In an effort to educate horse owners and battle the welfare crisis in equine obesity, in 2021, Trickle Net launched the first free online forage calculator of its kind.
The new resource has been developed over several months and uses data pulled from the latest available research in approximating the dry matter forage requirements of horses and ponies on a grass and hay diet.
Built with guidance from Louisa Taylor BVM BVS (Hons) BVMedSci (Hons) MRCVS of Vetrition, the calculator requests horse owners to input their horse’s weight, hours turnout and type of pasture with the amount of hay fed and the feeding goal. The results are instantly available to the user and displayed with a host of recommendations and advice around feeding horses on a weight control diet.
The results are instantly available to the user and displayed with a host of recommendations and advice around feeding horses on a weight control diet.
Trickle net
As an added bonus, the calculator also tells the user how much money they will save if they have been over-feeding forage. The tool can provide a good starting point for owners, though it does not replace working with an equine nutritionist. Owners are directed towards the services of Vetrition and Practical Equine Nutrition for personalised weight loss plans for their horses.
The Forage Calculator was the brainchild of Ellen Chapman, founder of Trickle Net. Ellen says:
Owners often ask us about the amount of forage to feed and we found ourselves repeatedly running through the same calculations when giving advice. I thought it would be ideal to have an online tool for owners to do this themselves and learn more about dry matter intake (DMI) requirements. I then wanted to make this tool more comprehensive and useful for owners, so I began to look more closely at pasture DMI and started reading the research.”
We have created a unique resource which gives owners a good baseline to start from. Using the specific feeding goal, weight loss, maintenance or weight gain the calculator takes the numbers we know work. It then approximates on the DM requirements based on the owner’s information, and the research data. It can’t be entirely accurate of course as each horse is anindividual, but it is a very good ‘ballpark’ calculation, which is a big step forward for owners who could not easily access this important information before.”
The calculator is supported by BETA, Redwings Horse Sanctuary, The Laminitis Site and Care Equine Education. Information on diet and nutrition, laminitis prevention, management and weight control can be accessed from supporters via the calculator page.
You can try out the Trickle Net Forage Calculator here. For further information, you can contact the Trickle Net team at HQ@tricklenet.co.uk
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Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.