Filling Your Horse Up With Forage This Winter

With temperatures dropping and the frost setting in, your horses pasture may now start to look rather sparse and those patches of grass that haven’t already been turned into a wallow of mud, are likely to finally stop growing. Many of you will start to worry therefore, that your horses and ponies are no longer getting what they need from their pasture.

Second to water, forage is the most important part of any horses and ponies diet, as fibre from forage provides a valuable source of calories to help maintain the horse’s weight and is essential for maintaining gut health and the absorption of nutrients. It is important to ensure then, that they are receiving a sufficient amount, below are some useful tips to help you do this.

5 Fabulous Truths about Feeding Forage

 

·       Ad-Lib access to forage is ideal for any horse or pony unless they start to gain too much weight

·       All horses and ponies (including good doers) need a minimum of 1.5% dry matter of their bodyweight in forage per day (7.5kg for a 500kg horse)

·       If continuing to turn horses/ponies out to pasture, as a guide, if stabling for approx.12hours, provide no less than a minimum of half their forage ration in their boxes as hay/haylage/hay replacer, as we cannot be sure how much is being received as grass.

·       If providing a forage only diet, provide a balancer to ensure the correct levels of vitamins, minerals and quality proteins.

·       Try to avoid long periods of time where your horse or pony has no access to forage which could increase the risk of conditions such as colic/ulcers.

 

2 Top Tips When Feeding Forage to Poor Doers

·       In winter months, grass intake may need to be virtually ignored, meaning a greater amount will need to be supplemented, especially for poor doers. Additional forage may also need to be provided in the field if possible – you might even find this encourages them to stand away from the gate!

·       Although many often think haylage is richer/more nutritious, therefore less is needed in comparison to hay, in fact due to the additional water content of haylage, you need to offer 25-50% more than you would as hay (10-11kg of haylage in place of 7.5kg of hay.)

 

3 Ways To Manage A Good Doers Forage Intake

 

·  If your horse or pony has a tendency to greedily consume their hay or haylage all at once, consider putting one hay net inside the other, to help slow them down. Placing these nets in several stations around the stable can also help encourage them to take their time.

·   For especially good doers, or laminitics, soaking hay for 12-16hours is highly recommended to achieve maximum leaching of water soluble carbohydrates (sugar + fructan – stored sugar in grass)

 

·       Good quality oat or barley straw is a low energy option, making it ideal for good doers, although it is best used as a partial rather than sole forage source.

Does Your Horse Need A Hay Replacer To Stay Happy & Healthy?

·     Horses and ponies that can no longer manage long fibre such as hay or haylage will require a hay replacer. From the SPILLERS® range consider SPILLERS HAPPY HOOF®, SPILLERS HAPPY HOOF® Molasses Free or SPILLERS® High Fibre Cubes (cubes can be soaked to form a mash) and un-molassed sugar beet is also a great option.

·     If providing a hay replacer, ideally this should be provided in as many small servings as possible, and divided between several buckets to help encourage ‘trickle feeding’. If providing a hard feed, offer this first, followed by the hay replacer, so that they do not necessarily see it as another ‘feed’.  

 

There are many ways to ensure then that you horse or pony has sufficient forage this winter, even when struggling with poor pasture. Should you have a more specific query however please contact the SPILLERS® Care-Line of 01908 22 66 26.

What will your horse be tucking into on Christmas Day?

 

As we prepare for roast turkey, brussels sprouts and Christmas pudding, have you considered how or what you will be feeding your horse this Christmas? Here a few things to add to your list of festive preparations!

Water

Water is the most important yet often most overlooked nutrient in the horse’s diet, so if we have a cold snap over the next couple of days make sure you start by breaking the ice in water troughs daily. Some horses are reluctant to drink very cold water, which in older horses may be due to sensitive teeth. Try adding warm water to help tempt reluctant drinkers as reduced intake may lead to colic, particularly in horses that are stabled for long periods with additional hay (because it is much dryer than grass).

Frost or Snow

Are you worried about whether or not you can turn out your horse if we have white Christmas? Turning out for short periods can help your horse to ‘let of steam’ in prolonged periods of snow but if your horse lives out full time, remember to feed plenty of additional forage to ensure that he doesn’t lose condition. Although it may mean additional mucking out, also remember that horses prone to colic or laminitis should not be turned out frosty grass.

Tying-up

If you decide to give your horse a few days off over Christmas, make sure you reduce any high starch, cereal based feeds to help prevent tying-up. Reduce your feed by half from the evening before to the evening after his day(s) off, feeding additional forage if necessary.

Festive Treats

Horses often become much-loved family members and as such we like to treat them on Christmas day too. Some owners chose to treat their horse or pony with an additional or larger feed and sometimes even ale or Guinness. It’s important to remember that sudden changes to the diet may lead to digestive upsets such colic, so make sure you reach for horse and pony treats, an extra carrot or a few mints instead.

Christmas is a time best spent with friends and family and for many of us, this includes our horses too. As you make your final preparations, remember that reduced work and colder weather may mean that you need to make a few seasonal changes to your horse’s regime too!

Merry Christmas!

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.

Bran benefits

Bran, often in the form of bran mash, has long been fed to horses as a source of fibre or laxative to help prevent colic, as a warm and palatable feed for sick horses or those with poor teeth and after a hard days hunting. However, should these feeding practices be considered as words from the wise or an outdated tradition?

