Diet Planning Top Tips - Preparing for stabling 24/7

Tracey Hammond M.Sc. (Dist)

Although many of us realise the importance of allowing our horses some turnout throughout the year, during the winter months there may be times when this is just not possible. Limited grazing and miserable weather may mean that our horse's management regime suddenly changes to stabling 24/7 and this is when stress levels are most likely to rise. Here we give our 'Top Tips' to help you reduce 'stabling stress' for you and your horse this winter.

Tip 1 – Managing fizziness: Evaluate the type and amount of energy supplied

It is important to be realistic and realise that stabling 24/7 and irregular exercise due to poor weather over the winter months are likely to mean that your horse is much 'fresher' next time you ride. Although it is impossible to do anything about the weather, planning ahead and evaluating your feeding regime may help to avoid exacerbating natural exuberance. With regards to diet there are two important factors to consider when it comes to managing the fizz; firstly the type of energy source used and secondly the amount of energy supplied.

Feeds based on 'quick release' energy sources such as starch from cereal grains are anecdotally linked to over-exuberant behaviour. It therefore makes sense to reduce or remove cereal based feeds from the ration in favour of feeds based on 'slow release' energy such as fibre and oil. It may surprise you to know that Alfa-A Original which combines alfalfa with a light molasses coating has a similar energy or 'calorie' level to a cool or pasture mix/cube, but without the starch and so makes an ideal alternative to this type of feed.

Irregular exercise combined with stabling can mean that it is very easy to supply your horse with more energy than they need. Initially this may result in over-exuberant behaviour but if it continues over time, weight gain may result.

Using a ration based on Dengie fibre feeds offers great flexibility over the winter months as you can feed as little or as much as necessary within the recommended feeding guide to suit your horse’s workload and bodyweight and still supply a balanced ration as vitamins and minerals are added separately.  Click here to see our Dengie Diet Solutions to see what Dengie feed combination is most appropriate for your horse this winter.

Tip 2 – Keeping your horse occupied: Maximise fibre intake and provide opportunity for play

We all worry about what our horses get up to when we're not around. In an ideal world a horse would be able to have contact with other horses and constant access to feed, but this is not always possible and so it is important to take other measures to try and keep your horse occupied.

With regards to feeding behaviour horses spend in the region of 16-18 hours per day grazing when given free choice. The easiest way to achieve this in the stable environment is to offer ad-lib access to forage so that your horse continually has access to as much forage as they can eat. If this is not possible then offer forage little and often so that your horse spends as little time as possible without anything to eat.

There is also some evidence to suggest that providing multiple forage sources is beneficial for your horse’s behaviour. To put this into practice you could use a combination of hay and haylage as well as offering a bucket or two of short chop forage replacement such as one of the Dengie Hi-Fi range products to help keep your horse occupied for longer.

It's not only your horse’s forage ration that can make a contribution to chew time, but the ‘bucket feed’ as well. Replacing your usual mix or cube with a Dengie fibre feed of a similar energy level will significantly increase the amount of time your horse spends eating. Why not click here to take the Alfalfa Challenge to see how to feed your horse an entirely fibre based ration to maximise chew time this winter.

If your horse is a playful character stable toys are also another useful way of keeping them occupied. Snack balls are one type of toy that can be used to encourage foraging behaviour and can be filled with your horse’s favourite treats or a suitable feed such as Dengie Alfalfa Pellets, which are pure pelleted alfalfa with nothing else added. For a palatable treat that provides additional vitamins and minerals a Dengie Stable Lick can be used.

Tip 3- Promoting weight gain: Choose higher calorie feeds and check feeding quantities

It's important to keep a regular check on your horse’s bodyweight so that changes can be made sooner rather than later should they start to lose weight. For horses that struggle to maintain weight over the winter providing enough energy to maintain weight without promoting over-exuberance can be tricky.

If your horse needs help to gain weight it is important to make changes slowly so that you don't suddenly supply lots more energy than you already were as this can increase the likelihood of your horse becoming more excitable. A good place to start is to check what and how much you already feed to assess if you are using the right type of feed to encourage weight gain and whether you are feeding a sufficient quantity to make a difference.

Dengie 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.

