’s attitude within a week, and every owner notices changes within 21 days if they follow the instructions. Support is only an email away seven days a week!

Can I wet Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition to make a mash?
Thrive is designed to be fed dry and not wetted down. When you wet the nuggets down you stop the saturation by saliva with its associated enzymes and alkalizing ability and compromise the first part of digestion. If you supply the feed in a large, flat bottomed tub and spread it out thinly, your horse will graze like they do with short grass and the saliva will soften the feed in a matter of seconds, so even if your horse has no teeth, they can still get the required nutrients. The extrusion is a bit like a malteser!

I have an old horse, with very few/poor teeth?
Old horses with worn down teeth do wonderfully well on Thrive, as do all horses. Thrive rapidly softens when it contacts saliva and turns into an easy to swallow meal – like a malteser! It does not take very long for senior horses to get the spring back into their step! Many senior rescue horses are thriving every day on this wonderful diet. I do not recommend wetting down Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition into a sloppy paste. This effectively stops the important action of the primary enzyme in saliva, (alpha amylase) which is the first step in efficient digestion.

Can foals eat Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition?
Foals usually start nibbling at their mother’s food at about a week to ten day’s old. Thrive is so perfectly balanced that foals will start to eat our feed and at the end of a month or so will be happily and safely eating around a pound a day with their mothers. No negative effects have been observed with this practice, only beautiful horses growing up healthily.

What is the sugar content?
Thrive is low in sugar. The small amount of sugars in the feed are naturally occurring with nothing added to sweeten the ration – percentage-wise we are at 4%.

Is Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition FEI compliant?
Yes, Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition is formulated and produced with all approved ingredients. No prohibited substances are used in the manufacture of this product.

What is the shelf life of a bag?
Because Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition has been processed to kill mould and fungal spores, and then de-hydrated, it will last at least one year if kept in a dry place. The processing temperature is not high enough or long enough to deteriorate the valuable nutrients contained in the feed, but the amazing technology used does enhance the digestibility.

Isn’t Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition high in protein?
Major misunderstandings are evident with regard to protein in horse feed. The high quality proteins in Thrive are easily utilized and what is not used for muscle building or rebuilding is converted into energy just like carbohydrate. Protein is essential for all the intestinal micro-organisms that break down fibre into simple sugars for energy, that’s what they live on. Protein and carbohydrate both have the same energy value so once again your horse has all the protein necessary to build and rebuild and what is not used will become fuel for useful work. The results speak for themselves!

What about horses with Cushings and IR horses?
Thrive has proven very helpful dealing with the support of metabolically challenged horses. Usually the horses that have been diagnosed with Cushing’s are really in a stress response and have Pseudo Cushing’s, a situation where the bloodwork resembles the result of a pituitary tumor but is the result of stress. Exactly the same with IR (Insulin Resistant) horses. The condition is the result of stressors placed on the horse. Thrive has proven to be a very useful tool in supporting recovery from these issues, when the stressors are identified and managed or removed.

Are supplements necessary?
Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition is a complete ration and needs no supplementation. Adding other products to Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition upsets the nutrient balance we work so hard to achieve. A normal equine digestive system has the capacity to manufacture all the necessary nutrients when supplied with the correct diet. Horses and humans alike don’t need all the vitamins and minerals for health every day, we have tissue reserves to compensate nutritional variations during the year.

How can I add Bute or give meds (in its feed) to a horse on Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition?
Yes, we have often done this and sprinkled a little water on it so that the Bute sticks to the feed.

Can I add oils to Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition for more energy?
No! Do not add any oil/fat to our feed. Adding oil and fat to a horse’s diet is like doing a load of greasy dishes without any detergent. The greasy sink is just like the coating on the horse’s gut wall. Horses have never been and will never be fat and oil eaters. For over 2.6 million years they have eaten forage, and that is how their intelligent design is supposed to work. Thrive works so well because it emulates nutrient dense grass.

Are there any calmers in Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition?
No absolutely not. The calming effect effect you may notice is how the horse is naturally meant to be, your horses base temperament. Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition supports stable blood sugar, and with that stability comes optimum temperament. Don’t be fooled by the calmness Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition horses may exhibit, they still have substantial performance capabilities, it’s just delivered in a calmer, more focused way.

