( FOCUS ON FEEDING )


CONDITION PERFECT!


BY KATE HORE


RNUTR (Animal) Snr


Nutritionist at NAF


anaging horses and ponies through winter is challenging. Wet conditions and freezing temperatures increase the time taken to just care for our charges, while short, dark days reduce our chances to ride. However Spring is on it’s way and it’s time to prepare! Make sure your horses and ponies are in perfect condition for the change of seasons ahead.


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Equines are much more tolerant of cold than we are, so don’t be tempted to over-rug. Ensure your field has adequate shelter, and rug according to their body type, clip and weight. Don’t forget to remove rugs for daily checks, as condition can drop over winter with temperature, diet and exercise all impacting on Body Condition Score (BCS).


There are a few simple steps you can take to assess weight and condition, which will help you choose between that lightweight rain-sheet or heavyweight turnout. A weigh bridge is accurate, but rarely accessible. Using a weigh tape means you can monitor condition weekly. While tapes are not always strictly accurate, if the same person uses the same tape it will give you a consistent result. However weight is only part of


8 MARCH/APRIL 2019


the equation. We really need to physically get our hands on our horses in order to assess Body Condition Score.


There are two basic BCS scales, either the 1-9 scale (Henneke), or 0-5 (Carroll & Huntingdon), where 0 = emaciated and 5 = obese. We advise the 0-5 system, as it’s so simple to visualise. Horses store fat differently around their body, so split the body into neck and shoulders, middle, and quarters, score each area, then take an average. The ideal Condition Score is 2 -3, dependent on your horse’s workload; with fit competition horses being around 2.5. Be honest in your assessment, as British equines are more likely to be overweight than under, and it’s in their interest that you assess honestly and make any adjustments required now, before the spring grass arrives.


Regularly monitoring your horse’s weight and BCS is one of the most important things you can do for their health and welfare, so keep a diary to ensure they stay fit and trim throughout the year.


In terms of overall diet, the best way to make those adjustments, either way, is to adjust the forage they are eating but stick to a fibre diet. For


example using soaked hay if weight loss is required or a higher calorie fibre feed, for those needing to add condition. In either case, it’s important to ensure the diet is balanced with vitamins and minerals to maintain health and vitality, as forage and fibre alone will be nutrient deficient.


A concentrated condition supplement will combine those nutrients with essential gut support from pre and probiotics, to maintain a healthy microbiome (live yeast, bacteria, fungi and protozoa). This hind-gut population can easily be disturbed, for example by changes in workload, weather or travel, so we advise supplementing with gut support to maintain the status quo. Choose a supplement that suits you and your horse, whether that’s a powdered supplement to mix in feed, or concentrated pelleted balancer. Ensuring we keep our horses in perfect condition and feeling ‘in the pink’ means they are fit and ready to spring into the new season ahead! Recommended NAF Products : Optimum Balancer, In the Pink Powder


For the latest news visitwww.centralhorsenews.co.uk


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