News
Have you thought about what actually goes into your horse?
14 November 2007
Horse feeds today can be very complicated with lots of ingredients sourced from every part of the world, some of them from natural sources, some of them synthetic. Have you ever stopped to consider if your horse actually needs all these ingredients? Here at Dengie we believe that feeding horses should be kept as safe and simple as possible - feeding as nature intended, but still allowing you to work and compete your horse. The answer is simple. Alfalfa provides the same amount of energy or calories as a cool mix on a kg for kg basis, but without the high levels of starch and sugars which can be harmful to a horse's healthy and wellbeing.
Alfalfa is also an abundant source of vitamins and minerals as well as quality protein - essential for muscle development and "top-line". Alfalfa is a natural buffer to acidity in the digestive tract and research has shown that feeding alfalfa alongside cereals helps to buffer the increased acidity the cereals generate which could be particularly useful in reducing the risk of gastric ulcers. Dengie's alfalfa is grown in the UK, around our production site in Essex and as Dengie's farmers grow the crop for us we can be sure that the quality is just right for your horse. Keeping your horse's diet safe and simple is as easy as opening a bag of Dengie Alfa-A or Hi-Fi!
Choosing the right Feed...
Getting your horse's feed right for your horse can be as difficult as ensuring a healthy, balanced diet for your family or yourself. The range of products available and the list of ingredients and associated beneftis claimed can be bewildering. In an age where convenience is very often the deciding factor a feed that promises to deliver all a horse's nutritional needs with added vitamins and minerals could be seen as the perfect solution. But convenience food is not necessarily the best choice for horses any more than it is for humans. Providing the right "fuel" is vital for producing optimum health and performance. In an increasingly complicated world we are all now looking to simplify aspects of our lifestyles, including our diets, with the emphasis on pure, natural ingredients and without the additives that are more often than not surplus to requirements and in some cases harmful.
The Natural Choice...
At Dengie we believe that feeding horses should be kept as safe and simple as possible - feeding as nature intended but providing all the energy your horse needs for an active lifestyle. Horses are individuals and at different times, for different reasons may require additional nutritional support. That is why we aim to supply all the basic dietary requirements - allowing you to be as flexible as you need to be with your horse's diet.
The Answer is simple...Alfalfa!
The name alfalfa comes from Persian and Kashmiri words meaning "horse fodder" and "horse power". Alfalfa provides the same amount of energy or calories as a cool mix on a kilo for kilo basis but without the high levels of starch and sugars that cereals have. Dengie's research support has included a PhD study by Dr Jo-Anne Murray, now a lecturer at the Royal Dick Vet school. Although alfalfa has an energy level equivalent to a low energy mix or cubes, Dr Murray established that the combination of alfalfa and sugar beet would meet the requirements of a horse in hard work, demonstrating that alfalfa could replace cereals as a source of energy. The added benefit is that alfalfa provides slow release energy and so is particularly useful for horses prone to over-exuberant behaviour.
In a seperate study Dr Murray concluded that feeding alfalfa alongside certain cereals helps to buffer the increased acidity they generate which could be particularly useful in reducing the risk of gastric ulders and laminitis. Four of Dengie products have approval by The Laminitis Trust - Alfa-A Lite, Hi-Fi Lite, Healthy Hooves and Alfa-Beet.
The Environmentally Friendly Choice
Alfalfa is a perennial plant and stays in the ground for between three and four years providing winter ground cover for birds and insects. A legume, it is able to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere and return it to the soil. Fewer artificial fertilisers are required which makes it an environmentally friendly crop.
Dengie pioneered the use of high temperature drying to conserve forage for horses in the UK. This allows the crop to be harvested much earlier, making it more digestible and higher in energy and nutrients. Performance horses and racehorses in particular benefit from the dust free forage the process produces.
The Quality Choice
Dengie is the only large scale horse feed producer in the UK to control the production process from field to feed. As our alfalfa is grown within 15 miles of the processing plant in Essex by Dengie's own farmers we are not subject to external suppliers' timetables or the threat of contamination. The quality of our product is therefore assured.
So if you want to keep you horse healthy and happy the natural way - choose Dengie. We guarantee your horse will thank you!
