Paddock Power: A Focus on Feet & Coats

Photography courtesy of Paddock Power

Here at Polo Times we have been using Paddock Power throughout the winter for our string of polo ponies, who live all year round outside. Our paddocks are unfortunately mainly clay soil and even in this particularly wet winter we only had one young ex-racehorse which is new to our string who suffered from an abscess, with the usual culprits abscess free this year. Best of all, Paddock Power has stopped them nibbling at our wooden fencing! So, we spoke to Paddock Power to find out more about their product.

Paddock Power is fantastic at providing a broad spectrum of vitamins and minerals to help maintain a healthy nutritionally balanced horse; it has some core areas where it has proven to be extremely effective. One of these focal areas is feet and coats. We have grouped them together as the two tend to go hand in hand and are affected by similar factors.

We are all familiar with the phrase “no foot, no horse” but unless we are unfortunate enough to have a pony with terrible feet and constantly going through the endless cycle of farrier visits, disappointing lameness and having to abandon plans at short notice, we probably do not give them the attention they deserve. The reality is that if you have a pony that is not blessed with naturally good feet, you need to adopt a long-term strategy for ensuring that it has healthy strong feet. Once a hoof is cracked and split, it will take approximately twelve months to grow down.

The very wet weather we have had this winter has caused havoc with many horses’ hooves becoming oversaturated and soft, thus providing an ideal climate for thrush to take hold and hoof health to suffer. This has been followed by a very dry period and in a very short space of time, hooves have gone from being sodden to becoming dry and brittle. This causes cracks and chips, which while seemingly innocuous, can allow bacteria to penetrate and for foot abscesses and subsequent lameness to linger on.

Whilst good hoof balance is an essential part of the equation, the best farrier in the world is going to be thwarted by crumbling weak feet that fall into a vicious cycle of being unable to withstand work with attempts to remedy that sometimes exasperate the problem. The good news is that the situation can be turned around but it’s not a quick fix. You are looking at a minimum of six to 12 months to repair and

“When you own a horse with poor feet it can be hard work to manage. Not only is it costly to keep them on the road, but it can cause huge problems in the winter with abscesses and lameness. One of my horses used to spend more time in than out during its winter break. After a few years on Paddock Power, her feet have improved beyond recognition and she made it through her first winter this year without shoes or a single abscess. Now that’s an achievement considering how wet it has been.”

Adamu Atta

grow out poor quality hoof. Keeping your horse on Paddock Power all year round is one of the most cost-effective ways of feeding biotin with all the other benefits.

Topical applications have little effect compared to dealing with the problem from the inside out. Horse hooves are 90% protein, made up of a substance called keratin. Biotin, a vitamin B-complex is essential for proper keratin formation of the hoof wall. Horses cannot synthesise biotin themselves, so it needs to be provided within their diet. Biotin is essential to produce keratin, however it also needs the combination of Zinc, Copper and Methionine

“My Grandfather always said you can judge a man by the quality of his shoes and the cut of his coat, I liken this to my horses, when I see their feet in good order and carrying a good coat. I find these horses are healthy, happy and have more stamina and resilience to our demanding game.”

Tom Morley

to complete the package. Paddock Power provides the recommended daily intake of biotin and has high levels of Zinc and Copper providing the solution to an all in one supplement. Our licks are made using a cold set, the benefit of this is that the vitamins are not damaged by any heat process. Vitamins are very delicate things and some are more robust than others. The Paddock Power products are neither manufactured with heat nor pressed and this gives a better chance for the vitamins to survive manufacturing and reach the horses themselves.

At this time of year not only are our horses recovering from what the winter has thrown at them – this year in particular being the wettest on record – but with coats changing too, they need as much support as we can give them through good nutrition. It is highly evident which ponies have a problem with their skin and coat and often the ones with such problems have terrible feet too. This tends to be a difficult time for these horses as the change in season often really takes it out of them. For those

Beloved retiree, over 20-years-old and looking great on Paddock Power

who winter their own horses, (or winter for others), will know that March and April can be the worst months for horses still out and it’s more often than not that this is when you are going to get problems with condition. A horse’s skin is his largest organ and is an important protective barrier against the elements and a vital part of maintaining health. Mitigating against problems with the coat and skin is an important part of keeping your ponies as healthy and comfortable as possible. Once again, dealing with this from a nutritional point of view is recommended. As with the essential components of building healthy hooves, the skin is not dissimilar; it also needs Zinc, Copper and biotin to keep it healthy; but also soya oil and vitamin A play a major part in supporting this vast organ. All of these are available in Paddock Power.

