FEEDING
Grass is best but what about the rest?
Many Members have contacted the welfare department with many different queries
about their veterans condition from their coats to their condition and behaviour,
but time and time again we have found that the diet of the horse seems to be
the underlying problem and with so many different products on the market, more
and more people are becoming increasingly confused and concerned about which
feed does what.
Before we offer any advice we ask that if the owner is concerned about weight
loss that they ask for a blood test to be done by their veterinary surgeon,
to establish if all the internal organs are functioning.
If my horse is underweight what do I feed?
Fibre is an essential part of the horses diet, but this combined with the correct
amount of protein and other vital sources to enable the body weight of the horse
to be regulated. Too much protein and this could be extremely dangerous too
much fibre and very little else, will inevitably cause the horse to loose condition
and weight. This though very much depends on the horses age, condition and work
load.
Therefore we offer Pasture
Nuts, mollased Chaff, Fibre G as a fibre provider.
It seems to be that
people are feeding products which are not weight gaining feeds as the fear of
their faithful friends going down with laminitis. In some cases the horses’
weight is severely affected and condition is lost. But obviously laminitis is
a killer and for those owners with laminitis this article must seem to be an
impossibility. Many horses here also only have to look at grass and they put
weight on!
Fibre is extremely important
but so are vitamins, minerals and protein to name a few, so a balance must be
established for each individual horse. Confusion for the owner is terrible and
we completely understand this.
We obviously encourage
as much correct turnout as possible and if the horse or pony does begin to get
grossly overweight that a restriction paddock is available immediately. Grass
is the best form of food for the horse, it is naturally what will keep the horse
in good condition, however, if their teeth are unable to chew blades of grass,
the following may happen
Loss of weight
(Noticeably over the summer months.)
Holding onto the winter coat
Lethargic and depressed
Clumps of grass scattered around the paddock.
Gets very cold in wet and windy weather.
We have time and time
again stressed about dental care with your veteran but yet again we stress this
maybe why your veteran is not putting weight on or maintaining their weight.
I will try to explain what we have found at the center and how we overcome dental
problems.
Loss of Weight
Firstly if the weight is not gaining during the summer (this has happened twice
to us this summer) and the grazing is adequate we will question the possibility
of the loss of teeth or perhaps a dental problem (providing the blood test show
there are now internal problems). All horses no matter what their age need regular
dental checks. If the weight loss is continual it needs to be addressed immediately
and not to wait to see if he or she improves. Both our ponies have dental problems
and the weight loss happened literally as soon as we dropped to summer feeding.
However, last year one pony maintained his weight brilliantly and therefore
showing us that every summer and year is different for every horse and pony.
If bad teeth have been
established then you must be aware that the pony will need 2 feeds a day probably
for the rest of his life. For him summer means no different from winter and
therefore it maybe that just the sugar beet is taken away in the summer and
16+ or a maintenance feed retained all year.
My horse is
out in the summer and still is loosing weight.
If you not feeding any
feed at all and he/she is still loosing weight
Firstly blood tests will show if there is any failing organs and should the
weight loss be significant you will need to put him/her onto a weight gaining
and maintenance feed. At the center we use Build Up (which does exactly what
it says) and 16+ soaked for at least 2 hours before feeding.
Feeding this over a period of 2-4 weeks should show a good improvement.
You must be aware that this high maintenance feed must be fed with care and
do not over feed, thinking the more I feed the quicker I will put weight on,
this could be very dangerous to your horse. Slowly and steadily is always the
best advice.
Holding his/her coat
This is frequently mistaken for cushings and time and time again we have found
that people are very frightened that cushings has developed. If this is the
case the only way you are going to know this is by asking your vet to carry
out a cushings test. However, holding onto the coat can mean that there is lack
of protein, vitamins and minerals in the diet and again his feed will but this
back for him and allow the coat to be released.