It is important to remember that fibre feeds don’t weigh very much in a scoop and so 1 large round scoop of Alfa-A Oil only weighs around 400g. A large horse can have up to 2.5kg per day of Alfa-A Oil which would equate to around 6 large round scoops. Although this sounds like a lot of feed just think about all the munching this means your horse can do! Plus you’re not overloading his digestive system as it is just like him tucking into his haynet.

If you have a fussy horse or one with a limited fibre appetite that needs to put on weight then Dengie Fibremix Complement may also be used. Fibremix Complement is a palatable, concentrated low starch mix that is formulated to be fed in smaller quantities than traditional mixes. As Fibremix Complement is based predominantly on 'slow release' energy sources it is also ideal for fizzy horses and ponies. When fed at the recommended quantity no additional vitamin and mineral supplement is necessary and Fibremix Complement also contains a yeast, prebiotic and probiotic to support gut health and so is also ideal for those who like the 'all in one' option.

Tip 4- Promoting weight loss: Choose lower calorie feeds and make feeds last longer

Stabling 24/7 can be an ideal time to promote weight loss as you have complete control over what your horse eats compared to when at grass. To promote weight loss firstly weigh how much you currently feed including forage and then very gradually restrict intake to 1.5% of your horse's current bodyweight and then eventually to 1.5% of your horse’s desired bodyweight. At this stage it is also important to check what type of feeds you use, for example does your horse really need that ‘sprinkle’ of mix or cubes that could be adding unnecessary calories to the ration?

If you have only good quality haylage available at your yard and have an overweight horse or pony then it can be helpful to replace a proportion of haylage with some Dengie Hi-Fi Lite, which is also suitable for laminitics, or Hi-Fi Good Do-er which would have a lower calorie level. Dengie Measuring Buckets are available to purchase on-line to make weighing Dengie fibre feeds much easier.

Due to feed restriction dieting horses and ponies may unfortunately have to spend some time without feed but measures should be taken to make this time as short as possible. Using small holed haynets or one haynet inside another and even locating the nets in various positions in the stable are just some ways of making your horse work harder so it takes longer to eat a smaller quantity of feed.

Although good doers may need little additional feed to help them maintain weight it is still important to provide them with a balanced ration. If your horse is on a fibre only ration then top up with a broad-spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement from the Natural Vitality Vits & Mins range to ensure your horse gets the vitamins and minerals that they need.

Top Tip 5- Managing digestive health: Make feed changes gradually and maximise fibre intake

Your horse's feeding regime can change quite dramatically with 24/7 stabling. Firstly there's the change from autumn pasture to winter stabling which can sometimes happen very rapidly. It is important that feed changes are made gradually where possible to reduce the likelihood of digestive disturbance. To support your horse's digestive system during any dietary change this winter consider using a digestive supplement such as Natural Vitality Digestive Health Plus that combines a prebiotic, probiotic and yeast all in one supplement.

It is now known that gastric ulcers are common even amongst the leisure horse population and this further increases the importance of fibre in the ration of horses especially those stabled 24/7. Feeding fibre promotes increased chewing time which in turn promotes saliva production. Saliva acts as a natural buffer to acidity in the digestive tract providing some protection against ulceration. Recent research supported by Dengie also suggests that alfalfa is an excellent natural buffer to acidity within the gut possibly due to its naturally good levels of calcium and protein. In practice this makes alfalfa based feeds a beneficial addition to any ration.

It's also important to monitor your horse's water intake when stabled 24/7 as some horses and ponies may drink less when the water is really cold in the depths of winter. Another way to help your horse keep hydrated is to provide a soaked feed such as Dengie Alfa-Beet in the ration. Alfa-Beet combines alfalfa and unmolassed sugar beet with a convenient 2 hour cold soak or 15 minute hot soak time which can be particularly useful for tempting fussy feeders when it's cold outside. Dengie Alfa-Beet provides a highly digestible source of fibre that provides 'slow release' energy which also makes Alfa-Beet an effective way to supply energy for condition without the fizz.

For friendly feeding advice to help you reduce the stress this winter contact the Dengie Feedline on 0845 345 5115 or click here to send us an e-mail.