Managing the Cold Weather

Don't get caught out by this spell of cold and wet weather! When the temperature drops horses need more calories to keep warm and when it is wet as well, even more so. Add in a brisk wind and needs really go up. Forage feeding is perfect in colder weather (well, it is all the time � but even more so now!). The fibre in good quality forage is broken down (fermented) by microbes mostly in the hind gut. As they do this, they generate heat. Central heating! Very tough fibre, such as from straw or very old, coarse hay, cannot be fermented so will not have this effect. Good quality forage is the key, so good hay or haylage and of course, Simple System pelleted forages, soaked to restore their natural hydration. When you are feeding forages, there is no limit to meal size as they are digested just like hay or grazing, to which we usually give horses unlimited access. It is the food that determines the meal size, not the container it is served in. Grain based feeds with significant levels of starch are different story altogether. Always check the composition/ingredients of any feed. If you would like some advice on forage feeding or further information on Simple System's product range please get in touch with our Feed Line on 01728 604008 or info@simplesystem.co.uk.