simplyirresistible FAQ

How do I feed simplyirresistible?

Simplyirresistible is designed to be sprinkled on top of hard feed, chaff or forage. The small pieces also mean you can feed simplyirresistible from the hand or added into feed balls.

Why is variety in the horse’s diet important?

The horse evolved as a browsing herbivore, covering a great distance each day whilst nibbling at the variety of grasses and shrubs on the way. Horses like to select their food, but in modern feeding, diets tend to remain the same mix of forage and hard feed, and in doing so, the variety they are hardwired to look for, is restricted.

Will adding simplyirresistible affect my horse’s diet?

simplyirresistible is a healthy feed topping, with small typical feed rates of between 50 and 100g per day. Each simplyirresistible variety is packed full of a variety of delicious tastes and textures, is full of natural plant antioxidants and contains a proven probiotic with proven efficacy in the horse designed to support digestive health and help the horse get the most out of its feed.

How do these products compare to real fruit and veg?

Both apples and carrots are largely water meaning that only about 10% is actual nutrients.
Fresh fruit and veg are undoubtedly succulent but this means they do not store for any length of time.
With simplyirresistible you have the advantage of supplying more fibre, antioxidants and probiotics per mouthful, supplied by a wide variety of tastes and textures from the different ingredients that comes with a long shelf life.
The table below compares additions of simplyirresistble with a carrot or apple (a typical carrot weighs about 130g and a typical large apple 240g.)

What is an antioxidant?

An antioxidant is a substance that counteracts disruptive free radicals in the body. More free radicals are produced when the body is under any kind of stress, and so antioxidants are an all-important part of maintaining the health of our and our horse’s bodies.
Antioxidants come in a wide variety of forms; commonly added to feed are vitamins E, C and selenium. Plants are an excellent source of a wide variety of antioxidants, produced to help protect them from direct exposure to the sun’s rays. The terms carotenoids, xanthophylls, polyphenols, flavonoids, flavanols, anthocyanins, tocopherols, reservatrol, curcuminoids all describe different kinds of plant antioxidants.

What is a probiotic?

Probiotics for horses are microbial preparations, usually yeast, that when added to the diet helps promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the digestive system. The probiotic in simplyirresistible is a live yeast that helps maintain gut health by stimulating the growth of healthy microbial populations particularly in the fibre-digesting large intestine. This has been proven in research to improve digestive efficiency. A healthy large intestine or hindgut is important since it comprises two-thirds of the horse’s digestive capacity and can be adversely affected by dietary change.

Can I feed simplyirresistible fruit and vegetable treats to laminitics?

Laminitis is a complex systemic condition that manifests itself in the foot with the acute lameness. Dietary management rightly centres on weight control, maximising fibre and limiting starch and sugar intakes but can mean a very restricted and basic diet for animals prone to the condition. A small sprinkle or handful of simplyirresistible will only add a few grammes of sugar and trace amounts of starch, whilst brightening up a small and boring feed offering. 50g of simplyirresistible Five Fabulous Fruits and Virtuous Vegetable Variety provide about 14g and 11g of starch and sugar respectively. By comparison 500g of a low starch and sugar pellet or chaff would supply about 100gof starch and sugar. Additionally the probiotic in simplyirresistible helps support healthy large intestine function, which is key in the management of such animals.

Is simplyirresistible heating?

The term heating is often used to describe feeds that can make horses or ponies excitable. For instance feeds high in cereals are often attributed to having a heating effect. Such excitability could be due in part to an increase in dietary energy supply, a reduction in fibre supply, or a simple rush of rapidly available carbohydrate into the bloodstream. In all cases these effects are usually observed at feed intakes of several kilos per day.
Simplyirrestistible is typically fed at 50-100g per day, so at a much lower rate than feeds. The fruit and vegetable components do add some sugar to the diet but this is at such a very low level that is unlikely to have a heating effect.

Can I feed simplyirresistible to other animals?

simplyirresistible is designed as a healthy treat for horses, but you may be tempted to tempt other animals in your care. Indeed the fruits and vegetables used are tasty and can be offered to many different animals. However the probiotic we use is only authorised for use in horses, pigs and ruminants.

Can simplyirresistible replace a probiotic supplement?

We use a probiotic that has specific authorisation for use in the horse. It is included in simplyirresistible so that the full daily probiotic recommendation is received when 100g is fed. This means it can be used instead of other yeast-based probiotic supplements.
If you are already using a probiotic supplement, you could consider reducing it, although any extra supply is unlikely to be harmful.

Can I feed simplyirresistible to my horse who has ulcers?

Yes simplyirresistible should be fine for a horse with ulcers when fed at 50g per day.

One of the recommendations for ulcers is to feed low starch and sugar diets, and SI is not on a percent basis low in these.  However with a feed rate of 50g, and the fruit and veg component  being a smaller proportion of the final formulation, then the actual amount of starch and sugar being fed is small –

50g of Simply Irresistible Vegetable provides 2g starch and 7g sugar; 50g of Simply Irresistible Fruit provides 1g of starch and 10g of sugar.

In addition, the probiotic may help too, and so will the fibre pellet it is contained within, as this will act as a buffer to the acid.

What is the shelf life unopened?

simplyirresistible is packed in airtight packaging, and when stored in a cool dry place, out of direct sunlight, has a shelf life of twelve months.

 Can I feed simplyirresistible to horses with Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) and Cushings?

Simplyirresistible fruit and vegetable varieties in the diet of EMS and Cushings animals

Simplyirresistible is a feed topping, designed to be fed at between 50 and 100g per day.  Both varieties supply fibre, antioxidants and probiotics, and they also supply some starch and sugar due to the nature of the fruit and vegetable ingredients used.

Dietary management of EMS and Cushings animals means maximising fibre and limiting starch and sugar intakes but can mean a very restricted and basic diet for animals prone to the conditions.

A small sprinkle or handful of simplyirresistible will only add a few grammes of sugar and trace amounts of starch, whilst brightening up a small and often quite boring feed offering, as per the table below that compares the sugar and starch contents of each with carrots and apples.

By comparison 500g of a low starch and sugar pellet or chaff would supply 50-100g of starch and sugar.

In summary, Simply Irresistible does contain starch and sugar but only trace amounts are supplied at typical feeding rates that are likely to be insignificant compared to the starch and sugar supplied from elsewhere in the diet, even if that diet is heavily monitored for these nutrients.

However the ultimate decision to feed is with the owner or keeper of the affected animal, as each case is unique in terms of severity, age and condition of the horse or pony.