As horse owners, our Horse Insurance team here at SEIB all like to keep up to date with the latest research in equine wellbeing and welfare.
With digestive disorders, including colic, being in the top three causes of claims for SEIB equine clients, we want to make sure we are feeding our horses and ponies so they are healthy and happy. There is no more important time to consider their feeding needs than during the busy competition season.
Because our horses and ponies often have a slightly changed daily routine and are likely to be working harder than normal when they are out competing, we need to ensure we are well-educated about their feeding needs during this time.
In competition season, it is likely that horses and ponies will be doing more fitness work at home with an increased level of lessons and training, in addition to the actual competition days. It’s also important to consider that our horses and ponies could be doing plenty of travelling and possibly staying away for shows.
We caught up with the highly experienced Tracey Hammond M.Sc (Dist) from Dengie Horse Feeds to get some advice on healthy feeding practices for our horses and ponies during competition season. Tracey looks after the feed-line team at Dengie that are responsible for giving advice to horse owners on a daily basis.
Tracey’s top tips for feeding in competition season:
Forage:
- Forage should be the foundation of any feed ration
- Even for horses in hard work forage should be provided at a minimum of 1.5% of the horse’s bodyweight per day in order to maintain digestive health. For a 500kg horse this would be equivalent to 7.5kg dry matter per day.
- Always use the best quality forage available. If you are competing and staying away from home, moving your horse on to a partial or complete hay replacer may be a practical option. Any of Dengie’s grass-based fibre feeds such as Pure Grass, Meadow Grass with Herbs & Oil or Performance Fibre can make a valuable contribution to your horse’s total fibre intake.
For more energy:
- An increase in workload does not automatically mean that you need to use traditional mixes and cubes to meet your horse’s energy requirements, especially if your horse is a good doer or becomes excitable very easily.
- A high fibre feed can provide plenty of energy in a slow-release form which can help to promote stamina and condition without fizz. Dengie’s Alfa-A Original for example, has an energy or ‘calorie’ level comparable to a cool mix or cube and Alfa-A Oil, Dengie’s highest calorie fibre feed at 12.5MJ/kg, is equivalent to a competition mix/cube but without the starch.
- The latest study from researchers in France has shown that high fibre diets don’t compromise how horses perform either – horses in training had the same muscle size and cardio-vascular performance if 90% of their ration was high quality fibre. (See Frontiers | Effect of high-starch or high-fibre diets on the energy metabolism and physical performance of horses during an 8-week training period (frontiersin.org))
- Soaked feeds can be beneficial during competition season as they can carry water into the digestive tract to aid hydration. Feeds such as Dengie Alfa-Beet are great for horses competing in hot conditions.
Remember:
A high-fibre diet during competition season provides the right level of slow-release energy and is a more natural way to feed, helping to keep your horse or pony’s gut healthy.
With thanks to the team at Dengie for their advice on feeding to help keep our horses and ponies healthy when they are busy out competing.
About SEIB
SEIB Insurance Brokers are specialists in insurance for Horses, Horsebox Insurance and Horse Trailer Insurance. We are able to provide flexible policies to suit individual client needs and provide advice on what cover is needed.
