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Nutritional Advice for Horses

Have you ever talked yourself out of asking for feeding advice? Picking up the phone to ask for advice can be daunting, especially if your horse is not in optimal condition. Rest assured that no matter what your horse's issue is, it's highly likely that we've helped other customers overcome something similar, or we've dealt with such an issue with our own horses.

Although we are happy to advise by email or online, our Feed Line's preference is to speak with customers wherever possible. Having a conversation helps paint an overall picture of your horse, allowing the team to give the best possible advice. After all each horse is an individual, so we need to get to know them. 

What happens when you phone the Feed Line? When you phone the Feed Line we want to hear as much about your horse as possible.

Laminitis

Don't let laminitis catch you out! Our Feed Line have received several calls relating to laminitis this week.

The weather is currently warm enough for grass growth in most areas of the UK, with Scotland, the South West and South East seeing the most growth in the last week. New spring-like grass is potentially problematic for those prone to laminitis. 

Did you know? It is thought that around 90% of laminitis cases are believed to have a hormonal cause, i.e. Cushing's disease (PPID) or equine metabolic syndrome (EMS).

Choosing a horse feed balancer

It can feel overwhelming when trying to find the correct feed balancer for horses because there are so many on the market and some people question if they even need one at all.

Whilst a forage only diet can go a long way to meeting all of our horses requirements, if the diet is restricted for health reasons or natural grazing access is limited, topping-up omega oils, minerals and vitamins is advisable and most easily done with a feed balancer.

Feeding a balancer can also help provide support for the horse's hooves, coat, digestion and immune system – or support more specific issues - to keep them in tip-top shape, feeling and performing to their best.

Veteran Balance +

Q. What are the ingredients?

A. Veteran Balance +has been carefully formulated and contains just 7 ingredients, all of which are functional for horses.

• Sainfoin - the base forage, naturally high in nutrients and condensed tannins which can aid the absorption of protein. It also adds variety and supports gut function.
• Cooked full fat linseed - an oil source with anti-inflammatory properties, having the optimal balance of essential omega oils.
• Seaweed meal - providing natural vitamins and amino acids to support the coat, hooves and overall health.
• Stabilised dried yeast - a natural prebiotic, rich in B-group vitamins, aiding the absorption of nutrients.
• Sodium chloride – salt is essential in for all horses to maintain electrolyte balance.
• Spearmint – aids digestion and supports gut function.

Rosehips for horses joints

Ingredient spotlight | Rosehips

Rosehips are an important, functional ingredient in Veteran Balance +, our pelleted balancer with joint support for older or hard-working horses.

Rosehips are naturally high in a wide range of antioxidants, and it is these antioxidants that are particularly beneficial when caring for our horse's joints and overall health. Many of us have heard of antioxidants and we all know they are good for us, but why do we need them in the horse's diet?

Although oxygen is vital to support life, the natural process of oxidation produces free radicals, which are harmful to horses (and humans). They cause damage to cell membranes, contributing to the aging of tissues like cartilage, and diseases like inflammatory arthritis. Antioxidants work to neutralise these free radicals, reducing and even sometimes preventing them from causing damage.  

February

February is probably the most testing month for our horses!  The days are noticeably longer, on mild days the grass is growing and must smell delicious with promises of spring so near, but yet, it’s still winter and not yet ready to relinquish its chilly grip. Horses can be tetchy, itchy as their coats are starting change and restless with the extra daylight. How can we help them?

Make the most of any fine or dry days to turn out for a bit longer, ideally without a rug.

Take advantage of finer spells to take your horse out with friends for a hack, maybe even boxing up to somewhere more interesting to ride than the usual home beat.

Put the different ingredients of your horse’s feed in different feed bowls in different places in the stable so there is some choice. 

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