Nutrition - including

FEEDING By Emma Short BSc (Hons) FOR RECOVERY

THE NECESSARY CHANGES IN DIET AND ROUTINE, THAT OFTEN ACCOMPANY A HORSE’S ILLNESS OR INJURY, CAN BE ALMOST AS STRESSFUL AS THE PROBLEM ITSELF SO NEED TO BE HANDLED IN A WAY THAT MINIMISES THE RISK OF SECONDARY SETBACKS AND MAXIMISES THE CHANCES OF A SPEEDY RECOVERY.

Correct nutrition may be considered vital for optimum performance but its role in supporting healing, and a subsequent return to work or competition, should also not be underestimated.

Vital Fibre Even quite minor injuries can mean a horse is confined to his stable for a couple of days so it’s important that he has access to plenty of fibre to promote normal gut function and help relieve boredom. Of the microorganisms in the horse’s hind gut, some are involved in fibre digestion whilst some have an important role in helping the horse to resist disease and recover from infections, particularly of the digestive tract. Plenty of fibre is therefore important both as a source of nutrients and for helping to keep the horse healthy. With no access to pasture and a reduction in concentrate feed, the horse’s overall nutrient intake can drop significantly. A low calorie balancer is ideal in these circumstances as it provides all the vitamins, minerals and quality protein the horse requires, for maintenance and all-important repair, but without the energy that could cause behavioural and digestive upsets. Boredom may also become a problem during prolonged box rest so it can be worth introducing both stable toys and alternative forage sources to keep the horse’s mind active and satisfy his need to chew. These can include alfalfa or ‘light’ chaffs and soaked beet products, which can be given in large trugs or buckets, separate from the hard feed ration, to encourage natural foraging behaviour. High fibre cubes or nuggets are also ideal and can be scattered on the floor or fed in boredom balls.

Changing The Horse’s Diet Abrupt dietary changes are normally best avoided but it may be necessary to drastically reduce a fit horse’s concentrate ration if his workload is suddenly reduced or stopped. The horse’s gut bacteria take time to adjust to a new feed and any sudden changes can disrupt their populations which could result in loose droppings, colic or even laminitis. When changing a diet quickly, a ‘digestive enhancer’, such as a pre or probiotic, can help the bacteria adapt to the new diet, thus reducing the risk of upsets occurring. The length of time the horse will be on box rest and his current feeding regime will determine how significantly his diet needs to be altered. For short term box rest, concentrates may be reduced by about two thirds and ‘top dressed’ with a low calorie balancer, to maintain protein and micro-nutrient levels. If the horse on long term box rest requires concentrates to maintain condition, a gradual change can be made to a lower energy feed, over 4 to 5 days after the previous diet has been reduced. For horses needing more help to maintain condition, a nonheating fully balanced conditioning feed can be fed. Low starch options, delivering their slow release calories from fibre and oil, are ideal where

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clinical issues dictate that starch intake should be controlled. Oil is a particularly good source of non-heating, ‘non-starch’ calories, though a minimum of 200 – 500ml are required to make a significant calorie contribution. A specially formulated high oil supplement offers a mess-free and palatable alternative, which can be added to an existing balanced diet. Feeding to Heal Correct nutrition can actually aid healing by providing the nutrients required for tissue development; amino acids, for example, are the building blocks of protein and are components of all body cells. Some ‘essential’ amino acids must be supplied by the horse’s diet, as his body cannot manufacture them, and these are particularly important for soft tissue repair eg. muscle and tendon. With the exception of alfalfa, forages tend not to contain sufficient quality protein to supply essential amino acids, so feeding a balancer should ensure the horse doesn’t go short. Vitamins are essential for body functions and minerals are also integral in cell and tissue structure and vital for the healing process. Balancers are an easy option for the healing horse at grass, as well as the box or barn resting horse, because their low feeding rates – two mugs/500g per day for a 500kg horse – means they can even be fed just once a day and can fed by hand, if necessary. So, cutting down the feed for a convalescing horse need not mean cutting down on nutrients; reducing calorie intake, in response to reduced workload, is essential but the maintenance of other nutrients is equally important in order to support successful healing.

www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk

Suggested Product...

