Winter Weight Loss

Winter presents a number of challenges, particular for poor-doers and of course their owners! If the recent cold snap and a lack of grazing has left your horse looking a little too lean, the following tips may help you to combat that dreaded winter weight loss.

First and foremost forage is the foundation of every horses diet, so start by ensuring your hay or haylage is of good quality and fed adlib, ideally in the field as well as the stable. Far from being ‘just bulk’, forage provides the lion share of your horse’s energy (calorie) intake and is essential for maintaining gut health. If your horse is a ‘fussy-feeder’ it may be worth monitoring how much forage he is ‘choosing’ to eat, aiming for a minimum of 1.5% bodyweight per day, (7.5-8kg/ day for a 500kg horse). Although grass intake is impossible for horse owners to measure, it can generally be ignored for underweight horses on poor pasture. Haylage is not automatically ‘richer’ as commonly thought and it is important to remember that due to higher moisture content, you need to feed approximately 1.2-1.5 times more haylage than hay by weight.  Forage analysis is the only way to determine the nutritional value of both hay and haylage and may be particularly useful when it comes to calculating haylage rations or choosing the most suitable forage supply for you individual horse. If your horse or pony has poor teeth, look for a short chop hay replacer or a cube that be soaked to make a mash.

Although moving to a ‘conditioning’ feed may seem like the obvious choice, start by checking that you are feeding the recommended ration of your current feed as a simple increase may be all that is needed; even if your feed says ‘low energy’ or ‘low calorie’ on the bag. If this doesn’t achieve the desired result; look for a feed containing higher levels of digestible energy and protein. Choosing fibre and oil rather than cereal based feeds is the most sympathetic option both in terms of digestive health and preventing unwanted excitability. However if your horse is prone to any clinical conditions such as laminitis, colic or tying-up, speak to a nutritionist before changing his feed. Traditionally sugar beet has been a common addition to winter diets and although it is high in calories and fibre, it contains approximately 80% water once soaked, making it easy to overestimate how much of it you are feeding. Whilst a Stubbs scoop of soaked beet pulp may look like a significant contribution to your horse’s bucket, it actually contains limited nutritional value. In fact, just 1 scoop of Horse of Pony Cubes is approximately 5 times higher in calories!

Finally make sure your horse is well rugged to help ensure he isn’t wasting valuable energy from his feed keeping warm. If you are reaching for an extra duvet you may need to think about doing the same for your horse!

Iron: Do you know the facts?

Of all of the minerals, iron seems to be the one at the forefront of many owners mind; perhaps because we have become accustomed to associating a feeling of tiredness and not eating enough green vegetables with iron deficiency and anaemia. However, when it comes to our horses, should iron be a primary concern and is an additional supplement necessary?

Iron is a ‘micro mineral’ or ‘trace element,’ meaning that it is required in smaller amounts by the horse. Its primary function lies in oxygen transport and consequently, approximately 60% of the iron in the horse’s body is in haemoglobin – the protein which carries oxygen and gives blood its red colour.

Despite the fact that iron does not provide any energy, iron rich supplements are often propositioned as aid to improving energy levels, enhancing performance and as a ‘tonic’ or ‘pick–me-up’ for horses in hard work or recovering from illness. In truth, there is no scientific rationale to support this and iron is a great example of the fact that more does not always equal better.  Mature horses need approximately 400-600mg of iron per day, equal to only 0.4-0.6g. Iron deficiency in horses is rare even in hard working horses and tends only to occur as the result of significant blood loss (including internal blood loss). In fact, toxcosis is far more common than deficiency in horses.

The National Research Council (NRC-accepted institute for standardising animal diets) sets the maximum tolerable level for iron at 500mg/ kg of feed, although some nutritionists feel that due to the potentially high levels is some forages, this can be increased to 800mg/ kg (equal to 8-9.6g per day in a 500kg horse). Toxicosis may cause depression, dehydration, diarrhoea, an increased risk of bacterial infections, liver failure and in extreme cases death; particularly as result of over supplementation in foals where absorption is more efficient.

For the most part, iron supplements are unnecessary and should only be considered following a confirmed clinical deficiency. Although the addition of an iron based supplement will not automatically result in toxicosis, they have the potential to do more harm than good; particularly as many owners do not have their forage analysed. If poor performance is a concern and the potential for underlying medical conditions can be ruled out, consider factors such as fitness, condition, hydration, temperament and feeding a balanced diet rather than reaching for an iron supplement.

Warm weather feeding

After the coldest spring in 50 years, the recent warmer weather has been a welcome change, but how might this change in temperature affect your horse’s diet? Here are a few tips for ‘hot weather feeding’.

