Latest News from allenandpage.com

New ASM for Norfolk

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Allen & Page Horse Feeds is pleased to announce the appointment of Sarah Bee as Area Sales Manager for Norfolk.

Sarah has been working as a Nutritionist at Allen & Page for nearly two years and will now be taking on this extra role alongside her current position. Sarah says: “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Allen & Page to date and I am very excited at the prospect of working with even more of our customers and the stockists in our home county of Norfolk. I enjoy promoting natural feeding and seeing the results Allen & Page produces so adding the Area Sales Manager role to my existing experience as a Nutritionist creates a whole new world of opportunity for me.”

Sarah joined Allen & Page in 2010. As a graduate Sarah has plenty of experience, not least from her internship spent at a leading Thoroughbred farm in Kentucky USA, learning first hand about the importance of nutrition. Sarah has ridden since an early age and is interested in all equine sports, but follows eventing closely.

Sarah can be contacted at sbee@allenandpage.co.uk

Your Horse Live Prize Draw Winners

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Q. Which of the nutritional elements in horse feed (as below) may contribute to fizzy or excitable behaviour if fed in large amounts?

(tick the two which apply)

a) Fibre
b) Starch
c) Sugar
d) Protein

The correct answers are Starch and Sugar.

Congratulations to:

1st Prize – Lesson with Pippa Funnell
Anna Young from Reading

2nd Prize – Fleece horse rug
Claire Llewellyn from Oakwellyn stud, Lichfield

3rd Prize – Saddlecloth
Jemma Green from Peterborough

Recent research, including our own, has shown that diets high in sugar and starch can cause behavioural problems in horses and ponies. Just as in humans, when a horse eats, the food is broken down in the intestines and absorbed. When the food is absorbed it enters the blood stream and causes the blood sugar to rise. This happens after every meal, but diets high in sugar and starch bring out a much higher response than fibre.

Fibre:
Unlike a high starch diet, a diet high in fibre causes less extreme peaks and troughs in blood sugar, which means there is less excess sugar circulating for the horse to become fizzy on. The fibre is fermented by the bacteria in the hind gut which release volatile fatty acids – compounds that the horse can use as slow release energy. High fibre feeds tend to be lower in starch which means they are a better choice for horses that tend to be excitable or fizzy.

Starch:
Starch is made up of non structural carbohydrates which are broken down by the horse in the small intestine to provide energy. Generally this is fast release, which provides a sudden burst of energy - in some horses this can cause excitable behaviour. If your horse has a tendency to be fizzy it is better to choose a feed with a low starch content.

Sugar:
Sugar circulating in the blood is the most accessible form of fuel for the horse, however there is not enough in the circulatory system to sustain exercise for long periods. The sugar contained in the blood can cause excitable behaviour and the bigger the blood sugar peak, the more chance there is of your horse showing unwanted behaviour.

Protein:
The commonly heard myth that protein can cause excitability, or is responsible for laminitis, azoturia or hives (lumps and bumps), is unfounded. In fact, protein is not used as an energy source but is a very important part of the horse’s diet; it helps to support the immune system and forms the basis of muscle, hooves and hair amongst other things.

To minimise the chance of unwanted behaviour, it is essential that a diet high in fibre is fed. Highly digestible fibre sources, such as those found in the Barley & Molasses Free Range of feeds may help to prevent fizzy behaviour, as they are broken down more slowly than traditional cereal grain rich feeds. Being lower in both starch and sugar than many other feeds, the Barley & Molasses Free Range feeds will not cause excessive blood sugar peaks, meaning that both you and your horse can have fun without the fizz!

Bryony hedges her bets!

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Bryony Biddlecombe, Area Sales Manager for the West Midlands, has been enjoying leaping hedges on her four-year-old horse Tilly.

"I have always fed her Calm & Condition and Power & Performance and we've been recently popping some hedges with great success." Tilly is only four and was bred by Bryony herself and the pair are hoping to start eventing next year. Judging by this leap of faith they should be well set for success!

South West Christmas Equine Fair

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

We will be on stand 41 at the South West Christmas Equine Fair in Exeter on 3rd-4th December.

With great advice, demonstrations and shopping, this event will defintely get you in the mood for Christmas! Come along to stand 41 for expert nutritional advice or to find out about our range of horse feeds. If you would like to know how to keep your horse healthy this winter, how to keep him calm at competitions or how to prepare for spring, then come and ask us.

