Horse&Rider Magazine – August 2017

BACK IN THE SADDLE FEEL CONFIDENT AFTER TIME OFF The UK’s best-selling equestrian monthly

SIMPLE STEPS

FLATWORK

CLINIC

Improve your horse’s jump

Simple, effective exercises

Equine cancer

STOP DEHYDRATION

explained

Boost his performance

HACK

WIN! ARENA

LIKE A

MIRRORS

PROFESSIONAL with Lucinda Fredericks

XC:

E G LAFOR Y A EST E? H S VS B

Technical fences made easy

SHOPPING

On test: Summer saddle pads

Buyer’s guide to calmers

£4.20

Pressure-relieving bridles

’S HOR Y T HA WHAYOUR August 2017

Issue number 569 August 2017 n Carl Hester’s simple, effective flatwork exercises n Technical XC fences made easy n Pressure-relieving bridles n Equine cancer: new treatments explained n Hay vs haylage

CARL HESTER’S

IPN Consumer Magazine of the Year

As told to Kelly McCarthy-Maine. Photos: Bob Atkins. With thanks to Lucinda Fredericks for her help with this feature, lucindafredericks.com

Hack ! o r p a e k li Even professional riders use time outside the arena to improve their horse’s way of going. Olympic eventer, Lucinda Fredericks, shares her tips for motivating a laid-back type

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heerful horses are precious and rewarding to work with. Many genuine horses with affable characters carry that chilled-out attitude to their work and riders need to find creative ways to reach fitness and training goals, while preserving their good nature. This doesn’t mean the horses don’t have to work hard and dig deep, but it helps to use hacking and the great outdoors so the work sort of sneaks up on them.

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In the saddle

Our expert

Lucinda Fredericks has won some of the world’s toughest events, including Burghley, Badminton and Kentucky, on her 15.3hh chestnut mare, Headley Britannia. She now competes on Brit’s offspring, as well as sourcing and producing horses for sale.

Our models

Six-year-old grey gelding Joey came to Lucinda to be produced for eventing.

Joey’s a relaxed fellow, taking his new career as an event horse in his stride.

Becks Smallman is a freelance instructor who competes in British Eventing and dressage.

Here, Becks is riding her own 12-year-old grey gelding, Flash Royal, ‘Freddie’.

HORSE&RIDER 39

You can take a

horse to water...

Did you know your horse could become dehydrated after just an hour’s work? Nutritionist Kate Hore explains what to look for and how best to keep him hydrated Our expert

With thanks to NAF for their help with this feature, naf-equine.eu

Kate Hore RNutr(Animal) is Senior Nutritionist at NAF. She’s been helping to improve the diets of horses for almost 20 years.

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ater is, quite simply, the most important aspect of your horse’s diet – essential to life, it makes up 65–75% of his bodyweight.

Even if your horse is only slightly dehydrated it can have a surprising effect on his body, such as a reduced appetite and poor performance, but in extreme cases dehydration can cause death.

Keeping him fully hydrated is essential for ensuring he’s in the peak of health and fitness, but how do you know whether your horse is drinking enough?

Water intake

The amount of water consumed differs between individuals, so it’s essential you know what’s normal for your horse so you can spot changes that might indicate a problem. Horses don’t have a high thirst drive and only spend a few minutes a day drinking, so keep an eye on your horse to ensure he’s drinking adequately. Typically, an average 500kg horse in normal temperatures and doing light work requires about 25 litres of water, which can be achieved through drinking and eating.

A major factor in how much your horse drinks is his diet. Fresh grass contains up to 80% water, so he may not need an additional supply for day to day health, although it should always be available. In contrast, hay and concentrates only contain 15–20% water, so additional drinking water is needed, and

DID YOU KNOW?

Top level endurance horses working in hot, humid conditions have recorded sweat losses of up to 60l in a day, although around 40l is more normal for longdistance rides, and around 20l for eventers going cross-country.

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TOP TIP

horses on a hay and grain diet drink more Ensure the water you provide is often, particularly around meal time. clean and fresh. Ideally mains water Strenuous work can increase your should be used, but if your horse has horse’s water requirement by up to access to natural water courses, ensure 300%. Temperature also has an effect, there’s no risk of pollution further with trials showing that in hot weather upstream. Stagnant ponds should (over 33°C) water requirements in resting be avoided at all costs. horses is 4–5 times higher than normal.

When could he get dehydrated?

For the average 500kg horse, mild dehydration is possible when around 7l of sweat has been lost, which is easily achieved by a horse who’s doing moderate work for one hour – for example, a fun ride or a lesson. If your horse isn’t adequately hydrated after, and hot weather or further exercise causes the sweat loss to double, it could become a serious issue.

So whatever you do with your horse, whether it be competing or hacking, it’s essential to make sure he stays well hydrated. It’s also important to remember that dehydration should be considered any time your horse sweats, not just when exercising – for example, during hot weather or after galloping about in the field.

An average horse needs about 25l of water per day

Ask a vet

Signs of dehydration

Spotting dehydration isn’t always easy, but there are a few things to look out for...

TOP TIP

If travelling and competing your horse regularly, make sure you take water from home, as a familiar taste will encourage him to drink.

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poor concentration and performance If you’ve jumped a few rounds at a show and are doing well, but the last round is disastrous, is that because you and your horse aren’t ready for that level or is it dehydration from travelling and competing?

