🌟 WIN 🌟 a 10kg bag of MetaSlim by answering the question below.

MetaSlim is specially formulated for horses and ponies prone to what?
1) Laminitis
2) Getting muddy
3) Losing a shoe

To enter:
1. Like Simple System Horse Feeds Facebook page.
2. Comment on the competition post answering the question.

Competition closes at midnight on Sunday 26th April 2020. One winner will be picked at random. The winner will be contacted directly, if we have not received a response from the winner in 24 hours the prize will be forfeited and a new winner will be chosen.

Good Luck! Read more

With advice from the British Equestrian Federation not to ride and thus avoid burdening the NHS with our broken bones and concussions – our horses are short of work. They may also now be getting grass as this is starting to come through and contributing greatly to their intake. A few simple switches will enable you to keep your horses well and avoid them gaining too much weight. Lucie Fibre Cubes are a lower calorie alternative to Lucie Nuts. They are sun dried and much of the nutritious leaf comes off during harvesting, which is very good for the soil. Organic Lucie Stalks can be used instead of GreenGold or Build & Shine for a lower calorie option. Timothy Chop is lower calorie than Perform & Shine. Blue Bag Grass Pellets are less calorific then Red Bag Grass Pellets. Total Eclipse is fed at 25% of the rate of many other balancers, so good where calories are being counted and as it is also more economical than most other balancers, just the job when funds are limited. For a 500kg horse it can be just 50p per day. Read more

Horses doing little or no work may not need shoes, but newly unshod hooves may need a bit of support to keep strong and healthy. Help harden the outsides with Organic Cider Vinegar, diluted 50:50 with water and swabbed or sprayed onto clean, picked and brushed soles, frogs, white line, bars and clefts. Support from the inside with one of our forage balancers containing seaweed, such as Total Eclipse (most economical as fed in small amounts) or Simple Balance + which is a very palatable, pelleted forage balancer. Or add Pure Ocean Seaweed at the rate of 10g per 100kg of ideal weight.

Horses that are turned away may need very little care other than regular checks but a small daily feed will ensure that they are keeping well, don’t turn feral and is an excellent guide to health – one of the main indicators of being unwell is lack of appetite. And it is a nice thing to do, helping maintain a bond with your horse Read more

You must avoid social contact;
There is currently no Government guidance that we are aware of in relation to riding, so it is down to you to decide whether this is necessary;
Don’t ride your horse if it is young, unreliable, very spooky – we don’t want to burden the health service with our broken bones!
Don’t gallop, jump or face your horse with extra challenges for the same reasons;
Lungeing, in-hand work and turn-out are good alternatives to ridden exercise Read more

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. Then, ideally, roll to establish good contact with the soil. Keep the horses off it for at least 6 weeks, until there is good growth. March and April are good months to do this but by May and June, weeds and other grasses will be growing so vigorously as to shade out new growth. If you miss the spring time to reseed, there is another window in August and September, but avoid periods of dry weather. Read more