Call it what you want

Copra, Cortisol and getting to the root of the problem.

I took the long way around but I got the answer. I caused Ollys laminitis episode.

I was killing him with kindness.
I was feeding copra because I love him and wanted to see him fat and shinny.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with that except that I was just going the wrong way about it.
I had to learn the hard way.
I was simply feeding too much Copra.

Copra is a great feed, it's been used for many many years. Bartys dad swore by it for his work horses. Barty remembers those horses being fat, shinny, healthy, big, solid and strong work horses.
Jack, Barty's dad only ever fed half a cup to his work horses along with other very simple feeds.

I had witnessed another person feeding the copra add lib to their horses. They has been doing it for years and there horses were fat and shinny.

So monkey see, monkey do....
I went against my better judgement and offered it to my horses in larger quantities than I have ever fed it.

Even though at first when I learned about it being fed dry I was shocked because the copra swells when it is wet down.
But as a side note - it actually doesn't absorb huge amounts of water like other products on the market.
Because by feeding it dry it is activating the horse's natural response to drink anyway.
Your body needs water to digest food, that's a no brainer. But there is a fine line between adding too much water and not enough. Because either way it can limit the body's natural response to process the food to its best ability.
Too much water and it takes away the natural salivating response.
As far as too little water... well that is just a common sense basic need for anything.
There are products on the market like maxi-soy which I use also that say they can be feed dry.
Maxi soy expands a hell of a lot more than copra so I had no concern feeding dry copra to my horses at time. I knew that there was only a  small amount of water that needed to be added to the copra. I also knew my horses have 24/7 access to grass that has a very high moisture content and they have ample access to water because it is wet season. We can't even drive a car far from the station without going through water.

I have witnessed people feed maxisoy dry and then had to be the one to help them with the horse because it was choking.
Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.
What you do need is to understand the process of the product you are feeding.
If you are going to feed a product dry then you need to make sure the animal has access to fresh clean water at all times.

This is a warning on all feed bags. It's sad that this has to be a written disclaimer but hey that's just the way it is these days.

When the copra comes into contact with water and it is either left over night or is in the right temperature it will ferment.
Just like natural foods do.

And fermentation is needed for a healthy digestive system.

But I was simply feeding way too much of one product.

Copra is a refined source of coconut.
Coconut is a very natural and very rich form of natural fats. Good fats.
Fats have natural sugar and that is good.
But not good for every horses
It's one of the healthiest sugars really. But by feeding that to my horses in a large amount I was overdoing the sugar.
So it had nothing at all to do with the high sugar levels in the grass.
It had nothing to do with Olly's slower metabolism.
I was just adding too much sugar into Olly's diet.
It was just a combination of all three and that he isn't in work at the moment.
He does walk a lot grazing but it's not burning off the supply I am feeding him.

Jim would always be the first to walk away with feed left in the bucket.

But my darling guts of a horse, Olly, would make sure it was all gone before he wondered off.

So that made me understand more about Olly.
Olly has always need a horse that has been food aggressive and gutsy.
No different to people in a way.
People tend to eat more when they are sad, trying to boost their mood through food.
Metabolism issues are caused by lack of cortisol.
Cortisol is produced in the adrenal glands.
High cortisol levels are caused by stress and the natural fight and flight responses.

So now I better understand why Olly has a different metabolic response to food and his aggression towards other animals when they try to steal his feed.

Olly now shows a hugely different response at feed time. He no longer chases away the other horses. Because I am continually trying to make him feel safe in his environment.

No Jim is the opposite. He has a very active metabolism. His body is producing too much much of the cortisol.

Again for the same reason but on the other end of the spectrum.

He has spent his life in survival mode. He has learnt to run away, use his energy supplies to keep moving. Where as Olly uses his energy and stores it to fight for it.

And in turn I was doing the same thing...

I was over feeding Olly because I was sad and I wanted love. He would happy stay and guts on feed because that's what made him feel safe in a way. Because I too over eat when I'm sad. I know the food is not healthy for me but I still eat it.
I was and had been sad. I have wanted my horses to come and hang out with me so I can love on them. I had run out of the other horse feeds I had and only had access to copra.

So I used what I had, but fed too much, I had too much love to give and didn't know how to spread it out.

But I have learnt lots of very good lesson.
Lessons about quantity.
Good natural products, fed in small amounts will last you a long time
You can read the labels or find out for yourself, either way that's ok.
If you want to know why things are done a certain way - ask or do your own research.
Learn the way it best suits you.
Question everything, until you can explain it to someone. If you can't answer the question- good keep learning.
Remember even doctors don't have all the answers and that's ok too!
Because there is more than one way to skin a cat!
Just because someone else does something, doesn't mean it will work for you
And forgive yourself for working it out yourself.
My horses still come back for more food, I just know a little better now so I will do a little better.

I'm also learning how to feed myself the right foods.
It's a work in progress.