Naturally if a horse
is cold it will hold onto its coat and if the correct feed or grass intake is
not met then naturally a horse will be cold and tired therefore nature will
say don’t loose your warming coat as you need your body fat and coat to
keep you warm. It is extremely rare (apart from cushings) that you see a fat
pony with a full winter coat in the summer, with this thought, many Members
will realise how nature protects the horse. It is common sense and if we where
hungry cold and thin we would not take off our winter coat unless there was
continuous sun, sadly some parts of the UK rarely see very warm sun so this
now makes sense?If the horse is turned out 24/7 make sure they are warm enough
at night and should the damp mornings begin put a lightweight rug on. A veteran
needs close monitoring as many of you will know and you do have to think for
them. When the cold nights begin make sure that they are brought in and kept
away from draughts but have access to fresh air. COPD can cause stress to many
old ponies, but if they suffer from arthritis, they may have to come in. Always
make sure that they have plenty of fresh air in the box and that shavings are
used and should they have an allergy that a hay replacer or wet hay/haylage
is offered. Again consider the protein when offering haylage.
If you would like further information on the products we use at the center or
for any further help please do contact the welfare team directly or send an
sae (50p) and all the information will be sent out to you directly.
Welfare Article
Spring is just round the corner, but many horses and ponies still have the problem
of chewing, even though spring grass maybe coming through. Remember horses and
ponies with no teeth, still may not be able to chew or graze spring grass, in
March and April it may still seem like the middle of winter to them. This is
why it is vital to have a dental chart to refer to.
We are constantly contacted by both members and supporters of the society and
even other charities, regarding the feeding of horses and ponies with little
or no teeth, and hope that this article will give straight forward advise on
this problem and others that have been brought to our attention.
One point to remember
is, not only is it vital you give the correct feed but feeding it correctly,
is as important to the digestive system. Feed should always be offered 6 hours
after adding water and consistency should be similar to pate. Therefore you
are in a form, chewing their feed for them.
This is a non biased
look at feeding. Although we are sponsored by Dodson & Horrell, this is
not an article produced by them, it is produced through experience and the knowledge
we have gained during the years of caring for older horses and ponies.
All the feed products mentioned are produced by Dodson & Horrell unless
stated.
No matter what age of your horse, you must always refer to their dental chart
when feeding and also their daily routine. If your horse does not have a correct
dental chart ask your dentist to produce this for you, it is all part of their
medical history, just like ours.
We do recommend that
in most cases veterans benefit by being stabled at night during the cold winter
months. If your horses suffers from breathing difficulties in no matter what
form, hay, straw or other dust related product should not be in the same contained
area, that includes stables next door or feed rooms. Never sweep your stable
when a horse is in it.
The stable should be completely draft proof and this is vital for those horses
suffering from arthritis. Always make sure that you put a little of the bedding
used infront of the stable door to ensure this stops the draft from the door,
any draft on arthritic legs can cause real pain and inturn weight loss occurs.
All the large ponies and horses at the centre are bandaged during the night
when stabled. Foam gamgee should be in large squares and come above the knee
and below the fetlock, HOWEVER, the bandage should only go around the cannon
bone and partly down the fetlock. This should not be tight and this is only
to keep the legs warm, as a large percentage of the body heat is lost from the
legs. Bandages and foam gamgee can be purchased from your local tack shop or
Robinsons Mail Order.
Bedding should always
be a products that they do not have to step over, or feel that their legs are
stepping higher than if they were walking on short grass eg straw.
Rugging is very important
too. Horse are able to move in the field to keep themselves warm, in a stable
they have to use their body fat to keep warm and a cold pony can cause their
weight to drop very quickly.
We have given below
a problematic case that we have recently come across
25 year old 12.2hh native pony, no teeth and suffering from laminitis and arthritis,
this pony was suspected to have cushings and our diagnosis was correct.
We would recommend the
following,.
Safe and Sound 2lb, Pasture Nuts 1lb. x 2 daily evening and morning, adding
approximately 1 full scoop of water. The pasture nuts and nuts provided in Safe
and Sound will swell considerably and therefore you may feel that you have put
too much water in, but you will soon find the correct amount of water to make
the correct consistency.
