Congratulations on making the switch to Cool Stance. This is a terrific product! It is low in sugar and starch, high in fiber, provides a great source of protein and contains good fats from coconut oil. Plus it offers a great range of minerals and amino acids already. Cool Stance is the only all-natural, low NSC, high energy feed available. Most horses find Cool Stance to be very palatable but some can be fussy when first transitioning. So we’ve put together some information to help you and your horse through the transition. Each horse is different but customers who are committed definitely see the results once their horses do start eating Cool Stance!
- Include a balanced Vitamin & Mineral supplement:
Cool Stance is not a complete feed. It should be fed together with a high-quality grass hay and a high-quality vitamin/mineral supplement. Cool Stance (100% copra meal) has a low calcium (Ca) content, so look for a balanced trace mineral vitamin mix that provides quality Ca. Stance Equine USA recommends Medicine Bag Complete (MBC), which can be ordered through our website at www.stanceequineusa.com. Other options we also recommend are Horse Tech’s High Point for Grass Hay or EnviroMin Horse.
- Start off slowly and gradually increase:
As with any new feed, it is always best to transition slowly to allow the horse to accept the smell and the taste, and also to give the bacteria in the gut time to adapt. For many horses this means starting off with 1 tablespoon per day and gradually increasing the amount over 1-3 weeks (as you add in more Cool Stance reduce the amount of other feed/s). For fussier horses it may mean starting with as little as a teaspoon and transitioning over a 5 week period. A few tips and tricks if your horse is not accepting Cool Stance: sometimes adding in other whole foods that your horse likes (such as grated carrot, apple, pear, etc.) can help with the initial introduction to Cool Stance. Some people have success introducing Cool Stance with a strong smelling supplement. Other times a bit of tough love works… just keep offering up the Cool Stance until your horse gets hungry enough to try it.
- Each horse is different:
Feeding rates will vary from horse to horse and how much your horse needs will depend on his/her energy requirements. The best guide will always be your horse! Watch his/her energy level and body condition and adjust the amount of feed accordingly. However, generally we recommend 2-4 lbs/day (divided between two meals, AM/PM feeding). If your horse does not finish the complete serving, reduce the amount to what he/she will finish and wait a few days to try increasing again (very slowly). Always ensure your horse is receiving sufficient fiber from free-choice pasture or hay because horses’ stomachs are quite small and they are designed for continuous grazing. Since Cool Stance contains only low levels of NSC (sugar + starch), unlike grain based feeds, there is no issue with horses over consuming Cool Stance.
- Cool Stance can be fed wet or dry:
Most people like to feed Cool Stance wet, as the consistency of the dry product is a fine meal and the addition of water allows the meal to swell into a very palatable consistency. Adding water can also be great for improving hydration and providing a soft feed for older horses. If you choose to feed Cool Stance dry always ensure that your horse has access to plenty of clean fresh water. As they chew/ masticate/swallow they will produce saliva to wet the meal, and this increased saliva production will make the horse thirsty. If you feed Cool Stance dry, place the feed bucket away from the water trough, so your horse has to walk between the feed bucket and the water trough. Some people like to add just enough water to dampen the meal, some add equal quantities of water vs. Cool Stance so it becomes light and fluffy (this happens quite quickly, Cool Stance is not a product that you need to soak), others like to add lots of water so the meal becomes soupy (this is great for added hydration)!
- Feed twice per day:
Horses generally eat Cool Stance twice as slowly as grain-based feeds. Cool Stance does not cause a spike in insulin or glucose after it is eaten as grain-based feeds do. This means Cool Stance does not cause metabolic upset in your horse. Additionally, the medium chain triglycerides in Cool Stance mean a slower, extended release of energy throughout the day.
We hope this guide has helped to give you some information to support a successful transition to Cool Stance. If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us:
Claudia Garner
Chief Executive Officer
803-647-1200
or
Kim Hallin
Creative Director & Product Distributor
843-478-8947