Are there any probiotics in Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition?
There are no Probiotics in Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition. Literally speaking Probiotic means “for life”. In digestive terms they are used to replace desirable bacteria killed by digestive anomalies, or events. An event could be as simple as the consumption of antibiotics as a treatment or precaution after an injury or sickness. When horses are ingesting appropriate nutrients creating the correct pH, the gut microbes multiply and flourish as nature intended.

There is a lot of talk about Alfalfa – good and bad. Tell us about the Alfalfa in Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition?
The Alfalfa in our feed formula has been optimized by skilful processing. We do not advise or recommend feeding Alfalfa (Lucerne) when it is raw and unprocessed. Alfalfa is a legume, and has a fermentation profile very different from grasses. I recommend pasture grasses first, and then forage hay like Coastal Bermuda, Tifton 44, Timothy, Orchard grass, prairie hay, and other acceptable equine forages found around the world. Remember, horses are grass eaters by design, and given the right digestive bacteria, they are very good at getting energy from common grasses. After a short time, you may notice your horse not eating as much hay, but is in better physical condition. Digestive efficiency is a saving you can measure in pounds and pence.

What age/breed/type of horses are suitable for Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition?
Thrive is designed for all life stages and breeds and workloads. The ability to feed free choice ad lib allows optimum growth with a digestive system NOT compromised with oils, fat, or raw starch. Senior horses thrive on the highly digestible nuggets as it is so kind to the whole digestive system. Really, when you think about it, horses naturally eat grass, they never eat anything but forage grasses, bark, leaves, and weeds, their whole life, it’s only humans that dictate the hundreds of different types of feed for each type of horse. In marketing terms it’s called “Needs Satisfaction”, the perceived needs of owners trying to do the best for their horses.

Will my horse lose weight on Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition?
If your horse is obese they may shed the excess fat over time. Owners report that Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition does not fatten their horses, but supports the growth of lean, strong muscle mass. Keeping the parasitic weight (the weight a horse has to carry around that does not help with propulsion) to a minimum is important, especially with performance horses.
Once the initial trepidation is passed you will see a whole new urgency at or near feed time, horses really get attached to the feed bin. Fortunately, Thrive is a great pocket treat for them as well… but beware, make sure you remove Thrive from your pockets before washing time!!

Will Thrive slow performance horses down?
Thrive does just the opposite. Just because your horse may become easier to handle and calmer doesn’t mean they will be slower. To be flighty and anxious takes energy, and energy comes from what horses eat. The utilization of the available energy to support speed and endurance instead of nervousness and bad attitude is a wonderful attribute Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition supports.

Why is Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition low in fat?
Contrary to popular trends I don’t advocate or endorse the feeding of fat and oil to horses. A horse’s digestive system was never designed to digest fat and oil, they are herbivores, grass eaters. We all know the amount of information available that supports the adoption of a low fat diet in humans, just look in the supermarket for products that say, “high fat for health”, there aren’t any. We are more adept than horses at metabolizing fat, and we are told to eat a low-fat diet for health, yet we willingly feed our horses fat laden pellets and are assured that it’s just fine, that makes no sense. Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition is low fat because that is what a horse is designed to eat. Many owners report Thrive supports the building of lean muscle mass, allowing their horses to perform without layers of useless fat to drag around.

Will my horse be more ‘heat’ tolerant?
Three types of heat affect horses and are detrimental to their performance. Environmental heat, muscular heating due to physical work, and heat of digestion, the heat generated by the digestive process. The ease with which Thrive is digested dramatically reduces the horses heat load and that effects performance, especially in hot weather. Additionally, because Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition may have a calming effect on your horse, little energy is lost in nervousness, so the energy value of the feed is saved for useful work, instead of being dissipated as dangerous attitudes and behaviour not commensurate with easy handling and interaction.

Why can I NOT feed any GRAIN with Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition?
The gut transit rates of Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition are totally different to that of raw grain and will ‘sweep’ the raw grain through the horse’s digestive system and cause colic or worse.

Does a Stubb’s scoop weigh 1 kg of Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition?
Yes

What are the analytical constituents?

