Preparing for Winter
With the warm summer months upon us it is easy to forget that autumn and winter are only just around the corner, but forward planning of your horse’s winter feeding programme is vital to ensure that his needs are met.
Forage in the form of good quality hay or haylage should form the basis of your horse’s winter diet. Fibre is essential to keep the digestive system healthy, it will also keep your horse occupied if he is spending longer periods stabled and will keep him warm - as the ‘friendly’ bacteria in the hind gut break down fibrous materials they release heat. But what if your horse doesn’t tend to eat much hay or is an older horse who’s teeth are not in such good condition? Allen & Page’s Fibre Pencils are the ideal solution, as their name suggests they are a high fibre cube that can be used to top up fibre intake or as a partial or complete hay replacer for the older horse. After adding water Fibre Pencils form a soft mash and the addition of real mint makes them very palatable.
Old Faithful’s Special Blend is ideal for the older horse that needs a little extra help to maintain their weight, its pellet free formulation means that it is easy to chew and Protexin and prebiotics are included to help maintain a healthy balance of beneficial bacteria in the gut. Weight Gain Mix can also be added to increase calorie intake if your horse is prone to losing weight over the colder months and is ideal for older and young horses alike.
Many horses tend to become excitable or ‘hyper’ on normal conditioning feeds which often leads to them losing more weight rather than putting it on. Calm & Condition is an ideal feed to use in these situations, being barley and molasses free and containing mostly slow release energy it promotes condition and weight increase while allowing the horse to remain calm.
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