Preparing for Winter

Over the summer months grazing can go a long way to meeting a horse’s energy requirements. In fact many horses and ponies have their grazing restricted to prevent them becoming too rotund! However, over winter as the temperature drops and grass growth slows grazing alone is much less likely to meet your horse’s needs. This is why traditionally at this time of year many people start to think about supplementary feed and the number of calls to the Dengie Feedline rapidly increases.

Supplementary forage like hay or haylage has to be provided over the winter months and using the best quality available can ultimately help to reduce the feed bill. This summer has bought its own unique challenges with both forage availability and quality causing problems. Dustiness is a particular concern with hay, as it is a significant source of mould spores that are detrimental to respiratory health. If you are worried about forage availability or quality don’t panic as all the Dengie Hi-Fi range products can be used to partially or totally replace forage and as all Dengie alfalfa is high temperature dried it produces consistently clean forage from bale to bale.

Older horses and ponies often need a little extra support over the winter months to keep them looking their best especially if they have dental problems. If your horse can no longer manage long stem forage then using a combination of Dengie Hi-Fi Senior and Dengie Alfa-Beet can provide an easy to chew alternative to ensure they still receive an appropriate amount of fibre this winter.

One of the main concerns that many people have as we head into winter is fizzy behaviour. Unfortunately limited exercise and stabling for longer periods over the winter months can ultimately result in more over-exuberant behaviour, but it is additionally important to consider the amount of energy supplied by your horse’s ration and the predominant type of energy source.

The ration that suited your horse over the summer months during regular work and competition is likely to provide more energy than your horse needs as we head into winter as bad weather, or lack of daylight hours mean less time in the saddle. Now is the time to re-evaluate your horses feeding regime as supplying more energy that your horse needs may ultimately result in over-exuberant behaviour, or longer term unwanted weight gain.

Initially you may consider reducing the amount of supplementary feed you use before changing to a lower energy feed. However it is important to remember that if you use a feed with added vitamins and minerals, feeding less than recommended could mean that your horse will miss out on important nutrients. It is therefore advisable to top up with a broad-spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement from the Natural Vitality Vits & Mins range to continue to provide a balanced ration.

Feeds based on ‘quick release’ energy sources such as starch from cereal grains are often anecdotally linked to fizzy behaviour. If your horse is going to spend more time stabled, or if you have a horse that is naturally over-exuberant changing to a diet based on ‘slow release’ energy sources such as fibre and oil may help to keep fizziness to a minimum this winter. All of the Dengie Fibre Feeds are based on ‘slow release’ energy sources so why not take the ‘Alfalfa Challenge’ today to gradually convert your horse to a fibre based ration?

For horses that struggle to maintain weight over the winter providing enough energy to maintain weight without promoting over-exuberance can be tricky. Alfa-A Oil combines alfalfa with GM free soya oil and is the ultimate form of ‘slow release’ energy. Alfa-A Oil has a comparable energy level to a conditioning mix/cube, but without the starch making it particularly suitable for horses that need condition without the fizz. Furthermore, as Alfa-A Oil is a chopped fibre feed it will take much longer to eat compared to the same weight of mix or cubes, helping to keep your horse occupied for longer during the long winter evenings.

At this time of year your horse can turn into something resembling a woolly mammoth as their winter coat starts to come through and producing a good coat makes significant demands on your horse’s nutrient reserves. Inadequate nutrition will always show in a poor skin and coat condition and any flaws become all the more obvious especially when your horse is clipped. If your horse lives out and relies on good coat condition to protect against the elements, or if your horse is clipped and needs to look his best over winter paying attention to nutrition is vital.

If your horse is receiving a balanced ration and still doesn’t look his best then topping up with additional nutrients may be beneficial. If your horse has lack lustre skin and coat condition then Natural Vitality Joint & Condition may help. Natural Vitality Joint & Condition is a natural oil supplement that provides omega-3, 6 and 9 essentially fatty acids. Natural Vitality Joint & Condition is the best non-marine source of omega-3 available for your horse. Omega-3 is a constituent of cell membranes that is vital for maintaining normal skin structure and function, which is why it can be beneficial to promote good skin and coat condition for our horses.

If your horse has poor coat and hoof condition then Dengie Natural Vitality Coat & Hoof may be a more appropriate option than just oil alone. Natural Vitality Coat & Hoof is formulated to be fed on top of a balanced diet to provide higher levels of certain ingredients and nutrients that are specifically linked to promoting good coat and hoof condition including alfalfa, omega-oils, biotin and zinc.

If you would like any further advice on preparing your horse for winter contact the Dengie Feedline on 0845 345 5115 or visit www.dengie.com.