3 February 2012
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HORSE Magazine
Keep your horse healthy this winter
Thursday 4 December 2008
Follow our simple feeding tips to keep your horse happier and healthier this winter
- If your horse becomes too excitable, review his diet – you may be feeding too much or using feeds too high in cereal starch. Diets low in starch and high in fibre and oil, which provide more slow-release energy, are appropriate for this type of horse. Look for chopped fibre-based feeds or cubes.
- To reduce the risk of tying-up, cut down on your horse's feed from the evening before a day off to the evening after, particularly if his diet is cereal-based. Always feed for the work done, not the work you are going to do. If your horse is prone to tying-up, choose a feed high in fibre and oil, and low in starch.
- Remember it is easier to maintain condition than to build it up. For a horse prone to weight loss, use a conditioning feed as part of his diet.
- Avoid sudden changes to your horse's diet – including forage – to reduce the risk of colic and digestive upsets.
- For senior horses, choose a specialist veteran feed as they often provide additional nutritional support.
- Don't over-rug good doers – use the winter months to help them lose weight. It is natural for ponies to drop weight in the winter and put on condition in the spring. This will help reduce the risk of laminitis.
- Most reputable feed companies have a helpline offering free feeding advice. If you are confused as to what to feed or have a particular feeding issue, give them a call.
This is an extract from a horsecare article in Horse magazine. To read the feature in full, buy the January issue of Horse, on sale from 4 December.
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