condition & diet
Condition and Diet by Evangaline Atterby. BSc (hons) Bioveterinary Science Nutritional Advisor and Technical Assistant at NAF
Winter can be challenging. Short days, boggy fields, howling gales and mucking out stables can make for a horse owner ready to break out the antioxidants when they get home – by this of course we mean red wine. With less grass available we often turn to hard feeding to make up the shortfall, but how can we best do this without causing ourselves more problems?
Horses would naturally follow a cycle of condition through the seasons; they would gain weight on rich summer grass and use these reserves through winter; however our modern day management techniques tend to mean our horses never shed this weight. This can then create us problems when summer comes around once more and we are simply adding to last year’s weight. Our temptation to give concentrate feeds through the winter is understandable, but in many cases unnecessary. If your horse is on restricted grazing or turned out on winter pasture then actually what they need is more fibre, not starchy feeds. Starch contributes to fizzy behaviour and meal based feeding can upset the gut, so sticking to forages or high fibre feeds, such as pony cubes or alfalfa, as the basis of the diet is usually the best method. You can then build on this and tailor to your horse’s needs. If your horse is a good doer then they will likely only need a balancer on top of their fibre to ensure they have the correct levels of vitamins and minerals, which do tend to be lacking in a high fibre diet. Using a pelleted balancer can be an easy option, but is also a great way to make your horse feel like they are getting something extra, as these can be fed alone from a bucket or from the hand. Theyoften also contain gut support, so are fabulous in assisting your horse to gain the maximum nutritional value from his food. If, however, you have a horse that tends to drop
condition rapidly or excessively, such as a veteran horse, then you may find they need a little more to help them through the season.
Oil can be a great way to add calories to the diet without bulking the feed. Oils provide a slow release energy source and are calorie dense, but they avoid the quick release energy in concentrate feed so can be
really helpful, particularly if you’ve a fizzy horse that drops condition readily. Oil can also be beneficial for the older horse, which perhaps doesn’t eat quite so much as they used to, as it doesn’t require chewing and is easily utilised by the digestive system. If you are the proud owner of a veteran then consider using products specifically designed to meet your horse’s
needs. Senior products tend to contain a little extra in the way of ingredients, to cover a truly broad spectrum. By keeping the diet simple you can save a lot of time and worry, but, as ever, remember to make any changes gradually. This should help to avoid upsetting the gut and give your horse a chance to adapt to their new winter diet.
Equine Page 16
www.theequinesite.co.uk
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