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My Box Rest Advice...

“My top piece of advice for a horse on box rest is to reduce the calories consumed from

concentrates and increase fibre levels to

support digestive function.

“As your horse will be consuming more hay/haylage, ensure your horse has access to clean, fresh water at all times as grass can have a very high moisture content and moving across to hay/haylage their water intake will decrease, resulting in the horse drinking more water.

“For good doers on box rest, soaking hay can reduce the calorie content but still ensure your horse is receiving fibre. Other methods can be using small-holed haynet or doubling up on haynets to slow the intake and make the forage last longer.

“Concentrates feeds that are high in cereals should be reduced as the cereals result in higher starch levels which can cause excitable ” behaviours which is not wanted during box rest. A low energy, high fibre feed that is cereal free is naturally lower in starch and sugar. If you have a poor doer that requires a more calorific feed but you don’t want the excitability from a high starch conditioning feed, look for a high fibre, high oil feed.”

By Eleanor Blinkhorn (Bsc) Equine Nutritionist

Eleanor’s Recommended Products: Forage ‘n’ Fibre is a high fibre, low energy feed. It fully balanced with essential vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Suitable for horses prone to weight gain and excitable behaviour. Solution Mash is cereal and molasses free and high in oil and fibre to help with controlled weight gain. It is fully balanced and contains some herbs to encourage appetite.

www.rowenbarbary.co.uk

TopFive

FEEDING QUESTIONS

Iget asked so many questions, but there are a few that do the rounds most weeks, so I hope this will help some of you lovely lot too.

1) How long should I soak my hay for? Whilst soaking hay does not guarantee that it is suitable for those requiring controlled sugar rations e.g. laminitics, it will help to reduce the water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) levels. I normally advise 12-hours for optimum results, but no longer than 3-hours in summer as the heat can lead to fermentation. If soaking as your horse suffers from RAO you only need to soak for around 10minutes. 2) My feed says it is natural and contains no molasses so it should be low in sugar? Choosing a feed with ‘natural’ on the label, or similar will not necessarily mean it is low in sugar as these types of feed typically contain dried grass mixes. On the flip side there are feeds that contain a very low level of molasses that may have been perfectly suitable. Check the sugar percentage on the label to be sure. 3) Why should I weigh tape my horse as they aren’t exactly accurate? Using a weigh tape once a week, at the same time of day and recording the weight helps you see any patterns emerging that your eye alone may not notice and provides a history for your vet to look at if required. Whilst weigh tapes are not completely accurate, they will help to show you fluctuations and so are useful tools. 4) My horse is now working harder what should I feed? Just because your horse is working harder does not necessarily mean he will need additional feed. Keep an eye on his condition score and ensure the diet is balanced. If he does start to drop a little weight increase forage first before increasing or changing the hard feed. 5) Should I give my horse electrolytes? Horses with access to a good amount of forage or grass will normally have a potassium intake in excess of daily requirements. Sodium chloride intake however is often minimal and needs to be rectified. Normal table salt is an easy way to achieve this. Most leisure horses who go out for hacks, schooling, clinics, or low-level competitions, will typically require around ½1tbsp of table salt per day to rectify the sodium chloride loss.

www.thehorsefeed guru.com

LOCATED IN NEWMARKET BUT WORKING BOTH NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY, DONNA CASE BSC (HONS) IS THE HIGHLY EXPERIENCED EQUINE NUTRITIONIST WHO RUNS ‘THE HORSE FEED GURU’, AN EQUINE NUTRITION CONSULTANCY. FORMERLY A COMMERCIAL NUTRITIONIST ACROSS THREE BRANDS, NOW COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT, HER AIM IS TO DEMYSTIFY FEEDING FOR THE GOOD OF THE HORSE AND RIDER.