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lethargy and depression If your horse seems quieter than normal, particularly following hard work or during warm weather, make sure you consider his hydration status

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darker-coloured urine If dehydration has continued for some time, this is something you may see

Testing hydration levels

Traditionally, the pinch test has been used to check for dehydration, but studies have now shown that this isn’t always reliable. It can still be used, but it’s best to combine it with other checks, too... l pinch test Take a pinch of skin along your horse’s neck and let it go again. It should immediately flatten again back to normal. If it’s slow to go down then it could be a sign that your horse is dehydrated l gums Touch your horse’s gums to see how moist they are. They should feel a bit slimy, but if they’re tacky or on the dry side, it suggests he needs hydrating

DID YOU KNOW?

Mares who are lactating need to take on more water because water is lost through the milk they produce. At peak lactation, the average mare produces around 20l of milk per day, which equates to an increase in water requirement of 50–70%.

Water is vital for foals, too, because they need more per kg of bodyweight than adult horses – dehydration is a common cause of death in foals, usually associated with scouring. Make sure the water bucket is at a height that’s easy for the foal to reach – about 80cm is ideal.

l capillary refill time Press your thumb onto your horse’s gum so it goes white, then remove your thumb and time how long it takes for the gum to return to normal colour. In a hydrated horse, the blood vessels should refill within two seconds. Any longer and he could be suffering from dehydration If your horse has become a little dehydrated, don’t worry, it should be easily resolved by making sure you get water into him quickly and efficiently.

However, if you’re particularly concerned about his signs or are finding it difficult to rehydrate him, call your vet.

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FIGURING OUT FORAGE Forage makes up the highest proportion of your horse’s diet, but how can you make sure you’re feeding the best possible option? H&R explains all

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oaked, steamed, wrapped or unwrapped, hay or haylage – the options for feeding forage are seemingly endless and the best one for your horse depends upon a variety of factors, including respiratory health, weight, budget and routine.

Your horse’s digestive system Horses are designed to eat little and often, moving constantly in search of better grazing. Often, in the wild, high-quality forage would be uncommon, so the equine digestive system has evolved to function best when processing low-energy, relatively low-nutrient foods over a long period of time. This is why, when feeding domesticated horses, forage must make up the majority of their diet.

Feeding high-quality forage also ensures your horse’s diet has sufficient fibre content. This helps to regulate his bowel movements, reducing the risk of gas in the digestive tract and associated colic.

Appropriate fibre levels can also help to reduce the risk of gastric ulcers.

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Although it’s easy to perceive forage as just providing calories and keeping his digestive system ticking over, it’s actually an important vessel for essential vitamins and nutrients and, when fed properly, can even decrease your horse’s need for hard feed.

DID YOU KNOW?

It can take up to three days for your horse to fully digest fibrous material, meaning he can extract more energy and nutrients from them than a human would be able to.

Management know-how

Spot the difference

Moisture content

When choosing a forage source, you have two primary options – hay, which is available either wrapped or baled, and haylage. Both are made from cut grass, but the moisture content, nutrient value and processing method of each is different.

A lower dry matter percentage means that more forage will have to be fed to ensure a sufficient fibre and nutrient intake. For example, 3kg of hay will have more dry matter than 3kg of haylage, requiring you to feed a higher weight of haylage to give your horse the same amount of nutrients.

Processing methods

Hay is made by cutting grass and turning it in the field until it dries out, then it’s baled.

Because of the low moisture content, hay is less likely to mould, but dust can be an issue for horses with respiratory issues.

Haylage is cut, then baled much sooner than hay. It’s wrapped in polythene, which retains moisture and causes a mild fermentation effect that inhibits the growth of fungal spores. Once haylage is exposed to the air it’s at risk of going mouldy, but there’s little risk of dust.

Fresh grass 20% dry matter Haylage 55–65% dry matter Hay 85–90% dry matter

TOP TIP

If you decide to change your horse’s forage, don’t do it suddenly. Instead, make the transition over the course of a week or so. Rapid diet changes can increase the risk of colic.

How to feed it

If hay is of good quality, it’s an easy forage option.

The amount fed will depend on your horse’s weight and dietary needs (see box, p98). However, if it’s of lesser quality or he suffers from respiratory issues, you’ll need to soak or steam it before feeding. Soak it for 10 minutes in clean water and feed immediately to prevent mould spores from growing.

Feeding hay that’s been soaked for at least an hour is beneficial if your horse is on a restricted diet, struggles with laminitis or a metabolic disease, or has to have a reduced-sugar diet.

If your horse requires dust-free forage but needs the extra nutrients and energy that would be lost through soaking, haylage is an ideal solution. Once opened, it needs to be used quickly – depending on conditions, this can be anywhere from 2–7 days – so you may need to shop around for smaller bales if you’re a onehorse owner. Haylage also tends to be more palatable, so you may have to feed it in a smaller holed haynet to slow your horse down. It’s much richer than hay, so if your horse struggles with laminitis or is on a restricted diet, it may not be the right option for him.

WRAP IT UP

Some farmers sell wrapped hay, which has a slightly higher moisture content than baled hay, but is drier than haylage. This is particularly useful if you need to store your forage outside, but because the moisture content isn’t high enough to encourage fermentation, sugar levels may be higher than other forage options and the capacity for dust reduction may not be as good as in haylage.

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