Knowledge
Nutrition Focus
Lorna Edgar – specialist equine nutritionist
Photograph by GOW Equine
So Long 2020…
Winter polo ponies eating in a field
Roll On 2021!
Oh my goodness, what a bizarre year 2020 has been which, I think none of us will forget! Although it has been rather unsettling for many in the equestrian world with stop start competitions and polo – it’s hard for us humans to comprehend, let alone our equine friends! As the summer proceeded and polo eventually got underway, it was very busy, with a lot of polo being played in quick succession, and I was delighted to see how well horses were looking, and also coping with the amount of polo being played. It seemed such a shame to turn them out again when looking so good. Huge well done to all those amazing grooms out there making it happen and coping with the ‘stop, start and full on’ summer we had. And, now here we are, wet miserable days and winter is finally settling in, as I write, we are in Lockdown 2.0 and I am working from home again; sitting in the warm thinking 36
Polo Times, December 2020 / January 2021
of the polo ponies turned away on ‘holiday’ and battling the elements. Always keeping a beady eye on some social media to see what is happening I have spotted … • GOW Equine wintering their polo ponies with hard feed already – what a great way to prepare them for the winter months, maintaining nutrients in their diets to help with immunity, consistent hoof growth, and to help maintain some body condition. • The use of field/paddock licks for wintering polo ponies on several Instagram accounts – this, again, is great to see. If option one of giving individual feeds of concentrates is not possible then absolutely this is the next best thing. As you can imagine, I am delighted
to see polo ponies receiving some extra nutrients that may not be abundant in the grass or hay/haylage over the winter months. I sat down at the end of the season with Helen Eustace at Whitecrane, to discuss plans for winter feeding for playing ponies on holiday, broodmares and youngstock; the emphasis here being prepared for the winter months with a plan ready for when the weather changes. It’s preferable to try and prevent weight loss as it can take a long time and a lot of feed to get the condition back on again.
Early winter
Begin with field/paddock licks, but bear in mind they will not give the calories that some individuals may need. Be aware of how much time each individual spends at the lick each day, or if there are any of the ‘big personalities’ pushing away the quieter members of the herd – if so they won’t be getting those key nutrients whilst others are benefitting. When individuals begin to drop off condition, they will need a separate feed to provide calories, protein, vitamins and www.polotimes.co.uk
