Food glorious food

While I tried to get down to more log splitting, Angie went to Ottobeuren to get a trailer load (230 kg) of sugar beet pulp flakes for the horses from the agricultural merchants.

The trailer is French but bought in the UK in 2001 when we had to transport some furniture back here. It was unplanned and a last minute emergency buy. It had to be covered. In retrospect we should have bought a horse trailer and then resold it here as UK trailers have a good reputation here.

Although converted for LHD, it is still legal in Germany but perhaps the EU Commission will ban LHD vehicles when UK leaves Europe!

As I learnt on my Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies, Edinburgh course last year, sugar beet pulp is excellent feed for horses and can if required replace a large portion of the hay ration (which remains the best feed). Particularly good for older horses with chewing problems. We only feed about 1 kg a day in two portions to Asyr and Sultan.

Rosie has her own expensive version, made in the UK and sold by Dodson & Horrell! Their products are sold in Germany but not stocked by local agricultural merchants, so often have to buy it on the web. The rather curious reason: Rosie can't be fed any starch (grain) or sugar (apples, carrots etc) and while sugar beet pulp is low in sugar, in order to make it tastier, molasses are added before final drying.

Strangely it is very difficult to get the pulp without added molasses. Thus the prices are astronomical. The trailer full cost 50 Euros, the equivalent quantity of Dodson & Horell (and they are no more than the only other German brand) would cost 290 Euros.

Sun came out in the evening and it looked like it would be a cold night so lit the wood fire for the first time and we both enjoyed a sauna session and dinner to the sound of crackling wood. The warmth the fire produces is wonderful - even if it not so environmentally friendly, it is good for the soul!