veteran vitality Top tips for weight watching
You might think your older horse is cute and cuddly, but are you sure that he’s not carrying a little excess weight? Extra pounds place additional strain on the joints, lungs and heart, and increase the risk of your horse developing laminitis - and veterans are no exception. With autumn round the corner, now is a good time to get your horses and ponies in shape and we’ve got some handy hints to help them fight the battle of the bulge…..
Workout Increase exercise because this can help to reduce the risk of insulin resistance and, potentially, laminitis. Riding, long-reining, lunging, driving and a session on a walker are all great ways to help shed those excess pounds.
Cut the grass Grass is the main source of energy for a lot of horses, so you might need to restrict access. Grazing muzzles can help reduce intake by about 75 per cent.
Get soaking Soak hay for at least half-an- hour to reduce sugar content. Get your forage tested and select the lowest sugar level forage you can and then soak for extra loss. Research shows soaking hay can produce variable results due to duration and water temperature but it will also lose other nutrients too.
Stop the treats! Try not to sprinkle mixes and cubes on top of feed as a treat because the calories will soon add up. Did you know - half a scoop of cubes will take 50 minutes of schooling to work off.
Slow things down Make forage rations last longer by using a small-holed net. For good doers, using several nets one inside another helps to make the holes even smaller. You can also place large, smooth pebbles on top of feeds so that the horse has to eat round them. These are ideal for reducing the surface area of the feed in a bucket, which really slows things down.
This pony is overweight and considered obese. Note his cresty neck, fat pads behind the saddle area and on his quarters. You should be able to feel your
horse’s ribs. Image courtesy of The Blue Cross
Hay replacer Replace haylage or good-quality hay with low-energy, chopped fibre feed, which can have a DE value as low as 7MJ/kg – much less than haylage, which can be up to 10MJ/kg.
Keep it balanced Good doers might need fewer calories, but they still need essential vitamins and minerals to keep them in good condition. Either a low-calorie balancer or supplement is ideal.
Straw forage Straw can be used a source of forage and if introduced slowly, can provide fibre without the calories. Straw is not suitable for horses with poor teeth or a history of impaction colic.
Low-sugar licks Licks make sure your horse tops up on essential nutrients and provides some stimulation when spending more time in the stable.
Hanging around Keep your horse occupied by hanging root vegetables around the stable.
Check your horse’s condition using this chart - and be honest - if he is overweight, do something about it!
Veteran support from 365 Complete
365 Complete from Equine Answers is the revolutionary feed balancer that is perfect for veteran horses. 365 Complete includes pre and pro-biotics to help keep gut health at its optimum and helps in the absorption of the nutrients from the feed. Many feed balancers claim to include pro-biotics but this is often just yeast, whereas 365 Complete includes two true pro-biotics plus a pre-biotic. Use 365 Complete as a daily supplement to keep your veteran horse in peak condition. Because 365 Complete includes chelated ingredients (minerals), these are absorbed up to five times more efficiently than conventional minerals. Many older horses have higher nutritional needs and feeding 365 Complete will plug any gap in your horse’s diet and keep him or her in optimum condition. Add to your daily feed or just feed neat; 365 Complete is the very best in equine balancers and the product of choice for older horses to help keep condition and improve coat appearance. 365 Complete is a higher specification than other well known brands and because it is available direct from the manufacturer, it is also a lot cheaper.
From £22.95 for a 50 day supply. Buy direct online at
www.equineanswers.co.uk
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