Okay guys, to start off I wanted to give full disclosure – when I first started Cosmo on the Lucerne-Mix, I didn’t realise it was the Digest specific mix I had received. While I would have preferred to have put Cosmo on the normal Lucerne-Mix, I can’t deny the changes I’ve seen in him since starting him on the Lucerne-Mix Digest. So now, that that’s out of the way, its time to get on with the review…
What is Hartog Lucerne-Mix Digest?
Lucerne is another name for Alfalfa so the Lucerne-Mix is something that can be substituted for your regular Alfalfa brand. Lucerne-Mix Digest is promoted as a natural solution for avoiding stomach and intestinal problems. Personally, anything natural that can help with stomach issues in horses gets a thumbs up from me as I don’t believe it’s good for horse’s to be on constant supplements to solve those issues.
They specifically recommend this feed for sport horses, horses who suffer with ulcers and other intestinal issues or horses who are sensitive to stressful situations.
What is in Hartog Lucerne-Mix Digest?
The power in the Lucerne-Mix Digest comes from the appropriately named POWERSTART formula which is a special blend of natural micro elements and is combined with acid buffers, prebiotics and yeast cultures – for those of you who are like me and don’t really understand what all that means, these are basically all those good things that horsey tummies like.
All these ingredients help to resolve damage to your horse’s stomach while also providing a protective barrier to support better gut health. Apparently raw Lucerne can be quite bitter so they have also added liquorice along with fruit and vegetables, to make the mix more palatable for your horse.
Another important thing to note is that there is no grain, molasses or other energy-rich sweeteners used in this product so if you decide to swap this into your horse’s diet, keep note of your horse’s energy levels. It may suit them to the ground or they may need something extra for an energy boost. I’ve definitely found Cosmo to become quite sluggish since being on this feed.
How to feed Hartog Lucerne-Mix Digest
After giving the experts in Lucerne some info on Cosmo – his age, height, condition, work load and what he’s currently being fed – they were able to recommend exactly what he should be getting.
Cosmo’s Profile:
- 16.2hh 4 year old Irish Sport Horse
- Fed Twice a Day on GAIN Cool n Easy Mix (1 x scoop per feed), Beet Pulp (1 x scoop per feed) and Alfalfa (1 x handful per feed)
- 3 x Haynets of Haylage per day and roughly 4 hours of grass turnout
- Ridden 5 days a week – 2 days of hard work and the rest a mix of easy/hacking/field work
- Good condition but he’s young and still very weak but starting to build muscle
After sending this across to the team, I was given so much information but for the sake of this post, the following is the summarised feedback:
- I was doing a good job at what I was feeding Cosmo already
- Horses should be fed 1-1.5kg of dry matter (or roughage) per 100kg, for Cosmo who is roughly 600kg it should be around 6-9kg per day.
- No big changes to his feed other than to swap out my current alfalfa for the Lucerne-Mix Digest
- Feed 1kg of the Lucerne-mix a day which measures out to approx. 2 x scoops per meal
- Roughage is the basis
Feed the Lucerne-mix through the concentrates you give. When you do this your horse has to chew more, also on the concentrates, thanks to this the passage is slower and the nutrients will be better absorbed. Also, thanks to the extra chewing there will also be extra saliva which neutralizes the gastric juices and will prevent health issues.
Hartog Recommends
The Results
I’ve had Cosmo on Lucerne for over a month now and I can absolutely see some differences in him. He’s filled out quite a bit already in some key places such as his shoulders and behind the saddle. He’s also got some really good healthy weight on him now too which he’s been able to maintain with his workload. It’s important to note, that while feeding your horse the correct feed will help them build muscle more efficiently, you won’t see any huge changes unless you’re doing the work and exercising them properly to complement what you’re feeding them.
All in all, even though this wasn’t the feed I had initially intended on giving Cosmo, it has definitely still impressed me with how well it’s kept him. The one thing I’ll say against it is that it does seem to have made him a bit more sluggish but some small adjustments to his other feed should help solve that problem easily.
The Details
Where can you find Lucerne-Mix in Ireland? Holmestead Saddlery are the only place I know of that stock it and are where I got mine. They have a store based in Co. Kildare, Ireland and another store based in Northern Ireland but if you’re not close to either, don’t fear as they also deliver!
Lucerne-Mix costs €19.99 so it is on the pricier side but I got two bags which I’m only now coming to the end of after 6 weeks and bear in mind, in that time I had 2 horses to feed for two and a half of those weeks so it’s lasted very well.
Hopefully I’ve given you all the information you need to decide whether the Lucerne-Mix Digest is the option for your horse or not. If there is anything else you’d like to know, drop us a comment below or you can message us on any of our social channels for more info. Otherwise, the team in Hartog are super friendly and helpful too.
As always, thanks for reading,
Orla