As another year draws to a close, we are able to catch our breath following the Christmas rush and reflect on 2025. After a relatively straightforward harvest in 2024, 2025 took us back to more challenging conditions for forage production in the UK.
The driest spring for over 50 years, combined with the warmest summer on record, widely affected yields. Shortfalls between 20 and 50% have been seen throughout the UK and Europe. Rest assured, we have worked hard to ensure our continued supply for the season ahead, taking us through to the next harvest.
In 2025, we focused on the launch of just one new product, Stud Balance +. This pelleted forage balancer is proving popular for broodmares, stallions and growing youngstock, and we hope to see this great start continue as the foaling season begins.
We also celebrated an existing product, as HayCare turned 10 in November. For a decade, HayCare has been a vital support for a broad range of horses, not least those that can no longer eat hay.
At Simple System HQ, Logistics Manager, Kate, reached a 20-year milestone. Many of you will have spoken with Kate this year, and we are sure you will be eager to join us in sharing our gratitude for the exceptional service she continues to provide.
Over on the Feed Line, Ellen Lincoln MSc, BSc (Hons), received a well-earned promotion to Nutrition Manager. She also became one of the first equine nutritionists to feature on the ‘Equestrian Nutritionist and Feed Advisor Register (ENFAR)’, which promotes the highest standards of evidence-based advice for horse owners within the equestrian community.
Our Feed Line team is very proud to offer trusted advice to thousands of horse owners each year. If you have not yet made use of this service, it is (and always will be) free of charge. Contact us on 01728 604 008 or complete our advice request form for a bespoke Feed Plan.
On behalf of all at Simple System, thank you to our customers for trusting us to provide your horse’s feed in 2025, whether with a new product or a selection of long-standing favourites. Extra thanks go to those who keep in touch by sharing their stories and progress updates. This feedback and support allows us to conduct ongoing research, develop new forage feeds and continually improve in all areas. Our entire business is built on providing your horses with the best possible diet for health and performance, and we appreciate having you and your horses with us.
As we step into Simple System’s 30th year, our commitment remains unchanged: to advocate for horses by producing the very best species-appropriate feeds, alongside offering management suggestions that support the pillars of equine welfare — friends, forage and freedom.
May I take this opportunity to wish you a wonderful ‘Year of the Horse’.
In the wild, with unrestricted access to pasture, horses would spend the summer “stocking up†by eating nutritious grass - and plenty of it - to aid them in building a thick coat and laying down excess weight...
Horses’ teeth change throughout their lives - they are continually growing and continually wearing, as they chew and grind their grazing and forage.
Grass has the potential to grow all year, which is different from many other plants. Certain things are necessary for this growth, but if they are not met, the grass will be dormant, waiting for conditions to improve.Â
