Meet the Tester
Laura is Redpost’s Merchandising and Promotions lead. Laura has a keen eye for detail and loves to ride out on her loan horse Bailey.
About the product
A barley and oat-free formulation that includes Equi-Jewel, Saracen Condition-improver Cubes are designed to help maintain a steady temperament whilst supporting optimum muscle development and topline.
Tell us about your horse, and why you wanted to try this feed?
“I currently loan an ex-hunt horse called Bailey. He is 16.2hh and 21 years old and I have been struggling to keep weight and condition on him, especially through the winter months. He doesn’t ‘rush’ to eat his feed, often taking twice the amount of time as other horses on the yard to eat, no matter the time of day he is fed. He is ridden most days, with a good balance of hacking and schooling and over the past 8 months has naturally built-up good muscle and fitness, but is lacking ‘general’ weight. We take part in local Riding Club activities and fun rides, with the aim to compete at some agricultural and county-level shows over the summer.
He is up to date with having his teeth checked, and has no medical issues. He LOVES grass, and in the mornings would rather stand at the door eager to go in the field than eat his breakfast. To ride he is fairly settled but keen, and does liven up when jumping or schooling in a field, and gets sweaty quite easily.
I am already feeding him the Saracen Re-Leve Mix, which did make a slight difference to his weight and appearance over a few months, but not as much as I would have liked; I felt he just needed a bit ‘more’ to him, and he would slowly pick through the mix when eating it. He has access to ad-lib haylage (home-grown) whenever he is stabled, and goes out every morning into a field of good grass.
How did you test the feed?
” After discussing a feeding plan with Lucy from Saracen, I gradually introduced the feed over 10 days so he could get used to it. He took to it very well, and after my last bag of Re-Leve was finished, I moved him solely onto the Condition-Improver Cubes, with a small handful of chaff (plus some well-deserved carrots!). No other feed or supplements would need to be added, as the cubes were a complete feed, being fully fortified with a full spectrum of vitamins and minerals.
Due to his size, Lucy and I agreed that Bailey would need around a bag of week of the cubes to really notice a difference, fed across three meals a-day. We chose cubes over a mix in the hope this would prevent Bailey from picking through his feed. This worked really successfully, and I found by the end of our fourth week/bag, you could really start to see the difference in Bailey’s shape. Not only was he putting on weight (he even dropped down a hole each side on his girth), but his coat was starting to really shine! Even other people at our yard had noticed it.
I think the addition of Saracen’s Equi-Jewel in the cubes was extremely beneficial, helping to increase Bailey’s calorie intake, and it was reassuring to know the added live yeast would help with his digestion.
Despite Bailey’s condition and topline improving after only four weeks, I found that changing his feed didn’t affect his behaviour; it didn’t fizz him up or make him fresh, however his stamina increased, which was great!”
Any other comments?
“Recently Bailey’s owner who used to hunt, event and team chase Bailey in his younger years visited, and he commented on how well Bailey was looking! He said that he had always been a poor doer who struggled for weight, and that it was great to see him looking so healthy and well, with him looking the ‘fattest’ he had seen him in a while.
I found Lucy’s feeding advice extremely helpful, and she was very understanding of Bailey’s needs, so I’d be confident to contact Saracen for more feeding advice in the future. After my success with the Condition-Improver Cubes, I’d certainly recommend them to anyone looking to increase their horse’s topline and condition (and shine!), and I’d also recommend the rest of the Saracen range”
