With 2026 producing the hottest summer on record, tucking horses into their stables and battling through rain and mud seemed a long way away but alas, just as happens every year, the temperatures have started to drop, the nights are drawing in and most of us are moving over to our winter routine.
For many horses this means more time spent stabled, reduced or altered turnout schedules and a change in workload, all factors which may require adjusted feeding.
Their energy or calorie needs can go in either direction and not always in the direction you might expect:
Horses who usually do well on good grass, feel the cold or work harder in winter during the “indoor season” may need more food to maintain their weight and supply sufficient energy for their work.
Horses who have a reduced workload with the lack of daylight or spend most of their time stabled, not expending as much energy in the field, may need less food or risk them gaining weight or becoming too fresh.
With Simple System feeds, we can easily accommodate for this change in energy requirement with simple swaps up or down within the same forage type. This avoids a major dietary change, better supporting the hindgut microbes, but subtly adjusts energy intake to keep them looking and feeling their best.
Our unique and specific product specifications means we have high and low energy options amongst our popular lucerne and grass-based chops and pellets. The table below demonstrates appropriate energy 'switch-ups' when read from top to bottom, and 'switch-downs' when read from bottom to top.
| Grass Chop | Lucerne Chop | Grass Pellet | Lucerne Pellet | |
| Low | Timothy Chop | Organic Lucie Stalks | HayCare | Lucie Fibre Cubes |
| Medium | MeadowBrix | LucieChop | Blue Bag Grass Pellets | Lucie Nuts |
| High | Perform & Shine | Build & Shine | Red Bag Grass Pellets | Organic Lucie Pellets |
It is not always about just increasing or decreasing meal size but considering the overall nutritional value of the feeds being used and whether changing to something higher or lower in protein and calories may be a better solution than making feeds bigger or smaller.
To keep feed volume up, but energy levels down...
If Build & Shine is proving too nutritious in winter, swapping to Organic Lucie Stalkswould mean the same or even greater volume could be fed - so that your horse can enjoy a generous and time-consuming meal - but with lower calorific value.
To get the most nutritional value for money, and meal size...
If the volume of Blue Bag Grass Pellets needing to maintain weight is proving too great for your horse's appetite swapping some or all for Red Bag Grass Pellets supports an improvement in body condition whilst keeping feeding amounts the same, or even reduced.
What about Sainfoin?
Sainfoin is a typically a highly nutritious forage type, better suited in general to those with higher energy demands however the nutritional value in the feed bowl can be reduced by bulking it out or, diluting it down with a lower nutrition chop or pellet as preferred.
And if the horse is a good doer that lacks energy during work...
Target feeding can be utilised for those needing minimal feeding to maintain their weight but lacking energy when they are ridden. The daily feed can be a low-calorie chop and balancer with a high nutrition pellet fed directly before work for an energising boost.
For free nutritional support and guidance this winter..
Check in with us the Simple System Feed Line, who will be happy to adjust an existing feed plan or to devise a new one. The Feed Line can be reached by phone on 01728 604 008, or by email to info@simplesystem.co.uk.