• Crude Protein 17.5%
• Crude Fibre 17%
• Crude Oils & Fats 4%
• Crude Ash 9%
• Moisture 6%
• Calcium 1.1%
• Phosphorus 0.35%
• Sodium 0.15%
• Potassium 1.5%
• Magnesium 0.27%
• Lysine 0.71%
• Methionine 0.2%
• Starch (not raw) 16%
• Sugars 4%
• Nutritional Additives per kg
• Vitamins
E672
• Vitamin A E671
• Vitamin D3 3a700
• Vitamin E
• 6,000IU 800 IU 120mg
• Trace Elements
 3b103 Iron (II) (Iron sulphate monohydrate 160mg) 48mg
• 3b202 Iodine (Calcium iodate, anhydrous 0.95mg)
• 0.6mg 3b405 Copper (II) (Copper sulphate pentahydrate 96mg) 24mg
• 3b502 Manganese (II) (Manganese oxide 66.6mg) 40mg 3b603
• Zinc (Zinc oxide 100mg) 72mg 3b801
• Selenium (Sodium selenite 4.4mg) 0.2mg
• Composition (In descending order by weight)
• Alfalfa meal
• Grain sorghum
• Timothy grass meal
• Soya bean meal
• Linseed meal
• Dried Kelp meal
• Monodicalcium phosphate
• Digestibility Enhancer
• Calcium Carbonate
• Magnesium oxide
• Sodium Chloride
• Potassium Chloride
• Yucca Shidigera
• Soya used in this product is Certified Non-GMO

 

How do I use Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition for the first time?

Dale Moulton’s Equine Nutrition - Feed to Thrive is a steam extruded product. To get the best results, please use only as directed. If an equine professional advises you to use this product in a different way, please contact us.

Before switching to this feed, stop feeding anything except grass and/or hay and water for 24 hours, then feed at the suggested rate as per the feeding table. Take some photos of your equine. After a few weeks take more photos and compare. If your horse has gained weight but does not need to, reduce the amount of feed. If your horse has lost weight, increase the amount of feed a little.

Horses who have been fed a diet of normal horse feed, especially those fed oils and fats, may initially dislike this feed. The mouth feel, due to the light weight and texture of the kibble, can take time to adapt to, for some horses and some may drop more feed than they eat, until they get accustomed to the lightweight kibble. Keep offering Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition to them until they start eating. This may take a few days with some, especially if their old ration is fed to other horses nearby and they can smell it! If your horse is in an environment where other feeds are fed close by that they have eaten in the past, you may experience resistance to change. Horses have a very keen sense of smell. We can offer samples FOC before you commit to purchase.

Do Not Mix Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition With Other Horse Feeds, Raw Grains, Supplements Or Fats/Oils

Feed at ground level in wide, flat buckets.

Horses are short stem grass eaters by design, their bodies are meant to eat at ground level. Feeding horses from fence or stable wall mounted buckets should be avoided. The best way to feed is to spread a thin layer over the base of a large tub and make your horses work at getting the feed in their mouth. Don’t use narrow buckets as this will create a situation where a horse can take large mouthfuls of feed, resulting in incomplete salivary saturation in the rear of their mouth. This is easily avoidable with flat wider tubs.

DALE MOULTON'S EQUINE NUTRITION IS DESIGNED TO BE FED DRY, EVEN TO HORSES WITH LITTLE OR NO TEETH.

How do I feed Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition?

When changing over to Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition, only feed hay and water, or grass and water for 24 hours, then begin feeding at the recommended rate. Under no circumstances mix or blend with any other horse feeds or grain/grain by-products. Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition is very different. Please use only as directed. Thrive is designed to be fed dry. If you create a feeding situation where your horse cannot gulp the feed down, the saliva in the back of their mouth will ensure the feed crumbles and softens to make chewing easy, even for horses with limited or no teeth.

Feed according to the activity level and condition of your horse. Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition is a complete feed requiring no supplements, balancers, oils or mixers. Feed in combination with quality forage and clean water. It is also recommended that a salt lick be available.

The information below is meant as a basic guide. Once you start feeding our product, your equine’s individual needs can be assessed by inspection of their condition. Fine adjustments to the feeding amounts can then be made more accurately. For the extra calorific requirements of mares in foal, growing, performance and starved or neglected horses, adjust amounts accordingly. Can be safely fed ad-lib without restriction.

Dale Moulton's Equine Nutrition should be offered as part of a feeding programme based on constant access to forage, as forage is the most important part of a horse’s diet. For extra calorific requirements of mares in foal, growing, performance, and starved down rescue horses, adjust amounts accordingly up to unlimited 24/7 access.

A STUBBS SCOOP IS EQUIVALENT TO 1KG of DALE MOULTON'S EQUINE NUTRITION

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