Horsemart and Baileys Horse Feeds have created a series of How to video guides on the subject of feeding your horse!
How to feed your horse in winter – Video
As weather conditions deteriorate and grass quantity and quality declines, the main aim of winter feeding is to ensure that all horses and ponies maintain a good overall condition and stay healthy. Although due to poor weather and less daylight most horses tend to work a little less in the winter, a balanced diet is still required i.e. the correct balance of vitamins, minerals, proteins and energy/calories required for optimum health and performance. It has been well documented that grass alone does not meet a horse’s requirements for vitamins and minerals even during the most prolific growth periods i.e. in the spring. Hay or haylage are commonly used to provide the horse with an alternative source of fibre when grass is scarce, however it should be noted that most hays and haylages have fewer nutrients than grass and therefore the emphasis falls towards the concentrate feed to counteract the nutrient shortfalls.
Making Changes Gradually
Whether a change in concentrates or simply moving from grass to hay or haylage, it is important that any dietary change at any time of the year is made gradually. With diet changes often occurring coming into the winter, it is often a good time to consider the addition of a digestive enhancer in the diet such as a pro/prebiotic or yeast to help maintain a healthy gut environment and thus avoid incidences of digestive upset occurring.
Forage – Central Heating for Horses
Fibre is important not only as a source of nutrients but also as a way of keeping the horse warm. Bacteria that live in the horse’s hind gut break down fibre by fermentation, a process that generates heat. Horses, particularly those that continue to live-out during the winter, rely on this ‘central heating system’ so naturally as a way of regulating body temperature will tend to eat more fibre in the winter and less in the summer. Therefore, unless a horse or pony is overweight, forage should be fed ad-lib. For those horses living out, it is important to consider how much grass they actually have access to. If the quantity available is poor then you will need to consider supplementing with hay or haylage in the field. Haylage has the benefit of being far better for the respiratory system than hay and for the performance horse respiratory health is vital. However haylage does not go without its problems. Haylage will often have very high moisture content and in some instances may contain 50% water, which can easily freeze when it is very cold. The other problem often associated with haylage, especially if it is combined with the horse consuming wet pasture, is loose droppings. Again a digestive enhancer in this instance may be a beneficial to help counteract the problem. It is also important to be aware that more haylage, ideally 1.5-2% more, should be fed compared to hay as the high water content dilutes the fibre and nutrient content. Not feeding enough haylage will contribute to loose droppings as the horse does not receive sufficient fibre to meet requirements.
Quality fibres such as sugar beet and alfalfa chaffs are ideal add-ins to feeds in the winter as the more fibre consumed the better the horses’ own central heating system.
Winter Feeding – Poor Doers
Cold weather and the lower nutritional value of hay and haylage mean that many horses require concentrates in the winter to maintain their bodyweight and condition. It is advisable, particularly if you know a horse doesn’t hold weight well to gradually change the feeding regime in the autumn to prevent weight loss, rather than getting to the middle of winter and discovering that all those rugs have been hiding a dramatic weight loss. A common misconception is to feed a horse requiring weight gain more of the existing feed e.g. larger volumes of a standard mix or cube which, due to the nature of the horse’s digestive system is far from ideal. Although the horse is a large animal, a horse’s stomach is actually rather small and inflexible and therefore feeding more than 1.3 – 1.8kg (3 – 4lbs) of concentrate feed in one meal is actually a waste as it will not be utilised efficiently. The key is to feed little and often and to feed a product designed for weight gain i.e. a conditioning feed such as the Baileys No. 4 Top Line Conditioning Cubes. Feeding less of a conditioning feed will have a far more beneficial effect than feeding more of a low calorie/energy feed such a high fibre cube. If it is only possible to feed twice a day and therefore no more than 2.7 – 3.6kg (6 – 8lbs / 1 ½ – 2 ‘Stubbs’ scoops) of a conditioning cube, the solution is to add fats and oils to each meal e.g. straight oil or a high oil supplementary feed such as the Baileys Outshine. If feeding straight oil then do make allowances for further supplementation of vitamin E and selenium, as once you are feeding 100ml (approximately ¼ pint) or above the horse’s requirements for these antioxidants increase.
Winter Feeding – Good Doers
Winter is a good opportunity for the good doer to lose weight and therefore do not be tempted to over-feed or over-rug. Feeding less of a cool mix or basic cube may keep the calories low, but is also depriving your horse from the essential nutrients needed for general health and well-being. Even though your horse may be holding enough weight you may notice that he has a dull coat or is starting to lose muscle tone. Although this can in part be put down to horrible weather conditions and horses wearing heavier rugs, it is will also occur when a horse’s diet is lacking in essential nutrients. As the grass deteriorates in both quality and quantity so also does the digestible fibre content and therefore it is necessary to not only ensure vitamins, minerals and proteins are provided but also an alternative fibre source. For the good doer, vitamins, minerals and proteins should be provided by way of a Balancer such as the Baileys Lo-Cal balancer and hay or haylage at a minimum of 1% of bodyweight e.g. a 450kg horse would require a minimum of 4 ½ kg of hay per day and 450 grams of Lo-Cal.
13 – 15hh, 300 – 500kg = 450 grams of Lo-Cal per day
Over 15hh, Over 500kg = 675 grams of Lo-Cal per day
Haylage is often more digestible than hay and therefore horses and ponies tend to ‘do’ better from it. Hay, therefore, is typically the best choice of forage for the good doer. In order to reduce calories further whilst still providing fibre for gut health, it is recommended to soak hay for a minimum of 1 hour in order to reduce the calorie level by around 30%. In addition, it is advisable to provide the hay in small holed nets perhaps even double netted and place at different intervals around the stable or field so as to make the total quantity last as long as possible.
For further feeding advice, please contact the Baileys Horse Feeds Helpline on 01371 850 247 Option 2 or via the website www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk .
