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Chops for Mallenders and Sallenders

Q. Can I add a chop to MalleMash?

A. Yes, but choosing the right chop is crucial!

This is one of our most frequently asked questions when it comes to MalleMash - our feed created for those prone to Mallenders, Sallenders, CPL and dry itchy skin. 

MalleMash was formulated to be fed on it’s own as a quick soak mash. Adding a chop / chaff will add additional texture and prolong eating time. Deciding which chop to feed can be crucial. Here at Simple System we avoid molasses, cereal, cereal by products, straw, soya and preservatives. These can all irritate sensitive horses.

The history of HayCare

Our best-selling forage is HayCare but we are sometimes asked how we came to produce this popular feed.

For several years, we had wanted a pure forage that could replace hay directly. It had to be grass, as hay is grass! It had to be high fibre, as hay is high fibre. And it had to be low in sugar so it is suitable for all horses, even those with issues.

We opted to use Timothy grass as this is one of the best grasses for horses (click here to read our ingredient spotlight). There is plenty of grass grown in the UK for making into pellets, but most of this is harvested at optimum nutrition at an early stage of growth and much of it, varieties that are not optimal for horses. The grass can then grow again, and the farmer can take three or even more cuts a year. Persuading a farmer to allow their grass to become fibrous and go to seed goes against the farming grain! 

Feeding horses in cold weather

The MET office has weather warnings in place for much of the UK. Please ensure your horses have sufficient intake of forage and water to minimise the risk of gastric issues, impaction colic and dehydration.

Here are our Feed Line's top tips for feeding in winter weather.

• Provide additional forage. Keeping warm in cold weather requires calories. Simple System pelleted forages can all be used in greater quantities to give extra nutrition. As they are digested in the same way as hay or grazing, they can be fed as generously as needed. There's no limit to meal size with Simple System forage feeds so the horses can be left with large feeds to see them through.

Joint Care for Horses

Forage for horses...

Simple System Brix - Forage blocks for horses

Grass Pellets for Horses

Joint Care for Horses

Q. Can nutrition play a role in keeping horses joints healthy?

A. Yes, good nutrition paired with good management can benefit our horses joints.

Horses are naturally on the move much of the time and this constant wandering as they find food ensures good circulation of blood in the limbs and hooves. A stabled horse may have just 10% of the blood circulating to the feet compared with an out kept horse. Movement also helps to lubricate the joints and keep them “pumped up”. So, you can see our first line in supporting feet and joints is to enable the horse as much freedom to move as possible. It also means when working our horses, if we are working them after a period of being stabled that we should allow enough time in our warm up to promote good blood flow to the lower extremities and, lubrication of the joints, before asking too much of them.

Can horses cope with sudden cold weather?

In winter, the weather can change dramatically for the worse. Out kept horses may suddenly find their grass is under a thick layer of snow so will need additional feeding. Hay is an obvious answer, but sometimes more nutrition is needed – keeping warm is very calorie demanding. Horses can survive and even thrive in what we consider to be very inhospitable conditions, but they do need plenty of feed to fuel them and keep them warm.

Horses have trillions of microbes which ferment fibre in their hind gut and this releases fuel, vitamins, gas and heat. It is like having a central heating boiler in their gut! However, not all fibre can be fermented – old, tough lignified fibre escapes this process. The fibre needs to be good quality, such as from early made hay and dried forages. Straw, late made and old hay may not be as effective at keeping the microbes fed and generating heat.

Mud, not so glorious, mud...

Horse ownership and mud - they seem to go together in the winter don't they?

We’ve all suffered with mud, wet and floods recently and the pundits tell us this is the ways things will be now. It’s either too wet, or too dry, or too hot, or too windy or the 'Beast From The East' blast chills us to the core. We will need to adapt to cope better next time.

Firming up gateways can go a long way to making life just a little easier, or at least less hazardous! We've all slipped in muddy gateways haven't we? Once it dries out a bit, put down hardcore, over-sized stone, crag or whatever is available locally. Level it off as best you can and make sure here are no dangerous bits sticking up. In time it will level off and may even grow grass.