Knowledge
Nutrition Focus
Lorna Edgar – specialist equine nutritionist
Yard Focus Oli Hipwood – 4 Goals
Photography by Oli Hipwood
I am so grateful, and very happy, to be out on yards again. I am sure those I visit frequently wonder why I have a ridiculous grin every time I walk on the yard and see polo ponies – it really is because I am in my element! One yard I have been visiting now for 17 years, is Oli Hipwood’s. I first met Oli at Ascot Park (now Westcroft) in the first summer of working for Baileys. I very much wanted to try and make a small difference to the way polo ponies were fed by combining my grooming experience and nutritional knowledge. One thing we both wanted to work on was feeding polo ponies in a more scientific way by making a greater emphasis on forage and fibre and using those feeds that are best suited to the individual, rather than ‘blanket feed’, so that horses maintain their top line and condition throughout the season, and of course, not using muzzles. Over the years, Oli’s string has changed, his handicap has gone up and down and the products at Baileys have developed as science has continuously evolved. So naturally we have made changes to the products we have used. The majority of Oli’s horses will come in from their winter break on Ease & Excel Mix, which provides a low starch ration with calories from digestible fibre and oil. This helps promote sensible behaviour (during the cold months of February and March!) but with enough calories to build up their condition for the season ahead. Depending on their temperament, some will stay on Ease & Excel Mix as they don’t require
Oli’s ponies grazing at home
any extra ‘quick release energy’ from a higher starch feed, whilst those that do will move to Conditioning Cubes! We make a gradual transition between the two feeds, again depending on the individual’s needs and many will begin playing chukkas on a 50:50 ration, which will then increase to 100% Conditioning Cubes once playing regularly. Rations will be topped up with a balancer and adding Outshine, the high oil supplement, where necessary. This regime has meant the majority of his horses have played in low goal right up to the Semi Finals of The Queen’s Cup with the all England team, Maidford. Oli likes his horses to be out in the field as much as possible, and when stabled they have constant access to hay, which he finds the majority self-regulate – and consequently the environment in the barn is a lot more relaxed as hungry, irritable horses don’t exist! His grooms, Grace Tapping, Hollie Slater and Helen Evans are in their second season at Oli’s yard in Hampshire, where Justin Taylor also keeps his horses. They are
great at keeping in touch with me, sending WhatsApp messages or photos if there is a horse they have any concerns about or a new horse arrives on the yard. We have chosen four horses from Oli’s current string that have differing qualities on and off the field which we need to cater for in their feed bowl. These horses will all be playing three to five times per week in 6-12 goal tournaments based at Guards, Cowdray & Black Bears, during the 2021 polo season. The horses at Oli’s all wintered well this year, but if they do have a tough winter we will introduce the prebiotic Digest Plus as soon as they come back into work to help them digest the fibre in their diet a little more effectively. This helps promote condition a little quicker by allowing them to utilise their forage more efficiently. Some may stay on the prebiotic throughout the season, and some may have it reintroduced during the season if they are in need of a little more support. All the horses will receive electrolytes, once or twice per day, depending on how much polo they have and the weather.
He is what you might call a loveable rogue – comes across a little grumpy at times but he is actually a real sweetheart, just preferring human company rather than equine! Woody generally holds his condition well, and energy is not too much of a problem. He comes back into work on Ease & Excel Mix, and will then have Conditioning Cubes introduced alongside ad lib hay and turnout whenever possible. Woody will often have Outshine, the high oil supplement added to his ration a month into the season, to help provide extra stamina alongside extra calories. Should he back off his hay at any point Grace will begin to apply the similar routine to Tippex, with extra fibre sources being introduced into his diet, ensuring he holds his condition well and he has plenty of fibre in his diet.
Woody
He is a 13-year-old, Irish Thoroughbred who came to Oli as a six-year-old. He is quite a character and a mainstay of Oli’s string. 40
Polo Times, June 2021
Current Diet 3 heaped round bowl Stubbs scoops of Conditioning Cubes per day 2 measuring mugs of Balancer per day ½ a scoop of alfalfa chaff in each feed www.polotimes.co.uk