Water

Water is the most important, yet often the most overlooked nutrient in the horse’s diet. Daily intake varies between individuals but on average, is approximately 50ml/kg BW for ‘idle’ horses (25l per day for a 500kg horse). However increased heat, humidity and exercise results in increased demand, so ensure ample supply is maintained. If you are concerned that your horse is not drinking enough, buckets rather than automatic drinkers can help to monitor intake. Flavouring water with apple juice may help to encourage drinking and if possible, taking your own water to shows may be useful for those to reluctant to drink ‘strange’ water.

Electrolytes

When horses sweat they lose electrolytes (mineral salts), the main ones being sodium, potassium and chloride. For most leisure horses and those in light work, free access to a salt lick, water and plenty of forage is more than sufficient for replacing these losses. For horses sweating heavily and on a regular basis, table salt and in harder work a combination of table salt and Lo-salt, is a cheap and effective replacement (ask a nutritionist for more advice on this). In addition, pre-prepared electrolyte solutions combining minerals salts and sugars can help to support hydration and glycogen recovery following exercise.

Hay soaking

Whilst studies have shown that soaking hay for 12-16 hours in tepid water is the most effective method for reducing sugars, soaking for long periods in hot weather is not recommended. This considered, reduce your soaking time to 3-6 hours and remember that soaking for any length of time cannot guarantee safety for laminitics – speak to a nutritionist for more advice.

Grass

It is easy to assume that short, sparse or drought damaged grass has little nutritional value but in truth, levels of non-structural carbohydrate (NSC=starch, sugars and fructan) may be higher than in longer, greener pasture. Stress caused by overgrazing, drought, poor management and lack of nutrients can result in higher levels of NSC, posing a potential increased risk for laminitics. Fructan (storage sugar) may be higher in the stem than the leaf, so avoid grazing laminitics on hay stubble.

Safe feed storage

This is important at any time of year, but soaring temperatures may increase the risk of mould and grain mite. Feed should be stored in cool (12 degrees Celsius or below), dry and preferably dark conditions. Un-opened feed should be raised off of the floor i.e. on a pallet to allow air to circulate, have all shrink wrapped removed to prevent sweating and be kept away from walls (allow a gap of 0.5m). Try to avoid leaving your feed in a hot car for long periods and if feeding small amounts, avoid buying in large volumes to help maintain freshness.

Summer will sadly soon be over so enjoy the hot weather while it lasts; but spare a moment to think about how this may affect your horse’s feeding regime.

Energy vs. calories: is there a difference?

Many owners come to me looking for a feed that will provide more energy without more calories and this common conundrum is one which often causes confusion. So once and for all, let us lay the myths to rest and uncover the truth. Is there a difference between energy and calories and is it really possible to feed more of one without the other?

The simple answer on both counts is no!  Whilst people often tend to use the term ‘energy’ when referring to work or behaviour and ‘calories’ when referring to the horse’s weight, they are not two separate entities (think ‘tomayto/ tomahto’!). Put simply, energy is extracted from nutrients and the amount you feed affects the horse’s weight. Feed too little and he will lose weight, feed too much and he will gain weight. The horse’s energy requirements take into account the energy he requires to simply stay alive and the energy needed to work (which is often over estimated). Regardless of whether a feed is classified as ‘heating or non-heating’, ‘low calorie or high calorie’, feeding more energy than the horse needs/ burns is more than likely to result in excess weight gain.

In many cases, lethargy or a lack of ‘sparkle/ oomph’ is not diet related and therefore simply changing or increasing feed is unlikely to be the solution. Instead, ask yourself if your horse’s weight, temperament or fitness could be responsible. Decreasing weight and/ or increasing fitness, is sometimes all it takes to improve the horse’s natural energy levels. However for sudden, severe and/ or uncharacteristic lethargy, seek veterinary advice to rule out any underlying medical conditions.

Changing the type (rather than the quantity) of energy fed may result in a more energetic performance, but this method only works in some and horses and even then, is not without its pitfalls. High starch, cereal based feeds are not suitable for laminitics and may also encourage more rapid weight gain compared to fibre and oil based feeds. Considering their potentially increased risk laminitis, it could be argued that such feeds may not ideal for any pony, native or good-doer.

As an alternative to changing your feed, you may have considered an ‘energy supplement’ and for some horses, this can prove an effective way of encouraging a more energetic and focussed performance. However, it is often wise to avoid the iron based/ high iron supplements. Horses are rarely deficient iron and in fact, there is not scientific reason to suggest that oversupplying iron will improve energy levels. Iron is also one of the few minerals which can be harmful if over fed.

Despite what you may have been told (or what we might sometimes wish for), energy and calories are exactly the same thing. If your horse is in good or overweight condition, it's not advisable to increase the amount of energy you feed him, regardless of his ridden performance or enthusiasm.