By Clare Lockyer - SPILLERS® Technical Manager
During the autumn when the nights start to draw in and the mornings are getting chillier it is wise to start to think about autumn feeding. The grass stops growing when the temperature drops under 6ºC, therefore the quality and quantity of grass at this time of year starts to drop. Most horses and ponies will start to require some supplementary feed to help them maintain their condition going into the winter.
Remember it is easier to feed to maintain condition than it is to try and put condition on, so it always pays to be prepared. Consider the following when planning your winter feeding:
Tips…
- For native types and good doers good quality forage fed alongside a broad spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement such as EQUIVITE® ORIGINAL or a low calorie high fibre feed such as SPILLERS® High Fibre Cubes is ideal to provide a well balanced diet.
- For horses and ponies in light work SPILLERS® Horse and Pony Cubes or SPILLERS® Cool Mix™ provide non heating calories alongside a full spectrum of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to support long term health and wellbeing.
- Senior horses will benefit from a feed specially designed to cater for their increasing requirements, although not all veteran horses need a conditioning feed. SPILLERS® Senior is the first range to be designed to include a low energy mix for the good doer, SPILLERS® Senior Maintenance Mix, and a highly effective conditioning feed, SPILLERS® Senior Conditioning Mix.
- Both SPILLERS® Senior products contain glucosamine to help maintain joint mobility, live yeast for digestive support, quality protein to help maintain muscle tone and topline, antioxidants to support the immune system and chelated minerals for better absorption.
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.