Nutrition Focus: Over and Out 2021

Lorna Edgar – specialist equine nutritionist

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Max Charlton playing the high goal with Emlor was one of Lorna’s 2021 highlights

Over and Out 2021!

Reflecting on the past 12 months

A reflection on some of the articles I have written and highlights in the world of Lorna Edgar’s equine nutrition bubble!

Looking back over the articles from 2021 I have looked at nutrition and its effect on foot growth with the help of farrier Aaron Tyler and then the management of stereotypical behaviour with a focus on how making adjustments to the diet can aid positive reactions to stereotypical behaviour, for which Adam Buchanan gave some great references and case studies from horses he has at his yard.

We had a Q&A article on prepping horses for the high goal season, especially when they are making a step up from a lower level of polo. It’s always interesting to watch how horses react and cope at this time – absolute hats off to the fantastic grooms that make these adjustments without compromising the health and fitness of the horses.

I had a great reaction to the ‘Back to Basics’ article which raised such questions as ‘why do I do that and could I do it another way?’. We are always learning and science helps us to progress, so moving with a bit of science and still combining some traditions we are able to hopefully increase the longevity of our horses’ careers in a positive way. Some changes we make may only be small but could have a massive impact on promoting consistent performances from our equine athletes.

There have been more ‘Yard Focus’ articles to really highlight how diets can be tailored for individuals without having to have lots of different feeds in the feed room. All yards work slightly differently but all are striving for the same results and their feeding programmes evolve to suit their horses, grooms and management – one size does not fit all! Max Hutchinson, Oli Hipwood and Ollie Jones were under the spotlight this year and no doubt there’ll be some more yards to focus on next year too.

As always, my priority is to tailor diets that are suited to support the polo pony in hard work, but do not compromise the health of the digestive system in doing so. To ensure a balanced diet is met, the focus is of course, that all important FIBRE intake! You hear me talk about it time and time again, and I cannot stress how important it is. No doubt 2022 will have me talking all things fibre once again.

I would like to say a huge thank you to all those grooms that work tirelessly for their trusty steeds. For those of you I have the absolute pleasure of working with I cannot thank you enough for listening to me, perhaps humouring me at times (!) and making my job easier and so much more pleasurable by following suggestions and communicating with me when things are not quite right! Without you all we would be lost, and I for one would not have such a great job! THANK YOU!

Remember, whilst our horses are on holiday wintering, providing them with hard feed or field/paddock licks will be of huge benefit to them and enable them to come back into work much stronger. A balanced diet is still essential for those horses playing arena polo, with plenty of fibre and not forgetting those all essential electrolytes – yes, they sweat in the winter as well as the summer, and electrolytes need to be replaced to aid recovery.

And, finally, seeing Max Charlton playing the high goal this summer was one of the highlights for me, and now seeing Max a dad makes me feel rather old! Congratulations Max and Sophie!

Winter well wherever you are, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and here’s to a successful 2022!

Contact Lorna Edgar of Baileys Horse Feeds on lorna@baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk

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