FOCUS ON FEEDING


FEEDING TO MAINTAIN WEIGHT OVER WINTER


In this issue we talk to Dr Tom Shurlock, nutritionist for British Horse Feeds, about feeding to help keep condition and weight on your horse over the winter months.


SHURLOCK DR TOM


going to have. There are, of course, generalisations no matter what the weather; the actual feeding time is reduced, as horses eat less during darkness, and energy intake needs to be increased to combat the lower temperatures. The optimal way is to increase the feeding of super fibres as these maintain the gut physiology and biomass whilst increasing the generation of slow release energy (the short chain, volatile fatty acids -VFA -that are the result of microbial fermentation, a process that has the additional benefit of generating heat which helps counteract winter chills!). Other aspects, such as stimulating


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beneficial feeding behaviour by providing discrete meals (to mimic the “searching” aspect of foraging), providing warm mashes (again to help offset heat loss due to lowtemperatures), are all based on the normal regime of supplementing winter grazing, and free access to hay or haylage. Within these generalities we can


recommend incorporation of a super fibre such as Speedi-Beet; presented as a warm mash (Speedi-Beet can hold up to ten times its own weight in water) which will aid rehydration when horses may not


22 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER2018


sually the biggest problem writing articles about winter feeding is to predict what sort of winter we’re


wish to drink cold water and provides warmth to the gut and stimulates hind gut fermentation (beet pulp has been shown to have a prebiotic effect). Although the horse may not be as energetic during winter it does need substantial extra energy to combat lowtemperatures – even if housed, far more if outside – so their energy requirement could easily match that of an active horse in summer, and so adjusting the amount given, within any feeding regime, is an easy and efficient way to compensate for variable weather conditions. However, this year, predicting the


winter has to be taken in conjunction of


what has happened over the summer. This year’s unprecedented heatwave and 80% reduction in rainfall (June and July to date) could mean serious shortfall in winter forage. Although the wet spring has given a first cut of hay that is reasonable both in terms of quantity and nutrition (in fact yields may be high, as some grass was too dry to silage), second cut hay/ haylage is sure to be poor. Even if there is sufficient rain – and this does not seem to be predicted for August – the chance of a good second crop is small, leading to high costs and potential shortages. This means that extra feed will be needed


over winter and it is not simply providing more hard feed or cereals. Although they may have the energy content, supplying it as starch does not have the advantage of heat generation, and a constant flowof VFA, but is likely to be stored as fat. It is far more logical to replace the lack of forage yield and quality with a fibre mash. As with a “normal” winter, by introducing and varying the amount of, for example, Speedi- Beet condition can be maintained, whatever the conditions. This year, though, be prepared for the possibility of feeding more, to compensate for lack of hay/haylage.


Formore


informationon Speedi-Beet


contactBritish HorseFeedson 01765680300 orvisitwww.


britishhorsefeeds. com.


For the latest newsvisitwww.centralhorsenews.co.uk


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