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Messenger
07-13-2023, 01:04 PM
PP has always scoffed at the suggestion of feed being the reason Jason Grimson improves horses by lengths. I don't think he has actually changed his opinion but today he posted the following 'Letter to the Editor' of the Paulick Report (a newsletter 'Shining Light on the Horse Industry), making no comment himself other than to supply the heading: Maybe Jill Grimson is Right After All - It's All in the Feed

https://paulickreport.com/news/ray-s-paddock/letter-to-the-editor-dont-overlook-diets-role-on-a-horses-well-being-and-performance/

The letter finishes with a link to the author/vet's own study and the sentence:

evidenced-based results of nutritional change are apparent in weeks rather than months or years and I continue to be astounded by the synergy of “diet” on well-being & performance.

Showgrounds
07-13-2023, 06:51 PM
I have enough hard-learnt history with horses tying-up and with stomach ulcers to know the best feeds are the ones you prepare yourself. A lot of work but it pays off. And the grains and grasses to avoid. A very good article to read. I would suggest PP, while recognizing the points made in this article, still has his tongue in his cheek. The feeding regimes mentioned iin the article go a long way to promoting gut health. Any horse that doesn't suffer from ulcers or any form of internal bleeding will live up to their potential. Unfortunately, a lot of those issues go unnoticed and the poor old horse is accused a non-trier or just no good. This is where the top trainers and ordinary trainers part ways in their thinking.

I am in no doubt Grimson and his contemporaries are good feeders. But I am also aware that the turnaround in fortunes of some of the horses he has rejuvenated cannot be achieved solely on feed. For one, the period between change of stables is not long enough to "perform miracles" and, in many cases, horses have come from good stables that are aware of the issues raised in the article and would not have a single-item menu for their stable.