Click here to find out more

Congratulations to William Funnell at Kingsland Oslo Horse Show CS1*****

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Norway proved to be a happy hunting ground for Billy bred horses in October.

William Funnell and the eight year old Billy Angelo finished in 4th place in the their first World Cup Class, a fantastic achievement jumping a double clear round.

Billy Grand ridden by William Funnell was second in the technical and demanding 1.45 Kingsland Prize, again jumping a double clear. William was also well placed with Beowulf

Norway’s Victoria Gulliksen, 19 from Norway, daughter of Geir Gulliksen won and was placed with two homebred Billy horses, Billy Buttercup and Billy Owen. Her first place on Billy Buttercup was her first International class win. She was also third on Billy Buttercup in the Small Grand Prix behind Billy Grande who carried on his winning form in second place.

Nutritional Helpline - now in the finals!

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The Allen & Page nutritional helpline has now reached the finals of the HAYGAIN Nutritional Helpline of the Year Award. The winner will be announced at the BETA International Gala Dinner on Sunday 19th February 2012.

Now in its ninth year, the HAYGAIN Nutritional Helpline of the Year is awarded to the company offering exemplary service in nutritional advice and to customers, both trade and retail.

It is a great achievement to reach the finals of this prestigious reward that recognises the hard work put into the helpline by all the nutrionists and staff at Allen & Page. Following nominations by the public, the final stage of the competition will be judged by a team of professionals, so good luck to all on the Nutrition Team.

Exciting Events at Your Horse Live 2011

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Come and visit us on Stand 69, Hall 1 at Your Horse Live and meet Pippa and William Funnell!

The Allen & Page team will be on hand to provide nutritional information and advice for your horses and ponies, including information on our brand new quick soak feed Cool & Collected. Also, our top sponsored riders Pippa and William Funnell will be on the stand signing books and pictures, so why not come along to meet them!

Golvers Hill enjoys HOYS success

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Irish Sport Horse Golvers Hill, owned by Susan Simmons, unusually qualified for three separate HOYS finals.

The eight-year-old 16.2hh all rounder was bred by Paddy Lynch in Craughwell, Ireland and competed in three finals at The Horse of the Year Show with excellent results: 10th in the Cuddy Working Hunter Final, 7th in the Newcomers Showjumping Final and 12th in the Foxhunter Final. Owner Susan Simmons from Higher Walton, Preston in Lancashire rode her horse in the Cuddy Working Hunter of the Year class, then passed the show jumping rides onto her friend and neighbour, professional rider Nigel Coupe.
Golvers Hill is thriving on Allen & Page Calm & Condition as Susan explains: "He carries good condition to cope with hunting, showing and jumping, his legs stay clean, he does not fizz up but he stays focused to work. Calm & Condition maintains his energy levels and ensures he does not hot up but has plenty ping and zing!"

When not competing at top level showing and show jumping, Golvers Hill is a Field Master's horse on the hunting field with the Holcombe Harriers.

Allen & Page fuels Volcanic success!

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The Puissance always presents a spectacle at any event and this year’s Horse of the Year Show was no exception. Two riders shared the first prize on the penultimate day of the show after both clearing the final imposing wall, which stood at a massive 2.2m (7ft 3ins).
Joe Clayton from Nottinghamshire was riding Nick Ward’s Leonardo, whilst Scotland’s Douglas Duffin rode Julie McLellend’s Volcano, and this amazing horse is fed on Allen & Page Horse Feeds. It was this talented Derby horse’s first ever puissance class: “I got a wall to practice over at home, but have never jumped him as big as I did tonight,” said Douglas. “He never said no tonight and bust a gut to make sure he cleared the final round.”

Congratulations to Volcano, Douglas and owner Julie from all at Allen & Page

Now Pippa takes showjumping by storm too!

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Traditionally an eventer, Allen & Page sponsored rider Pippa Funnell took to the show jumping arena at the Horse of the Year Show 2011 and won the Newcomer's championship.

Pippa rode Carol Toliver's six-year-old bay gelding Billy Balou on Wednesday and delighted the crowd when she took the championship in fine style. She told Horse & Hound: "I almost got William to ride Billy Balou here because I've been so busy eventing!" Thankfully Pippa found the time and showed the world that she truly is a versatile top class rider and producer, bringing yet another excellent Billy Stud horse into the spotlight.