Summer Feeding Advice
for the Leisure Horse
Summer feeding regimes can be tricky to get right. Sunny weather, lighter evenings and busy competition schedules mean that our horses and ponies may find their workloads and turnout hours increasing, but more time in the field will increase the risk of overindulgence on lush green pasture. Luckily, Dengie are here to help. In part one of this two part series, we look at feeding leisure horses and ponies that are prone to carrying a little extra weight.
The Risk of Overindulgence
Horses, particularly our hardy native breeds, are naturally designed to put on weight over the spring and summer and lose it again over the colder months. The problem with this is that our domesticated horses are rarely put in the position where they will naturally shed their extra pounds over winter and so enter summer unprepared for the rich grass. This can lead to obesity and increase the likelihood of conditions such as laminitis.
He’d need to work for fifty minutes in the school to burn off just half a scoop of low energy cubes, so think twice about everything that you add to his bucket.
Think carefully about what you are feeding your horse or pony and the work that he is doing. You might be getting out and about a bit more over the summer, but that doesn’t necessarily mean your horse needs any extra feed. He’d need to work for fifty minutes in the school to burn off just half a scoop of low energy cubes, so think twice about everything that you add to his bucket. Always increase workload before you increase energy intake – if he continues to hold his weight well then you know he doesn’t need any extra food.
Battling the Bulge
Obesity puts additional strain on the joints, heart and lungs and has links to other health problems. The National Equine Survey 2015 found that 23% of horses were described as overweight – up from 16.9% the previous year – while a recent PhD study at Liverpool University found that just 11% of owners surveyed could correctly identify overweight horses from pictures.
Condition scoring your horse is a great way to work out if he’s carrying a little extra weight. Describing a horse’s weight is subjective and therefore a condition score chart sets out criteria to make the process more objective. By comparing your horse to the pictures and descriptions, you can get a fairly accurate idea about their condition. Regular condition scoring, in conjunction with using a weigh tape, will help you to spot quickly if your horse’s weight starts to creep up.
Top Tips for Weight Watching
- Practice condition scoring on several different horses so that you learn what you should be looking for
- Always use your weigh tape at the same point in your routine, as your horse’s “girth” and therefore the reading for his weight, will naturally fluctuate throughout the day
- Get a friend to condition score your horse and compare the results – this will help you get a more objective score
- When using a weigh tape, make sure your horse is standing square on a level surface
Fabulous Fibre
Fibre is what our horses were naturally designed to eat, so if you want to feed your horse or pony over the summer months then a low-calorie fibre feed like Dengie Hi-Fi Molasses Free is the ideal solution. Containing no added sugar and low in starch, it has an oil coating for slow-release energy and beautiful coat shine and includes tasty mint, fenugreek and pellets. Hi-Fi Molasses Free is free from molasses and preservatives and has been independently approved by The Laminitis Trust.
One of the brilliant things about feeding fibre feeds is that they weigh very light in a scoop. One large Stubbs scoop of mix weighs around 1.2kg – you’d need to feed three scoops of Hi-Fi Molasses Free to achieve the same weight. Added to the fact that fibre feeds take longer to chew than a mix and therefore generates more saliva, this means that a little goes a long way if your horse is on a reduced ration.
Preventative Measures
Did you know that grass is often the highest contributor of sugar to the equine diet?
Excessive consumption of sugar will lead to weight gain and can trigger the symptoms of laminitis. Grazing muzzles are great for restricting grass intake – studies suggest consumption can be reduced by 75-85% when using one. Other alternatives are a track system, turning out in a well-grazed paddock or spending time in the stable with a low-sugar forage or fibre feed. Dengie Hi-Fi Lite, which is independently approved by The Laminitis Trust, makes a great hay replacer – swapping hay with the same weight of Hi-Fi Lite can reduce sugar intake by up to 50%.
The best way to burn fat is to exercise. Aim for at least twenty minutes a day – if you don’t have time to ride, try lunging, long-reining or even a brisk walk in-hand.
Make Sure He Gets The Good Stuff
It’s likely that your horse is granted more grazing time over the summer, so you may decide to reduce his hard feed or cut it out altogether. However, this is not without its problems. Your horse or pony may look like he is coping fine without any supplementary feed, but UK soil is generally short of certain minerals that our horses need to be healthy. These include selenium, which boosts the immune system, copper, which is aids the development of bone and cartilage, and zinc, which is important for bone development and healthy hooves and coat. Therefore, a vitamin and mineral supplement should be supplied to your horse either in powder form or as a concentrated balancer pellet.
UK soil is generally short of certain minerals that our horses need to be healthy.
The benefit of powdered supplements is that they will add no additional calories to the ration. These can be fed with a small quantity of low-calorie chopped fibre, such as Dengie Hi-Fi Lite or Hi-Fi Molasses Free. Alternatively, a balancer comes in a pelleted form and, although it will have a calorie value, does provide a protein value and often includes some extra benefits such as herbs and so may be preferable for fussier horses. Choose a balancer that is specifically designed for good doers if your horse holds his weight well. Good options for your horse would be Dengie Leisure Vits & Mins or Hi-Fi Balancer.
Case Study – Emma and Jake
Jake is a 15hh Connemara. When he was diagnosed with Equine Metabolic Syndrome in 2014, his owner Emma took him along to a Dengie Diet Clinic. Jake weighed in at 516kg on the portable weighbridge and was given a condition score of five (‘obsese’, on a scale of five chart). With help from the Dengie nutrition team, Emma put Jake on a strict weight loss programme that involved increased exercise, restricted soaked hay and Jake wearing a grazing muzzle when turned out. He was fed 2kg of Dengie Healthy Hooves Molasses Free each day, split into two feeds. Healthy Hooves Molasses Free is a low-calorie complete fibre feed that includes garlic, pellets and biotin for strong hoof growth. It contains no added sugar and is approved by The Laminitis Trust.
After almost a year on his new regime, Jake weighed in at 417kg and had steadily lost an amazing 99kg – that equates to 15.5 stone, roughly the weight of a large man!
Ask the Experts
If you need some nutritional advice for your working horse or would like to know more about any of our products, don’t hesitate to contact the Dengie Feedline team on 0845 345 5115 or visit www.dengie.com, where you can chat live to a nutritionist.
