It never rains but it pours!
By Elizabeth Wilkinson - SPILLERS® Nutritionist
In today’s climate you can’t help but notice the effects of global warming. Whether it’s the pictures of a polar bear trapped on an iceberg flashed across our TV screens or widespread flooding forcing hundreds of people out of their homes. We cannot escape the fact that the climate is changing and in turn the management of our horses may have to adapt to more extreme weather conditions.
I’m sure nobody will have failed to notice the unseasonable weather that has hit the United Kingdom recently. The heavy rain but still warm temperatures mean that any grass that is not completely underwater will be growing very rapidly.
When the grass suddenly begins to grow very quickly owners of those horses and ponies who are prone to weight gain or laminitis will have to act fast as this flush of grass will have the same dangers as those well known “red alert times” of spring and autumn grass growth.
The first thing is to be aware of is that this acute change in the weather poses a threat to horses and ponies prone to laminitis. The second thing is to take preventative action to minimise the risk to those susceptible horses and ponies. Turn horses out on to pasture late at night until early morning and remove them from the pasture by mid-morning at the latest. Avoid pastures that have not been properly managed by regular grazing or cutting. Restrict grass intake by using a grazing muzzle (that still allows drinking), grazing with sheep, turning out in a sparse paddock or by strip grazing. (Do not strip graze if a large quantity of grass is available). Turning out in a ménage or woodchip area may also be beneficial. If your horse or pony is particularly susceptible to laminitis and the grass is growing very fast then it may be beneficial to avoid turn out completely unless it is in an arena. In these cases you will need to ensure that your horse or pony is eating adequate amounts of fibre and getting plenty of exercise.
When deciding on a fibre source for your horse or pony choose mature forages such as late cut hay that are likely to be lower in water soluble carbohydrate (it is advisable to have your forage analysed and try to feed a forage with less than 10% water soluble carbohydrate). Alternatively consider feeding a suitable forage replacer for all or part of the fibre ration, forage replacers that are approved by the Laminitis Trust such as SPILLERS HAPPY HOOF® have a known analysis so you know exactly what nutrients your horse or pony is getting and at what levels.
Another potential problem due to the more varied and extreme weather conditions is that of forage quality. In the UK much of the forage that our horses eat is farm grown, locally sourced, hay or haylage. There is a risk that as weather conditions become more extreme the consistency and quality of this forage may suffer. Pay particular attention to the quality of any forage bought and if you are buying large batches be sure to check the quality throughout the batch. If finding a suitable forage source becomes a problem then you should consider using a forage replacer to ensure that your horse receives adequate fibre in his diet. Low calorie forage replacers such as SPILLERS HAPPY HOOF® can replace all or part of the forage ration and have a similar nutritional analysis as hay.
Paddock management should also be considered in situations where the weather changes quickly. If a field becomes very wet there is s risk that the ground can become ruined and poached by the horses turned out on it. Poaching damages the structure of the soil and allows for weeds to take over instead of grass. If the field becomes particularly wet and boggy then consider limiting the number of horses turned out and reducing the length of time that horses are turned out for.
If you would like to discuss any aspects of feeding the competition horse or have any feeding questions, please contact the SPILLERS® Care-Line on 01908 226626 or fill in the Care-Line enquiry form.