Vitalbix Forage Quickscan: Forage is the foundation

“Roughage is the foundation”: we say this all the time, and for good reason. Horses are grazers and foragers. In the wild, they spend at least 16 hours a day foraging for their food: nibble-step-nibble-step. Their digestive system is therefore built to handle a constant supply of fiber. If you want to put together an optimal diet, it’s incredibly valuable to know exactly which nutrients are in the roughage.

The Vitalbix Roughage Quickscan provides you with precise and clear answers. The analysis report shows energy & protein, sugar, structure, lignin, and dry matter. It also clearly explains what these values mean.

“Did you know that forage tailored to your horse’s needs is the foundation of a healthy weight? From there, you can supplement the nutrients with Vitalbix Daily Complete, Balance+ Muesli, Active+ Sport Muesli, Senior+ Muesli, or Breed & Grow. The Vitalbix Forage Quickscan is your ideal starting point!”

Yes, take me to the order page!

The roughage scan that offers more:

Top-quality forage analysis

Conducted by the scientists at Dumea Agro, who specialize in professional analyses for the equine industry and agriculture

Accuracy down to the decimal point

Other quick tests give you ranges, such as “5 to 10% sugar.” But if you’re feeding your horse with care, it makes a big difference whether your hay contains 5% or 10% sugar. Especially when you consider that your horse eats kilos of it every day! And that’s even more important if your horse is prone to being overweight or underweight, or suffers from laminitis, PPID, EMS, etc. If your horse is a true athlete, precision in energy and protein values is essential. We provide those exact values so you know exactly where you stand.

Clear explanation

Those numbers look impressive, but what do they actually mean? We’ll explain it all in detail—providing background information and explaining what it means for your horse.

The nutrition experts + the analytics experts

With your Vitalbix Roughage Quickscan, we can provide you with even better nutritional advice. Want to receive a roughage analysis? Email us your nutritional advice along with your analysis, and we’ll fine-tune the advice for you—free of charge. It doesn’t get any better than that, does it? Haven’t requested nutritional advice yet? You can do so at any time, but we recommend—since you’re already on the right track—waiting until you’ve received your analysis! Heard enough? Ready to order your roughage scan right away? Go for it!

Your roughage is no longer a mystery!

Understanding energy value
Understanding protein content (EWpa and VREp!)
Understanding sugar content
Understanding the structure (raw cellulose)
Insights into dry matter content, and more!

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Vitalbix Roughage Quickscan: Here's What You Get

The Vitalbix Forage Quickscan gives you clear answers. The analysis report shows energy, protein (and not just total protein as is customary, but also VREp, the all-important digestible crude protein content), sugar, crude fiber, lignin, and dry matter. Precise values, not “approximate” ones. We also indicate what a horse needs in which situation. On the second page, we explain everything else you need to know about energy, sugar, and forage types so you can make the most of the data on page 1. And finally, a clear table shows you exactly how much of the tested forage your horse or pony needs. Of course, we’re happy to help you with that if you’d like; we’re always available for (free) additional personalized advice.

It's that easy:

After placing your order, you will first receive a standard order confirmation. We will then send you a form with instructions within 24 hours on business days. Please print it out and fill it in.

Take a sample following the instructions on the form. You can also find detailed instructions (text and video) here.

Weigh out at least 300 grams, place it in a plastic bag, squeeze out as much air as possible, and tie or seal it shut.

Put the bag and the form in a small box, write the address (see form) on it, affix sufficient postage at a shipping location of your choice, and within 5–8 business days of the lab receiving your sample, you’ll receive the test results in your email inbox!

Frequently Asked Questions

I've placed my order. Do I have to wait for a package now?

No, you can get started (almost) right away! After you place your order, you’ll first receive an automatic confirmation email. Then, on business days, you’ll receive a separate email within 24 hours containing a PDF with your personal barcode, some information you’ll need to fill out, and instructions on how to properly collect, pack, and ship the roughage.

If you place your order before 3:00 PM on a business day, it will be processed the same day. Orders received after 3:00 PM on Friday will be processed on Monday.

Does it matter how I package it?

It’s best to pack the hay in a plastic bag. This way, the quality remains as consistent as possible both at your end and when it arrives at ours. If you squeeze out as much air as possible before tying or sealing it, that helps even more!

You can then put it in any box you have lying around. We love recycling—we do it ourselves! Include your completed form (see the question above), make sure it’s properly stamped, and mail it to the address on the form.

What about shipping costs?

You won’t be charged shipping costs for this product* when you check out in the online store. You’ll only pay those costs when you send your package containing the roughage sample. You can choose whichever carrier is most convenient for you—whichever one is located closest to you. Here are some links to the parcel services offered by PostNL, DHL, and DPD.

* If you order other items as well, shipping charges may apply to those items. They will be shipped separately.

Should you wait a few weeks before having this year's new hay analyzed?

It is true that people sometimes mention waiting 6–8 weeks after a new harvest, because test results can still change during that time. Our lab explained it: with unpackaged bales of hay, you don’t need to wait—the test results don’t change. With packaged pre-dried bales, it’s better to wait a bit, because a fermentation process still takes place in the first few weeks. The dry matter content also changes slightly. But even then, 4 weeks is really sufficient.
Conclusion: with unpackaged hay, you don’t need to wait; with packaged bales, wait 4 weeks.

When can I expect the results?

Within 5–8 business days of the laboratory receiving your package of roughage, you’ll receive the analysis results in your inbox! Please note that it can sometimes take a few days for the delivery service to deliver your package to the laboratory. If you haven’t received the results in your inbox after 8 business days, please send an email to [email protected].

Two experts in one online store

We’re quite particular at Vitalbix. And we want only the best. That’s why we don’t conduct these roughage analyses ourselves. Why? Because there are companies that are much better at it than we are! We found one such company in Dumea. We were impressed by their expertise, their passion for what they do and why they do it, their state-of-the-art laboratory, and their unique approach. In short, they’re just as meticulous as we are 😉 So it was an instant match. We offer you these roughage analyses on a non-profit basis because we believe testing your roughage is so important. We want to make it as easy as possible for you: in one place, you can order your feed, your analysis, and, if you need it, personal advice as well.