We humans may be enjoying the heat however sudden high temperatures do not allow our�horses to adapt to the temperature change and so they are more likely to suffer.

In hot weather the horses temperature, breathing and heart rate go up, they may scour or look slightly colicky, they will be disinclined to do very much and if asked to move, may look a bit wobbly.

There are many things we can do to help manage our horse through the hotter weather.

An opportunity has arisen to recruit a Business Support Manager join our Simple System family on a permanent basis.

Established in 1996, Simple System Horse Feeds have gone against the grain in the equine feed market, creating an entire feeding system from the perspective of what is right for horses. As such we have always had to innovate, working closely with farmers in the UK and abroad, developing our own production systems and forging our own path in the market.

This month on the Feed Line we have had several people contact about their horses’ condition. It is normal and good if horses drop a little weight as they will gain weight with the grass. It is a worry if they get too light. Visible ribs and prominent hips suggest a horse could be underweight. If eating insufficient hay over winter, that gradual weight loss could become too much, so basics first – make sure your horse is getting enough hay or haylage to keep them filled up. For more serious weight loss, include soaked forage pellets with more feed value than hay. LucieNuts, Red Bag Grass Pellets, Sainfoin Pellets are all good. Read more

Price increases are something that we do not take lightly, and we have worked to reduce and absorb as much as we can over the past twelve months. Unfortunately, the challenges faced in agriculture and food production mean we have seen changes to our costs that we've never experienced in the last 25 years. We believe that honesty and transparency are fundamental when it comes to your trust and your confidence in us and our feeds, so we want to give you fair warning along with a clear explanation.

Before the grass starts growing too vigorously, it is a good time to reseed patches in your pasture that have been denuded 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. Paddocks in need of a spruce up should be grazed down then harrowed to loosen the surface and iron out lumps or bumps. New seed can then be broadcast by hand, or drilled very shallow.