condition & diet
Objective Scoring Whilst many of us will be aware of the principle of Body Condition Scoring (BCS), most of us simply use our eye to assess horses’ or ponies’ condition and we’ll all have our own idea of what we are trying to achieve. Once the summer is over, taking a step back and objectively assessing a pony’s condition before winter sets in, is a policy well worth adopting and means the winter can be a productive period, if changes are deemed necessary. Body Condition Scoring involves assessing the fat covering of the neck, ribs and rump, both visually and by getting your hands on and feeling things. At Baileys, we use a BCS system from 1 to 9, where 5 is described as ‘moderate’, and considered ‘ideal’, and 9 is described as ‘extremely fat/obese’. Be honest, if your horse or pony is going into the winter with a BCS of 6 or over, his calorie requirements have been and are being exceeded. That means that he is consuming more than he is burning to stay healthy, keep warm and fuel work.
EMS
Whilst it’s normal for horses and ponies, particularly Natives, to be going into winter carrying extra condition, what is often forgotten, is that they are designed to use up those stored energy reserves through the winter months so that they enter the spring considerably slimmer. Problems arise when horses and ponies remain perpetually overweight, as the fat deposits produce hormones which cause insulin resistance and a condition now known as Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS).
Equines suffering from EMS are at greater risk of laminitis but luckily, on the whole, if they lose the weight, the effects of EMS can be reversed, which is all the more incentive to encourage weight loss in these animals. Many equines, especially Natives, cobs and ‘heavyweights’, are constantly kept in the 6 – 8 range of the 9 point ‘Henneke’ condition score scale, described as ‘moderately fat’ to ‘fat’, so may
Feeding Tips for Winter Weight Loss To encourage weight loss, the combination of forage and any hard feed should not weigh more than the equivalent of 1.5% of a horse’s bodyweight. Of this, a minimum of the equivalent of 1% of the horse’s bodyweight should be fibre/forage to help maintain gut health. A weightape can be used alongside body condition scoring to assess and monitor a horse’s bodyweight.
• When stabled, preserved forage is the main source of calories. Intake should be controlled by weighing what is fed and using small-holed hay nets to make the daily ration last as long as possible. Whilst calorie intake must be controlled, a horse still needs fibre to chew and to keep his digestive system healthy.
• Hay should be soaked for up to 12 to 16 hours, if possible, to wash out soluble carbohydrates
(calories) yet leave essential fibre. Steaming helps reduce the spores in hay but has no effect on its calorie content.
• Hay or haylage will always be the most cost effective fibre source but low calorie chaffs, soaked beet pulp and high fibre cubes or nuggets will add variety during the winter, as long as they are not over-fed.
• Fatties still need essential nutrients for health and well- being so should be fed a low calorie balancer, alongside forage and/or pasture, to provide quality protein, vitamins and minerals, for muscle tone, metabolism and healthy hooves and skin. Balancers are perfect for providing those nutrients likely to be lacking in a forage- only diet and can be fed as the sole concentrate to good-doers or to top up reduced amounts of hard feed, to keep the diet
be at constant risk of EMS and laminitis.
Encourage Weight Loss These are the ones whose owners most need to make use of the winter to encourage some weight loss, rather than weight gain or maintenance - visit the Baileys web site to download our Body Condition Scoring leaflet and see for yourself where your horse or pony fits on the scale. When all you see are ‘larger’ animals, it can be hard to spot when the upper extremes are being reached. Rather than leaving these overweight animals to their own devices, feeding and management should be adjusted to ensure they come into spring nearer a BCS of 5. The colder weather and poorer nutritional quality of grazing should give an advantage as more calories are used by the body to keep warm and fewer should be provided by grass. However, let’s not forget that Natives in particular are designed to live on next to nothing, so here are some practical ways to actively promote weight loss.
Soaking hay will wash out soluble carbohydrates
balanced, without adding extra calories.
• Exercise not only burns calories, it keeps the horse mentally and physically healthy. If a horse has limited or no access to turnout, he must have some other form of exercise every day, even if it is only in- hand.
• Only lightweight rugs should be used, if any, so the pony has to burn fat reserves to keep warm.
The colder and harder the winter, the more help it will give you in encouraging weight loss in your overweight equine, especially after a long warm autumn with plenty of grass. We’re not talking about reducing them to BCS scores below 4, which would be natural for many living wild, but shifting down a score or two and staying there, would be a healthier situation for many.
Visit:
www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk Email:
Small-holed haynets will make the daily ration last longer
www.theequinesite.co.uk
Balancers will keep the diet balanced without adding extra calories
info@baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk Contact: 01371 850247
Equine Page 19
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