Winter Feeding Advice By Dr Vicki Glasgow, Harbro Nutritionist Winter will be here soon, so here are some tips on how to feed when turnout and workload maybe reduced. Good Doers Monitor hard feed intakes so they don’t pile on the pounds! Use a low energy chaff with minerals (Harbro One Scoop ) or a balancer. Limit hay by using very small holed hay nets or doubling hay nets. If it is not too icy, soak hay for a minimum of four hours to reduce sugar levels. They can still fulfil their natural desire to be constantly munching, keep their guts healthy and relieve boredom without piling on weight. Use weigh tapes and body condition scoring once a week to keep an eye on them. Poor Doers Swap to a high oil, high fibre, low starch feed so that the energy supply is maintained or even increased, but is more of a slow release variety - limiting digestive upsets. Conditioning feeds with a high oil and low starch content ( preferably nuts, e.g. Harbro Conditioning Cubes ) and/or high oil chaffs ( e.g. Alfa-A Oil ) will suit this type of horse very well. Ensure a constant supply of a good quality forage. As the biggest portion of a horse’s diet in the winter, it is crucial that it is the best quality that you can get. Make All Changes Slowly One of the golden rules of feeding is that any changes should be made gradually. Sudden changes can lead to issues from mild digestive upset to colic. Changes should be made slowly over a 7-10 day period. The current advice is that no more than 200g/day of the feed to be introduced should be added/day for a 500kg horse and proportionately less for smaller horses. If you are swapping from hay to haylage or vice versa, ensure that you feed both for at least a week. Yeasts and pre/probiotics can be used
to help soothe over any changes in diet or routine. Maximise Turnout Whenever Possible
Even if the weather is bad, horses will appreciate at least a few hours turn out. Exercise helps with gut motility and shouldn’t be overlooked. If your horse is going to be in its stable for long hours make sure that it is provided with ad-lib forage and stimulus. A turnip on a rope is a great boredom breaker for good doers and those prone to laminitis. The key to a happy horse during winter is to maximise turnout, make the appropriate feeding changes slowly and don’t forget that forage is the most important part of your horse’s diet.
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