In the evening give
any supplements that your veteran will require, garlic is essential all year,
but should be increased in the summer to protect against flies and help with
their blood. We now use Cortaflex at the centre and found that the horses have
really benefited from this, your vet will be able to offer you this product.
Hilton Herbs offers a fantastic product called Angus Tincture and this has made a significant difference to some of the ponies we have here, also we have found that bute makes little difference to this ponies arthritis but Hilary Self has produced a special product for this pony and his arthritis although bad in manageable. It contains hawthorn and nettles as well as other products and should you wish to contact Hilton Herbs regarding this product their telephone number is available from the Society’s website.
The pony featured in
this article is Timmy.
Whilst it is impossible to offer advice from an article like this, we can of
course give you a tailored diet if you contact our feeding helpline 0870 2426654.
Feeding
in the summer to a pony with no teeth and looses weight even with the spring
grass
Keep a close eye on
the grass growth going into spring. (Despite having no teeth, the pony may still
be prone to laminitis – every horse or pony is different and was always
advise any owner to seek advice before changing any feed or medication)
However, remembering this, you will also have to maintain their weight and condition.
As they get older they will need close monitoring and their weight taken weekly.
You may even find that he/she looses weight in the summer and not in the winter,
this is is due to their lack of teeth. As the spring grass increases, you may
notice no change and you have reduced their hard feed.
At this point, you will
need to really keep a close eye on them. As we go into the summer their feed
is reduced you’re your veteran is starting the loose weight, you must
quickly assess why. 9 times out of 10 this is because they are unable to eat
the summer grass and you must start to put them back on winter feeding, that
includes the amount of feeds they have during the winter 2/3 times a day. The
weight loss may not be over a short amount of time as the summer is warm and
they are using less energy to keep warm, but most horses who have good teeth
and are healthy all put weight on with good grass. Another important factor
to remember with poor teeth is the length of the grass if a horse has good back
teeth and no front teeth, longer grass is the best as they are similar to cows
and have to pull the grass before chewing. Good front teeth and no back teeth
means short grass and they are unable to chew long strands. Laminitics need
rough grazing and not much of it.
Always ask you vet to
do a yearly health check and always listen to your farriers advice, they work
on horses feet all day every day.
With no teeth, hay is
an impossibility and therefore a hay replacer is needed, this is simple to prepare
and gives them all the protein and fibre content they need.
CUSHINGS
We now hear that so
many ponies and horses have ‘cushings’ but have found that this
may just be a misdiagnosied prognosis. Before you adjust your veterans routine
and diet, please ask your vet to do a thorough blood test. It maybe that your
horse just has developed a very long coat to protect him in his old age, or
that laminitis is due to some form of stress. Every diagnosis must be justified
before any change I made.
HAY REPLACER
For a 13.2 you will
need to put about 8llb (1/2 a large bucket, we use the one with a handle either
side) of Fibre G and 1llb of Pasture Nuts into a bucket and then add 1 full
bucket of water and leave for 6 hours. Horses and ponies that are unable to
eat hay, due to lack of teeth or dental work, means that they are unable to
grind their food. It is very important that horses have fibre as well as hard
feed and many problems arise internally through horses not able to chew.
Again, it is so important to prepare their hay replacer correctly, you should
always offer wet feed and hayreplacer that has been soaked for at least 6 hours.
So when you feed in the morning and turn-out and muck out, make your feeds then
for the next 24 hours, so you know that they are well soaked and prepared for
the night and the following morning. Keep them in a well secured place away
from mice and rats.
THE WEATHER
Be aware that a feed
can ferment in warm weather, so this also needs to be taken into account. It
is a balancing act between the weather conditions and what is best for your
veteran. We closely watch the weather forcast but unfortunately sometimes they
do get it wrong, but we do very much really on the weather to guide us in our
daily programme and what we plan for the horses day, from rugs to turnout.
(I will send a picture of the bucket we use and also the bandaging)
If you are worried about your veteran, we are only a phone call away
0870 2426653
emergency 07789 514004
If you have any questions
and you would like us to feature them in our magazine, please write to us directly
and we will do our utmost to help you, it may even help other members.