As an owner, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the vast array of supplements available on the market and it’s easy to overspend trialling many different products and getting nowhere. In this difficult environment we are very aware that for many, cost-effectiveness has become an increasingly important consideration. We are confident that no other product on the market can match ours. We do not use fillers, nor do we pour huge amounts of molasses into our products. Typically, most “paddock licks” contain 30 to 40% molasses (some even more). Our product has a mere 17% – just enough to help with palatability and to bind the product. Higher molasses levels are detrimental to horse health. These sugars are not only bad for horses’ teeth but can be catastrophic for horses with digestive disorders such as ulcers. Horses are not drawn to our licks in order to satisfy a craving for sugar, they self-select because they are aware that they are lacking a particular trace element. Using our product in paddocks and stables all year round will give a fascinating insight

“I have been impressed with the results achieved by clients feeding Paddock Power to their overwintering horses and now use Paddock Power with my own show jumpers at home!”

Richard Vile MRCVS, Whitchurch Equine Veterinary Practice

“Living in Norway I am able to shoe my own horses. I have a couple of horses who, historically, both had very weak hoof walls that were prone to cracking and were very thin soled. After several months on Paddock Power we noticed both a thickening and strengthening of their hoof wall, as well as, thicker, harder soles.”

Nick May, Norway Polo Club

into the way that horses use their innate survival trait to maintain wellness, by using our licks as and when they need them and scaling back from them when they do not. It’s interesting when you look to one of the top race horse trainers David Pipe, who has been using Paddock Power for a few years now, and see how the consumption levels in the licks alter dependent upon the daily feed ration and work levels, and how quickly they go up when he turns the horses out with the licks when they are on holiday. David believes it really helps to put on and maintain their general condition and Paddock Power has become an integral part of his management routine.

Paddock Power is a highly cost-effective means of maintaining your horse in optimum health, whether it be the top pony in your playing string, a champion racehorse, young stock, or a beloved old retiree! “Paddock Power is a hassle-free way to get great nutrition into the horses while they are in the paddock. Cost effective, no wastage and the horses love it. We have found it particularly useful for young stock as an alternative to stud balancer.”

Ed Hitchman

We are also very proud to say that our products are manufactured in Britain using the best quality ingredients. A huge thank you to the fantastic team at the factory for keeping going and producing for us!

We are GM free and our NSC levels are 9.8% and our ESC levels are 9.2%, making us a safe and suitable product for laminitic’s and Cushing’s disease horses and ponies.

Don’t just take our word for how good the product is – ask our customers…

www.paddockpower.co.uk 07909 090000 info@paddockpower.co.uk

Ed Hitchman’s horses have loved the addition of Paddock Power

PADDOCK POWER POWERING PERFORMANCE

“We have used Paddock Power for a number of years for all our horses, retired, playing, breeding and young stock. Both as licks in the fi elds and as additives to feed in Paddock Power Pro format when horses are in work. The fact that I continue to use this product for all horses is surely endorsement in itsself.

Overall I fi nd horses at grass maintain a better body score when given free access to Paddock Power along with good quality forage whether its grass in summer or hay/ haylage in winter. I still feed additional quality hard feed where it’s required but fi nd I use substantially less.

For horses at grass I initially would put out 1 tub for every 5 horses but once they have got over the novelty factor I fi nd 1 tub would last 10 horses on average 14 days. As with constantly available water they do not fi ght over the buckets but have their similar pecking order and generally share with friends.”

Catriona Baker - Farm Manager Sumaya Polo

For more information and a full breakdown of Vitamins, Minerals and ingredients visit www.paddockpower.co.uk Call 020 3409 0214 Email info@paddockpower.co.uk

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