Red Mills Horse Care 14 Cubes – For Performance & Breeding Horses

Red Mills Horse Care 14 Cubes

Horse Care 14 Cubes is the higher-protein cube in the RED MILLS Horse Care range and, unlike its 10% stablemate, it contains oats — they sit third in the declared composition, behind soya bean hulls and beet pulp. RED MILLS describe it as a high-fibre, slow-release cube carrying their Nutrition Care package.

Crude fibre is 14.0% and protein 14.0%, at 11.8 MJ/kg. The 14% protein is the reason to pick it over the 10%: broodmares, stallions, youngstock and horses in serious training all have a protein requirement that average hay will not meet on its own.

Performance & Benefits

• 14.0% crude protein and 14.0% crude fibre at 11.8 MJ/kg — protein and fibre together rather than protein from cereal.
• Contains oats, listed third in the composition, alongside soya bean hulls and sugar beet pulp.
• 6.5% crude oils and fats for condition and coat.
• RED MILLS Nutrition Care package: maerl at 0.75% and mannan-/fructo-oligosaccharides at 0.1%.
• Per kg: 2,500 iu vitamin D3, 375 iu vitamin E, 50mg vitamin C, 4.4mg vitamin K3 and 3.75mg biotin.
• Copper, manganese, zinc and selenium partly from chelated sources.

Suitable For

• Performance horses and horses in training that need a higher protein level.
• Breeding stock — broodmares and stallions.
• Horses that are easily stressed or temperamental.
• Horses needing additional body condition, and horses working in challenging climates.
• Not right for a laminitic, insulin-resistant or EMS horse: RED MILLS declare 16.0% starch and the cube contains oats. Red Mills Horse Care ULTRA Cubes, at 4.0% starch and cereal-grain free, is the one to use instead.

Feeding

• Light work: 0.2–0.6kg per 100kg bodyweight daily — 1.0–3.0kg for a 500kg horse.
• Moderate work: 0.4–0.8kg per 100kg bodyweight daily — 2.0–4.0kg for a 500kg horse.
• Hard work: 0.8–1.2kg per 100kg bodyweight daily — 4.0–6.0kg for a 500kg horse.
• Intense work: 1.2–1.6kg per 100kg bodyweight daily — 6.0–8.0kg for a 500kg horse.
• RED MILLS advise introducing the cubes gradually, and suggest soaking them for horses with dental problems.
• Feed alongside good forage with clean, fresh water always available.

Composition & Analysis

• Composition: soya (bean) hulls, (sugar) beet pulp, oats, soya bean extruded, barley, alfalfa meal, (sugar) cane molasses, sunflower seed meal, wheatfeed, soya oil, mono-dicalcium phosphate, maerl 0.75%, sodium chloride, magnesium oxide, mannan-/fructo-oligosaccharides 0.1%.
• Typical analysis: crude protein 14.0%, crude fibre 14.0%, crude oils and fats 6.5%, crude ash 8.0%. Starch 16.0%. Digestible energy 11.8 MJ/kg.
• Minerals: calcium 1.15%, phosphorus 0.60%, sodium 0.36%, chloride 0.60%, potassium 1.10%, magnesium 0.33%.
• Per kg: vitamin A 15,000 iu, vitamin D3 2,500 iu, vitamin E 375 iu, vitamin C 50mg, vitamin K3 4.4mg, biotin 3.75mg. Iron 150mg, iodine 1.5mg, copper 48.75mg, manganese 81.25mg, zinc 150mg, selenium 0.5mg, a proportion of each chelated.
• Earlier copy on this page described the cubes as a low-starch feed and gave no analysis at all. RED MILLS' declared starch is 16.0%; the full analysis above is theirs.

Care & Caution

• Declared starch is 16.0% and the cubes contain oats. Despite the “Horse Care” name, this is not a feed for a laminitic, insulin-resistant or EMS horse.
• RED MILLS warn that high-fibre cubes may swell on contact with water or saliva. Introduce them gradually, and soak them for a horse with poor teeth or one that eats fast.
• Adjust the rate to hold body condition rather than feeding a fixed scoop.