With the spring grass starting to grow, many people are looking to reduce their horse’s calorie intake…and the good news is that there are lighter versions of popular feeds to help cater for good doers and those looking a little too ‘well’.
Alfa-A Lite - pure chopped Alfalfa approved by the Laminitis Trust.
Hi-Fi Lite - a maintenance feed for horses and ponies that can be used as a bucket feed when fed with a broad spectrum supplement or even a hay replacer. It’s lower in sugar than hay.
TopChop Lite - a natural product made from alfalfa, oat straw, a light dressing of soya oil and real mint.
Spillers Lite Balancer - suitable for good doers and overweight horses and ponies, it contains a comprehensive range of vitamins and minerals to balance the diet and provide optimum nutrition.
TopSpec Lite Balancer - designed for horses and ponies that need their weight controlled, this balancer allows horses to receive the micronutrients required to balance the diet of horses in light work in a small amount of low calorie feed.
Allen & Page Slim And Healthy - a low calorie mix that’s low in starch, high in fibre and contains everything your horse needs…without the calories.
Posted: 30/04/2013 15:37:08
There are many factors that contribute towards how much your horse should receive in his daily ration, and workload is one of these factors. However, with spring finally here and many workloads creeping up- how do you know when it’s time to increase your horse’s feed?
First of all, let’s discuss workload. This is an important issue and many people overestimate what their horse’s workload actually is. You might be surprised to hear that light work can include ridden exercise every day…so don’t assume that because you’re riding your horse for an hour six days a week that he’s now in hard work as that might not be the case.
If your horse’s workload has increased, you need to work out if you need to up his feed, but be aware that you might not need to. Not only does work have a bearing on the amount of energy or feed a horse needs, but the time of year, the nutrients he’s picking up naturally from the grass and the quality for his forage do too, so it’s not as easy as looking at the back of your feed sack. No doubt that this is a great place to start, but as any horse owner will know, not all horses follow the guidelines!
The best way to accommodate for a change in regime is to monitor your horse closely and change feed, if needed, after the workload has increased. Over feeding can lead to behavioural issues that could make him more difficult to ride, and could also lead to weight gain. Weigh him regularly, take pictures of him, condition score and adjust by small amounts as required…don’t let what you think your horse’s workload is and what it actually is cause you to overfeed and create problems that otherwise may not be there.
Posted: 23/04/2013 11:45:19
At efeed.co.uk, in addition to horse feed, we also supply feed supplements. With the event season here, we'd like to talk you through our performance supplements, aimed at hard working horses:
Baileys Aqua-Aide contains key salts and sufficient dextrose for optimum absorption. It can be fed ad hoc (whenever the horse sweats), on an ongoing basis or before, during and after competition days. It's highly palatable and can be added to water or wet feed.
NAF Electro Salts replace salts lost as a result of exertion and during hot weather. A nutritionally balanced combination of four essential salts in glucose for easy absorption.
Dodson & Horrell Electrolytes is a dietetic mineral feeding stuff that contains electrolyte salts specially designed to compensate for nutrient and electrolyte loss in cases of heavy sweating.
NAF Electrolyfe helps restore natural electrolyte balance. A balanced combination of the essential electrolytes in a unique palatable liquid supplement.
NAF EnerG helps improve performance of the hardworking equine athlete. It is an iron rich, fast acting, veterinary approved liquid formula.
Posted: 15/04/2013 14:09:24
We know that the event season actually started a few weeks ago, but with the rain and snow that the country was battered with in late March, it seemed wrong to write about eventing when so many events were being cancelled. The sunshine of the past two days may have made us a little more optimistic than we should be, but we’re getting rather excited about the season.
One of the many great things about eventing is that at every event, there’s a good chance that you’ll run into one of the UK’s leading riders. Yes, you might not find a Badminton horse hanging out at your local horse trials, but there’s every chance that the riders will be there with their younger, less experienced horses, depending on the classes run.
Another great thing is that for those who want to get a feel for the sport, or those who have eventing in their blood, these smaller events are free/cheap to attend and you still get to have a great day, surrounded by beautifully turned out, fit horses and their very excited riders.
As you move up the levels, the venues get more and more impressive, culminating in places such as Badminton and Burghley. There are many *** competitions that run across the UK, including Belton Park, Withington Manor, Chatsworth International, Houghton International, Bramham International, Barbury International, Hopetoun International, The Festival of British Eventing, Hartpury International, Blair Castle and Blenheim Palace…and this doesn’t take into account the **s, OIs and As where you’re likely to see horses either destined for or entered into **** competitions.
Eventing is accessible, and it’s brilliant fun to watch and be part of- if you haven’t caught the bug yet, there’s plenty of opportunities to!
Posted: 10/04/2013 16:21:39