Nutrition Focus: Yard Focus – Oli Hipwood

Lorna Edgar – specialist equine nutritionist

Yard Focus

Oli Hipwood – 4 Goals

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 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.

Oli’s ponies grazing at home

Photography by Oli Hipwood

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. 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.

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

Peroni

A 10-year-old English Thoroughbred, he generally holds his weight well througout the season and last year played every game with Oli and never lacked energy on his playing diet of conditioning cubes. He can be quite quirky and cheeky (apparently an understatement according to Grace!), but as she says, you can’t be cross with him for long as his ears are always forward providing the cute factor! As previously mentioned his energy levels are generally good – he comes into work on Ease & Excel Mix and as the work increases Conditioning Cubes are introduced and once playing he will end up on just the cubes as he needs the more starch based energy from the cubes.

Current Diet 3 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

Because he can be cheeky, if there is a quieter period of polo he will have some of the cubes reduced and Ease & Excel Mix re-introduced, reducing the ‘quick release’ energy but ensuring the calories are still present for him to maintain condition but with a level head.

Tippex

A 12-year-old, he was bred out of one of Howard Hipwood’s favourite mares and is a big gelding that generally holds his weight well though he often needs extra energy – so benefits from higher energy feeds. Tippex is a very easy horse to have on the yard and quite the gentleman, being a firm favourite for Oli’s daughter to ride! He will come in from the winter break on a combination of Ease & Excel Mix and Conditioning Cubes for more readily available energy. Being a big gelding he does require a little more food than the others, and should he need even more ‘go’ we will either add a few straight bruised oats to his existing diet or consider a Competition Mix (though we haven’t needed to cross this bridge yet)!

As his work increases Grace will keep an eye on the amount of hay he is eating during the day – sometimes we might have to supplement his fibre intake by increasing the alfalfa or adding some Fibre-Beet to his rations. I would encourage putting these into separate buckets for him to graze on whilst stabled rather than bulking out his feed bowl, and splitting his feeds over three meals would also be preferable as and when Grace can do so.

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

Nova

An Irish bred 10-year-old who came to Oli as a 6-year-old. Nova can hold her weight a little too well, which is something we are always taking into consideration when we review her diet so we mainly use a low-calorie balancer for her – but she can also lack energy if we are not careful. Nova is very easy and an absolute pleasure to have on the yard!

Current Diet 5 measuring mugs of Balancer per day 1 scoop of alfalfa chaff in each feed

As polo becomes busier and if she is needing energy we will add straight bruised oats to her feed, which on a match day may increase to a scoop in the morning and half a scoop in the evening. The oats will be reduced considerably on easy days and quieter weeks of polo – if she is not utilising the energy in the oats in her work she won’t use the calories and her body condition will increase.

Always being mindful of careful management to reduce the risk of gastric ulcers, particularly with horses that hold their condition well, we don’t restrict Nova’s forage intake too much. Grace double nets her hay to slow down her consumption – she works a little harder to get her hay, but this promotes trickle feeding throughout the day.

Electrolytes are administered either in their water or in their feed – and wherever possible and depending on personal preferences of individuals, the feed will be wet when it has electrolytes in!

Oli’s grooms always travel their horses with hay nets, and when they have two games in a day they will feed a small feed, provide water and give them a hay net – thus ensuring they are never without their forage too long and always hydrated.

A big thank you to Grace, Hollie and Helen for all they do in making my job so easy and keeping the horses looking and going well!

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