I don’t need to tell you that hay is scarce this year. Farmers who usually get two cuts were often only able to get one, and that was sometimes a bit on the thin side. With the grass drying up in the summer for many of us, an early start was made on this seasons hay. We rely on hay (or haylage) to replace grazing for our horses through the winter. But there are alternatives and of course Simple System can help out! One you may not have considered is LucieFibre Cubes. These are lower calorie, higher fibre lucerne and can be a useful partial hay replacer and may even work out more economical than some types of haylage. When doing your costings, bear in mind that haylage is usually around 60 – 65% dry matter, the rest being water. LucieFibre Cubes are 90% dry matter, so you are not having to buy water! You just add plenty of it before feeding to rehydrate the cubes ready to feed, adding at the same time a lot of bulk to help slow down eating rate. Our Feed Line is always happy to help with suggestions for feeding your horses so if you are needing a chat or would like some suggestions, do get in touch.
Forage Brix are an easy and convenient way to increase your horse's fibre intake either in the field, or stable.
Sometimes, our horses need a bit of a nutritional boost... bring on the TopGain!
Although it is traditional to wean at 6 months, this is actually too early. The foal’s important gut microbes are not fully up and running until the foal is 7.5 months old.