36/ APRIL 2023 THE RIDER Waste Not, Want Not: It is Time to OptiMize Feeding Hay
By Sue Wilson In my mind, a bale of hay for a horse is like a
buffet for a human - there is a lot to choose from and a tendency to overeat. When I am at a buffet, I look at the dessert table first and then plan the rest of my meal around that. I really need to be disci- plined and mindful to eat my vegetables and not eat too much dessert. Like me at a buffet, when my horse goes into
his stall, he eats his favourite things first (grain and carrots) and then inspects his hay. He is turned out
8 hours a day, which means ⅔ of his daily hay is fed in his stall. If we fed his 16 hour ration of hay on the ground all at once, he would drag a lot of it into his bedding while looking for the best parts, and he would gobble the clean hay up in a few hours. Portioning the hay into evening and night check intervals helped, but in the morn- ing, I was still greeted by an anxious and hungry horse, and his stall would be a disaster. Hay nets helped, but they took a lot of time to fill and we were still removing a lot of wasted hay each morning. We needed to be more mindful
about how we were feeding hay in the stall so we set out to develop a feeder that would “waste not, want not”. Waste not is from the human’s per-
spective. Hay and bedding are expen- sive. A 1000 pound horse needs to forage on about 15 pounds of hay over 16 hours in his stall. We want it all to be eaten, not mixed into the bedding and turned into a mess. Making multiple trips to the barn just to feed hay and the drudgery of filling hay bags consumes a lot of time. Want Not is from the horse’s per-
spective. They are content because they always have forage available, grazing
small bites at a time with heads down and chewing a lot to buffer the acid in their stomach. In 2019, we introduced the OptiMizer pad-
dock feeder which is a free standing, multi-bale herd feeder. Taking the learning from this product, the OptiMizer InStall is designed to be mounted in a corner of a stall (or shelter or fence line). It holds up to 25 pounds of hay and the OptiNet drapes in- side the manger while the horse slowly consumes its hay. It is made from the same proven, durable materials as our paddock OptiMizer including playground equipment polymer and stainless steel components. It is produced at our trusted manufac- turer in Newmarket, Ontario. And it is really quick and easy to fill - just 2 fingers to open the latch and pull the net out of the way. The OptiMizer InStall has been tested at 25
stables across North America. After over 40,000 hours under horses, we have measured a lot of horse and human satisfaction with the product. Specifically, users have told us that reducing hay and bedding waste, saving time and the health ben- efits associated with slow feeding are clear benefits of the OptiMizer. Many horses are more content/less anxious in the morning. There have been no injuries or safety concerns reported and after 4 months of use, the OptiMizers are rated as looking “almost brand new” by the majority of
users.
● 100% of users reported that the OptiMizer was a much better/better way to feed hay than their pre- vious methods.
● 100% of users rated the durability of the products as excellent/very good.
Below are the results from 3 of participants
from Ontario in our study: The OptiMizer InStall will be available for
sale in April 2023! Come see us in the System Equine booth at CanAm in Ancaster!
the study at 16.2 hands and 1700 pounds. Taylor says, “Ab- solute game changer for my very messy Clydesdale. Zero waste, quick filling, and best of all slow feeding all night long!”
Taylor’s mare Bellator was one of the larger horses in
Kaitlyn’s mare Dia had a history of ulcers, which changed her demeanor and required $1000’s in expensive medications. Kaitlyn says, “The health of my horse has improved, which has made me so happy!! “
and Tucker is a happy muncher!” and then in March she added “I was just having a really good look at the net on my feeder and can honestly say there is very little wear and tear on it. Amazing as my horse is pretty hard on stuff.”
Ontario’s first Working Equitation Expo highlights fast-growing equestrian sport
Take the elegance of dres-
sage, the thrill of a galloping horse, the challenge of navigating obstacles, and bring them to- gether. That’s Working Equi- tation (WE), one of North America and Europe’s fastest- growing equestrian disciplines. This sport is rapidly gaining
popularity in Ontario and will be in the spotlight at the inaugural Working Equitation Expo at the Ancaster Fairground May 25 to 28, 2023, hosted by the Ontario Society for Working Equitation (OSWE). It will bring together top international judges/clini- cians, riders and spectators for three days of seminars, demon- strations, vendors, competition and entertainment. Working Equitation devel-
oped in Portugal, Spain, France and Italy in the mid-1990s to
showcase the ability of horses working on farms. These brave, agile horses were using basic dressage in their daily work, going through brush, opening gates, crossing bridges and herd- ing cattle. Horses used today in Working Equitation can be any breed or size. It’s an inclusive sport that riders and horses from any other discipline can partici- pate in. Working Equitation has
three phases: Dressage, Ease of Handling and Speed; Cattle Han- dling is a fourth phase added at some competitions. An Expo highlight will be the inaugural Can/Am Working Equitation Cup, a show where spectators can root for horses and riders in Ease of Handling as they negoti- ate a course of obstacles and are judged on how well they execute
Equitation official. António is ex- cited to see the sport growing in Canada, and wants to help pro- mote and support the growth of Working Equitation in this re- gion. He looks forward to meet- ing Ontario riders and their horses.” Vicente is also an inter- national Lusitano breed judge. He is a professor of veterinary medicine at Escola Superior Agrária de Santarém, has a spe- cial interest in rare and endan- gered breeds of horses and breeds Sorraia horses. The Working Equitation
Expo will be a fun, educational weekend of clinics, show, semi-
the course. The exciting Speed phase will be a real crowd pleaser, as horses and riders race to complete the course with the fastest time and fewest errors. “The Working Equitation
Expo is a community-building, teaching and learning event de- signed to show the sport and allow equestrians to see it per- formed,” says Lise LeBlanc, OSWE president. “It offers get hands-on learning, from judging to running a show to riding. We have two of the best clinicians in the sport coming to mentor us in getting the sport established in Ontario.” The Expo marks the first
time North American riders will have the opportunity to ride in a clinic with World Association Working Equitation (WAWE)
Senior Judge and International Lusitano Judge Antonio Vicente. He’ll be joined by senior USAWE judge and Master Level Rider Doreen Atkinson, who will also teach a clinic. “We are thrilled to host An-
tónio on his first visit to Canada to help educate officials and to judge our inaugural Can/Am Cup show on May 27 and 28,” says LeBlanc. “The Expo is attracting local riders in all disciplines and also the Working Equitation com- munity across the border.” LeBlanc says Vicente is
committed to growing enthusi- asm and education for Working Equitation in Canada and is en- couraging all levels of riders to show. “This is an amazing oppor- tunity to ride under a very expe- rienced senior WAWE Working
nars, demonstrations and more. Highlights include a Battle of the Breeds competition, equine trade show, VIP area and evening en- tertainment. OSWE will also use the event to raise funds and awareness for Juvenile Arthritis, with a donation going to the Di- vision of Rheumatology, Depart- ment of Pediatrics, McMaster University. There will be cash prizes for
champions and ribbons to fifth place in each division of the show. For more information on the Working Equitation Expo, visit
www.oswe.ca/canamcup.
In October, Tracey said “Super easy install
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