BY SISSY WICKES
Kevin Babington thinks outside the box. A career that includes an Olympic appearance (4th individually in Athens, 2004), a European Championships Gold Medal, and too many Grand Prix victory gallops to mention has created no complacency. Just the opposite, Babington relentlessly seeks to know more about how his sport ticks. Whether ending his long days by watching Grand Prix rounds from events around the world to improve as both rider and trainer to researching new and better feed and bedding alternatives, Kevin pushes himself to a higher level of horsemanship both in the ring and in the barn. His desire to provide horses with a healthier feed and cleaner bedding led to the development of his Babington Mills and a line of custom based feeds and chopped
straw bedding.
“I wanted to develop better options that what were currently available at the feed stores, so I started researching organic grains, mixing feeds, and developing better bedding choices,” Babington explains. With the help of an expert feed consultant from England’s Pure Feed Company, Babington developed the Babington Mills Feeds, a low sugar, low starch product. Babington Mills feeds are a combination of chopped hay, grains, and balancer vitamin and mineral pellets. Because of the forage characteristics, horses chew the feed more slowly and produce more saliva as they eat, increasing a buffer for the stomach. “Our feed results in slow release energy. It should not take horses just minutes to eat. With our feed, they eat slower – like they are chewing on hay,” Babington states.
Babington Mills offers feed options for all horses. Their Babington Hunter mix is high fiber, low fat, low starch, and low sugar. Horses will gain weight and shine without a boost in energy. In addition, the feed is suited for horses experiencing the harmful effects of Cushing’s Disease because of its low sugar component.
Babington Performance Feed is ideal for horses needing a high energy source. Jumpers, eventers, and racehorses benefit from this high fat, high fiber feed containing whole oats, carbohydrates, and fermentable fiber. Babington emphasizes the ease of digestion of his feeds. “We note that our feeds are great for horses with sensitive stomachs or ulcer issues. Our horses ship and compete all over the country without any resulting gut issues.”
BedEdge is an exciting new dust free bedding product offered by Babington Mills. Made from chopped wheat straw, the soft, allergen free bedding is significantly more absorbent because of the chopping process. The bedding uses the inside of the straw shaft rather than the coarse, non-absorbent ends of straw in a typical bale. With BedEdge in stalls, your barn will not have the pervasive smell of urine that many straw bedded barns endure. Horses with respiratory issues are healthier and less reactive to the product. Further, disposal of BedEdge bedded manure is easy as it is a great compost accepted by mushroom farms and nurseries. BedEdge is sustainable, renewable, and a green alternative for horsemen conscious of the harmful environmental effects of traditional wood shavings.
BedEdge is available in bags and similar in appearance to bagged shavings. The price is comparable to shavings although fewer bags of BedEdge are necessary to bed a stall and fewer bags are needed to rebed after mucking because less is removed on a daily basis. “BedEdge is a great product, “ Babington beams. “It is economical, the horses love it, and it is virtually dust free.” The bedding is perfect for all indoor pets as an alternative to cedar or pine shavings. Babington Mills hopes to see BedEdge in every pet’s home as well as every horse’s stall.
From feed to bedding, Babington Mills offers superior products for enhanced performance and animal care. Pleasure horses, high performance competition horses, and horses suffering from sugar sensitivity or gut issues benefit from carefully designed, forage based feed choices. BedEdge is the perfect answer to all bedding needs. Low dust, allergen free, and highly absorbent, BedEdge works for horses and pets alike.
Babington Mills products are available to be shipped to local feed stores or directly to consumers. Visit babingtonmills.com for more information, or email kevinbabington@yahoo.com.
About the Author: Sissy is a Princeton University graduate, a lifelong rider and trainer, a USEF R rated judge, a freelance journalist and an autism advocate. Her illustrious resume includes extensive show hunter and jumper experience. She lives with her family in Unionville, PA and Wellington, FL.
Read More from This Author »
