feeding good doers
Classic good-doer We all know that Natives are the classic ‘good-doer ‘ but it’s worth having a quick review of pony physiology to help understand why they present the husbandry problems they do. Adapted to thrive on the poorest of grazing, Britain’s Native ponies, like other wild and native equines, are programmed to put on weight when food is more readily available in the spring and summer. These excesses are stored as fat throughout the body, especially the abdomen (tummy), where it is known as omental fat. Recent research has shown that these fat cells, originally thought to be benign energy stores, do actually produce hormones which regulate a number of body processes and play a key role in helping ponies survive harsher conditions. One such hormone is cortisol, which inhibits the action of insulin, the hormone responsible for controlling blood glucose levels. The result is a degree of insulin resistance which is normally of benefit as it ensures glucose is available for essential areas, like the brain, at the expense of less essential tissues, like muscles. This condition pervades through the winter but gradually lessens as the pony loses weight, and omental fat, with the naturally reduced availability of food and colder weather conditions. By spring time, the pony is lean but healthy and ready to indulge in the pleasures of spring grazing and gaining weight for the following winter. The trouble is, these fluctuations in a pony’s condition are no longer acceptable, nor suitable, for the modern owner whose requirements for performance or breeding are less satisfactorily met by a pony who spends six months of the year in poor condition.
Equine metabolic syndrome The problem with not allowing a fat pony to lose weight through the winter is that the insulin resistance, resulting from cortisol production, is not reversed. When allowed to continue long-term, this can result in a condition now known as Equine Metabolic Syndrome, giving rise to elevated levels of glucose and insulin in the blood and, ultimately, a greatly increased risk of laminitis. So how do we adapt our husbandry and feeding practices to best suit our own needs, whilst acknowledging a pony’s unchangeable physiology? In many instances, there is no getting away from the vigilance and creativeness required to prevent the weight gain that comes so naturally during the summer months. This means continuously controlling calorie intake while maintaining fibre intake at a minimum of the equivalent of 1% of bodyweight (ie. around 3.5kg for a 350kg pony) per day to ensure gut health and efficiency. So high
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calorie, low fibre (relatively) spring grass is only allowed in moderation unless, of course, the demands of work mean that your pony burns off all the calories he consumes so does not store any as fat. Ponies with weight to lose need to burn more calories than they eat and a target reduction of 25 – 30 kg of bodyweight over 4 to 6 weeks is ideal.
Essential exercise Indeed, the importance of exercise is frequently forgotten yet, when an owner has insufficient time or wherewithal to keep a pony active, it is perhaps prudent for them to reconsider the whole issue of pony-owning itself. Of course, age, injury or motherhood may naturally inhibit exercise but creative owners will find a way to keep the pony sufficiently on the move to aid good health. Larger rather than smaller turnout areas, tying several haynets around the box or paddock and positioning feed and water buckets at opposite ends will, at least, mean your pony has to move around to eat and drink.
Fibrous forage As well as controlling the amount of grass or forage our pony gets, we should also look at its nutritional contribution. Late- harvested hay or haylage has more stalk and less leaf, making it both less digestible and less nutritious but ideal for Native ponies. This fibrous forage helps meet fibre requirements with fewer accompanying calories and also takes some chewing, helping to satisfy a pony’s physiological need to eat for 18 hours a day. Using small-holed haynets and/or one net inside another, will also extend eating time, help smaller portions last longer and avoids a pony suffering prolonged periods without forage. No pony should ever be starved as this can cause digestive upsets, or worse, and will just mean he eats more voraciously when grass or forage is available.
Balancers Scientists now acknowledge that much modern pasture and arable land no longer contains the mineral and nutrient levels it once did. This means that today’s grass, forage and grain may provide plenty of calories but are likely to be deficient in vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, like protein. Whilst we may believe that the Native constitution can survive these inadequacies, the physical demands of performance, breeding and even healing will probably leave the pony wanting, unless some form of supplementary feed is given. This is where feed balancers come into their own, providing essential nutrients, including vitamins, minerals and quality protein, but without the calorie content of a ‘conventional’ mix or cube. Good quality protein provides essential amino acids which
the body requires to build and maintain muscle tissue, a healthy coat and strong hooves. Vitamins and minerals are also involved in body structure and function, including metabolism and hoof growth and without them a pony can simply look and feel ‘below par’. Indeed, many a ‘lazy’ overweight pony who receives little or no hard feed will soon gain enthusiasm for work when receiving all the nutrients he needs from a balancer alongside his forage.
Rounded Top Line An aesthetically pleasing rounded top line should come from correct work coupled with the right dietary building blocks to build muscle tone rather than fat. Whilst you may not wish to see your pony’s ribs, you must easily be able to feel them and ‘fat pads’, which are notoriously hard to shift, are a no-no! If in doubt, check out a Body Condition Scoring system online, and read the descriptions while looking at the images, then take a good look at your pony to make an objective assessment. Feeding a balancer throughout the year means you can be sure that your pony is getting all the essential nutrients he needs while you control his energy (calorie) intake according to workload and time of year. If you must keep your pony ‘warm’, rugged and stabled through the winter, you should be even more vigilant about his waistline during the summer as you are reducing the chances of ‘natural’ winter weight loss.
Take home message... So there’s nothing wrong with wanting to avoid the season fluctuations in a pony’s condition but your aim is to maintain the right condition rather than the overweight condition. With the advent of balancers, your pony need not miss out on essential nutrients while on a ‘calorie- controlled’ diet. A pony receiving a fully balanced diet will always be in a better position to meet the demands placed on him, including doing the exercise required to maintain a healthy body condition. Our requirement to keep a pony consistently in ‘better’ condition should be of benefit to his or her welfare rather than detrimental to it and those owners who err towards the larger side of ‘better’ should consider the welfare implications of their actions.
For information and advice,
contact Baileys Horse Feeds on 01371 850247 (option 2) or visit
www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk
Equine Page 11
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