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Easter Bank Holiday Opening Hours

Our office, warehouse and delivery service will be closed on the following dates:

  • Good Friday
  • Saturday 30th March
  • Easter Sunday
  • Easter Monday

Orders can be placed online throughout at www.simplesystem.co.uk

Laminitis questions answered

There are many common misconceptions about what causes laminitis and how it ought to be managed. Simple System Director of Nutrition, Jane van Lennep, answers some of the questions that are frequently asked by customers who contact our Feed Line. 

My horse is currently on box rest with laminitis, but I am really upset they are not actually overweight. Why do they have laminitis? Laminitis is a metabolic disorder and many but not all, are overweight when they develop the condition. It is associated with Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS), Cushing’s disease  (PPID) and insulin dysregulation (IR). Once a horse has suffered a bout of laminitis, it takes less to trigger an episode. Stress can also be involved, so it is important to keep all horses, but especially susceptible ones, stress free. Company, access to enough forage and outside space are all important. Horses with fat pads, such as a cresty neck, are more susceptible, even if the rest is lean. 

We're Hiring | Management Accountant

We are looking for an experienced and proactive individual to ensure smooth running of the company accounts and to provide accurate information for decision makers. The successful candidate will be highly organised with excellent attention to detail and accuracy. Experience of working within Xero, as well as accountacnt qualifications are desirable.
 
This is a hybrid role based from our Risby head office (IP28), covering 16 hours per week, ideally split over two working days. 
 
Please click here for full details.
 
To apply please email your CV and covering letter to jobs@simplesystem.co.uk

Maintaining horse paddocks

Spring is on the way, so it's time to spruce up your pasture!
 
Before the grass starts growing too vigorously, it is a good time to reseed patches in your pasture that have been stripped or churned up over winter. A little extra grass seed spread in early spring can make a big difference to your grazing. There is not often any need to plough up and reseed from scratch - it is expensive, time consuming and can take even years to establish a strong turf.

Ulcers in horses

The more we look, the more we find gastric ulcers in horses. They are being increasingly diagnosed across all horse populations (including leisure horses) likely due to greater awareness of the signs and symptoms. There have also been developments in technology allowing vets to make earlier and more conclusive diagnoses. Overall, more horses now seem to have ulcers than don’t. 

Ulcers are painful for the horse, can impact on their handlers or riders as they react to that pain, and may even reflect our failing to provide a calm and healthy environment. That's not to say all owners of horses with ulcers are to blame - but it really ought to trigger all of us to think more about how we can better care for our horse's needs. Ulcers should not be inevitable or acceptable.

Mares and their seasons

Mares are in season for around 6 days every 3 weeks from spring until autumn. Some mares will cycle all year. When they are cycling, their hormones are fluctuating and, in many mares, will trigger changes in behaviour. This is perfectly natural and something we should try to understand, not criticise her for. Mares are as entire as stallions, the difference being that their drive is periodic, not constant.

For many mares, short days, cooler temperatures and less available food cause their cycle to stop, then warm weather, longer days and growing grass trigger the process to start up again, until either she becomes in foal or winter comes again. Veterinary intervention can also control her cycle.

Repairing your horse's paddock

Does your paddock need a boost? We are hearing that many customers have a lack of grazing due wet weather and very muddy paddocks.

We are frequently suggesting Blue Bag Grass Pellets and Red Bag Grass Pellets as they are an excellent way to top up lost grazing. We are also recommending addressing the paddock itself.

Our Natural Grazing Mix is ideal for repairing patchy paddocks. It is a balanced, ryegrass free mix of hardy, creeping and drought resistant grasses and legumes. One bag will cover 1 acre of bare land or 3-5 acres when re-seeding patches. This mix is also suitable for hay cropping.

Your soil may also need a helping hand after heavy grazing, and the rain may have increased acidity as well as washing out nutrients. The next few weeks are ideal for applying Natural Paddock Recovery to the soil. This is natural, non toxic product will help balance the acidity and provide trace elements and organic matter to help the grass develop more vigorous roots. This in turn will give a longer growing season, yet avoiding the flush of growth that can occur with a traditional fertiliser.

Faecal Water Syndrome in Horses

What is Equine Faecal Water Syndrome?

Faecal Water Syndrome (FWS) refers to the passing of excess free liquid before, during or after the passing of droppings. It can also happen independently of defecation, where no physical droppings are passed. The droppings themselves may appear quite normally formed or may also be quite loose. In some horses, the issue is persistent whilst in others it can be seasonal or sporadic and entirely random.

It is unfortunately common that Faecal Water Syndrome results in horses having dirty tails and hindlegs that require frequent grooming and washing. In the warmer months, the issue may subsequently attract flies. In severe cases or with sensitive horses, it can lead to irritation and dermatitis on the hindlegs and buttocks, whilst some start to object behaviourally to being washed so often. In mares there is the increased risk of contamination to the vulva, leading to infection or reduced fertility in breeding stock.

Nutritional Advice for Horses

Have you ever talked yourself out of asking for feeding advice? Picking up the phone to ask for advice can be daunting, especially if your horse is not in optimal condition. Rest assured that no matter what your horse's issue is, it's highly likely that we've helped other customers overcome something similar, or we've dealt with such an issue with our own horses.

Although we are happy to advise by email or online, our Feed Line's preference is to speak with customers wherever possible. Having a conversation helps paint an overall picture of your horse, allowing the team to give the best possible advice. After all each horse is an individual, so we need to get to know them. 

What happens when you phone the Feed Line? When you phone the Feed Line we want to hear as much about your horse as possible.

Choosing a horse feed balancer

Choosing a balancer can be a bit daunting as we have so many options! There are basically two types, those with a forage base which are pelleted and those which are presented as a meal or powder. The former are palatable, easy to feed and may indeed, need no further short feed The latter can be more economical, but they need to be mixed with a feed and they may take some horses a little longer to become accustomed to the taste.

Pelleted balancers, such as Simple Balance +, are fed according to the horse’s ideal weight and the calculation is very easy! Whatever the horse’s ideal weight is in kg, feed this number in grams of balancer, so for a 500kg horse, you offer 500g of balancer. For a good doer, add water to make a tasty mash and you are away! For horses requiring more nutrition, add feeds as appropriate. The Simple System Feed Line are available to make suggestions to suit your horse's individual needs. Choose your pelleted balancer from our Plus range.