Dodson & Horrell Safe & Sound – 18kg

Dodson & Horrell Safe & Sound – 18kg

Safe & Sound is the fibre-based feed Dodson & Horrell put forward for adult horses and ponies prone to laminitis. Oatfeed, beet pulp, straw chaff, grass and soya hulls carry crude fibre to 23% while holding starch at 5.8% and sugar at 5.0%, with digestible energy of 8.7MJ/kg.

The low energy figure is the whole point. It supplies protein, vitamins and minerals to a horse whose calories already come from grass and hay, without adding to a waistline. Biotin is included for hoof horn, alongside methylsulphonylmethane at 0.1% and a herb and fruit mix.

Performance & Benefits

• Starch 5.8% and sugar 5.0%, low by the standards of a bagged feed.
• Crude fibre 23%, on a short-chop fibre base that takes time to eat.
• Digestible energy 8.7MJ/kg — enough for rest or light work without laying on weight.
• Added biotin for hoof support, and methylsulphonylmethane at 0.1%.
• Mint at 0.35%, basil at 0.35% and garlic granules at 0.17%, with a blackcurrant, kale, spinach, beetroot, rosemary, rosehip and pomegranate mix at 0.04%.
• Crude protein 8.0%, with lysine at 3.6g/kg and methionine at 1.5g/kg.

Suitable For

• Adult horses and ponies prone to laminitis — Dodson & Horrell's own stated purpose for the feed.
• Good doers that still need their vitamins and minerals covered.
• Horses at rest or in light work.
• Year-round feeding, including through the spring flush.
• Not enough energy for a horse in hard work or one that needs to gain weight — Dodson & Horrell's Build & Glow is the feed for that.

Feeding

• Feed 400–600g per 100kg bodyweight per day, alongside free access to forage.
• Do not exceed 600g per 100kg bodyweight per day in total.
• Divide into at least two to three meals a day.
• Introduce over several days when changing from another feed.
• Fresh drinking water at all times.

Composition & Analysis

• Composition: oatfeed; dried beet pulp; straw chaff; grass; soya hulls (GM soya); molasses; grass meal; wheatfeed; rapeseed oil; dicalcium phosphate; sodium chloride; calcium carbonate; mint (0.35%); basil (0.35%); magnesium oxide; garlic granules (0.17%); oregano; methyl sulphonyl methane (0.1%); fructo-oligosaccharides; lysine; and a mixture of blackcurrant, kale, spinach, beetroot, rosemary, rosehip and pomegranate (0.04%).
• Crude protein 8.0%. Crude oils and fats 3.5%. Crude fibre 23.0%. Crude ash 8.9%.
• Starch 5.8%. Sugar 5.0%.
• Lysine 3.6g/kg. Methionine 1.5g/kg. Estimated digestible energy 8.7MJ/kg. Bag size 18kg.
• Earlier copy on this page credited seaweed, nettle and Yea-Sacc. None of the three appears in Dodson & Horrell's declared composition, so none is claimed here.

Care & Caution

• A complementary feed for adult horses and ponies. It is not a complete ration and is not formulated for youngstock or breeding stock.
• Molasses appears in the declared composition, low down the list but present — worth knowing if you are avoiding it entirely.
• A laminitis-prone horse needs veterinary and farriery management as well as the right bag. No feed prevents laminitis on its own.