One of the biggest problems associated with feeding bran is its very high phosphorus content. The ratio of calcium to phosphorus in the horse’s diet should be ideally maintained at 1.5-2:1 (1.5-2 times more calcium than phosphorus) but in comparison, bran contains 10-12 times more phosphorous than calcium. High levels of phosphorus decrease calcium absorption, resulting in deficiency. Consequently, calcium is drawn from bones (where 99% of calcium is stored) which in serious cases, causes them to weaken. Although far less common now, feeding large amounts of bran and consequently high levels of phosphorus, can result in ‘Millers Disease’ (Nutritional Secondary Hyperparathyroidism); a condition which eventually results thickening and distortion of bones caused  by lost minerals being replaced with fibrous tissue.

Feeding small amounts of bran on an infrequent basis will not cause major mineral imbalances, but as we all seem to appreciate that new feeds should be introduced gradually, why make an exception for bran? In fact, some researchers believe that this could have a negative effect on the hindgut microbes responsible for fibre digestion. Research has also shown than bran does not act as laxative, regardless of whether it is fed wet or dry. Instead, any ‘laxative effect’ is likely to be the caused by the mild disturbance or irritation resulting from the sudden introduction of a new feed.

For people, fibre (including bran) can increase the bulk of stools by helping them to retain more water and consequently make them easier to pass. However, fibre requirements in horses are much higher and whilst bran does contain fibre, the content is much lower (10-12%) than in sugar beet (20% - unmolassed) and hay.  In fact even as a source of water, the benefits of a bran mash may be questionable when you consider the small amount of water actually consumed in comparison to the horse’s daily requirements.

Many of us reach for a mug of hot chocolate or soup in colder weather and whilst a feeding a warm bran mash may be a comforting thought, it will not continue to keep your horse warm after he has eaten it.  As a result of fermentation in the large intestine, the digestion of hay and other forages produces heat (regardless of the weather) and therefore nutritionally, feeding additional hay is more likely to help keep your horse warm.

Whilst feeding bran will not always result in serious harm, particularly if properly balanced and fed in small amounts to adult horses; reported benefits are based largely on tradition. Consider whether adding bran to your horse’s diet is really necessary as unfortunately, it is one feeding tradition that may potentially cause more harm than good.

Electrolytes: What are they and does your horse need them?

Electrolytes are mineral salts which, when dissolved in water, become electrically charged particles called ions. However, whilst scientifically accurate, this explanation offers little help to many horse owners when it comes assessing their horse’s need for electrolytes.

When horses sweat they lose electrolytes, the main ones being sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium and magnesium (although calcium and magnesium are lost in smaller amounts). Sweating rates can be as high as 10-15 litres of sweat per hour, with electrolyte losses of approximately 10g/ litre.  Electrolytes are important for many cell functions including muscle contractions and the transmission of nerve impulses. A lack or imbalance of electrolytes can affect almost every physiological system in the horse's body and result in conditions such as heat stress, fatigue, synchronous diaphragmatic flutter (thumps) and tying up. Electrolytes control the direction of water in the body and maintain fluid balance. The body needs electrolytes to retain water which is why you may have read that it is more difficult to rehydrate by drinking water alone.

However, the amount of electrolytes lost is proportionate to the amount the horse sweats and consequently, free access to a salt lick and plenty of forage (hay provides potassium) is more than sufficient for many leisure horses and those in light work. In fact, most losses would gradually be replaced over time, simply by the horse eating and drinking normally. However for horses sweating heavily and on a on a regular basis, a water and electrolyte solution will aid a more rapid and effective recovery.  Regardless of this, it is not possible to replace total losses in one feed/ solution. Such supplements aim to support hydration and the replenishment of electrolytes but in fact, it will take several days for levels to be fully restored following heavy and prolonged sweating. Whilst it is not possible to ‘preload’ electrolytes, maintaining hydration and electrolyte balancer prior to exercise/ competition is an important precaution, helping to reduce the risk of conditions such as tying up.

Table salt (sodium chloride) and in heavier work a combination of table salt and Lo Salt (potassium chloride and sodium chloride at a 2:1 ratio), can be a cheap and effective form of electrolyte replacement, either added to horses feed or diluted in water. Water must be available if adding salt directly to the feed and must also be offered as alternative to horses that refuse to drink the salt and water solution (this is also the case if using commercial supplements). Apple juice has been recommended by many as an effective flavouring but horses should be ‘taught’ or accustomed to drink the flavoured water before salts are added.

Although more expensive, commercial electrolyte supplements can be beneficial, despite speculations that some contain little more than sugar.  Whilst we now know that horses do not need high levels of sugar in order to absorb electrolytes, ingredients such as dextrose and sucrose are often still included to help make supplements palatable and provided that they also contain appropriate levels of electrolytes, this is not a problem. Look for supplements containing sodium, potassium, chloride and ideally magnesium and calcium too. Sodium and potassium should feature near the top of the list of ingredients, with sodium provided in the largest quantity. For competition horses, also take care to ensure that any supplement used does not contravene FEI rules and is covered under the UFAS BETA NOPS code.

Electrolytes are undoubtedly important, but it is easy for such a scientifically complex subject to cause confusion. If you think your horse may need additional electrolytes, ask a nutritionist for advice on adding salt to his feed, or look for a supplement manufactured by a reputable company. Such companies should have a nutritionist available to clearly explain the benefits of their product, what’s in it and how to use it safely.