When considering changing your horse or pony’s diet as the long winter months fade away into spring, it’s vitally important to consider the implications that seasonal changes may have on our four-legged friends.
The better weather causes fluctuations in the nutrient content and quality of the grazing available, which can lead to weight gain and ultimately compromise overall health in horses and ponies prone to conditions such as obesity and laminitis.
Laminitis is the second biggest killer of horses and ponies in the UK and is an issue that needs to be taken very seriously. Even mild cases can have a long-term effect on metabolism and overall health.
Minimise risks through good diet
Nutritionally triggered laminitis is most commonly caused by overloading the digestive system with rapidly-fermentable carbohydrate, which is readily obtained from cereals and fructans in grass. Another cause, which is becoming increasingly common, is the long-term use of feed high in sugars and starch, which can cause changes in glucose metabolism and insulin resistance.
The diets of horses prone to attacks of laminitis need to be carefully managed, and a common way to do this is to restrict grazing and hard feed. However, it is still vitally important that these horses and ponies receive optimum levels of the vitamins, minerals and nutrients to thrive, as well as a high level of easily digestible fibre.
Blue Chip has developed Lami-Light, a diet feed balancer recommended by both vets and farriers that has been specifically formulated to help your horse or pony on their way to a ‘Lami-Lighter’ life by supporting safe and consistent weight loss in those prone to weight gain and laminitis.
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Find out how Lami-Light can benefit your horse or pony in five easy feeding tips:
Weigh to go! It is highly important to accurately gauge the weight of your horse or pony to correctly work out the levels of daily forage and hard feed they require to maintain a stable weight. If you are looking to achieve weight loss, it’s still important to provide your horse or pony with the correct levels of vitamins, minerals and nutrients they need to stay in peak health, but also reduce the amount of calories they are obtaining per mouthful. Blue Chip Lami-light provides all these and more in one low-calorie, well balanced mouthful.
Low calorie, low fuss feeding Blue Chip Lami-light is the diet feed balancer that provides specifically tailored levels of vitamins, minerals and nutrients in a 100% natural, whole cereal and molasses-free formulation that is low in starches and sugars. It is ideal for good doers and horses who thrive on little more than fresh air. It can be effectively fed to all horses and ponies to support steady, consistent weight loss while maintaining year-round optimum health and well-being.
Decrease digestive discomfort Blue Chip Lami-light incorporates a top quality pro and prebiotic-based quadruple action digestive supplement that — in conjunction with nucleotides, which are the building blocks of DNA and RNA — act to promote a healthy digestive environment, increasing the efficiency of nutrient absorption. This is highly important where laminitis is concerned as the fermentation of excess starches and sugars in the hind gut may be a major contributory factor in the development of this painful condition and could be helped by improved gut motility and correct digestive bacterial balance.
Healthy from head to hoof As laminitis can cause damage to the delicate laminae and tissues within the hoof capsule, Lami-Light incorporates SoundHoof — a biotin, methionine and lysine based hoof supplement that promotes strong, pliable horn growth to maintain hoof capsule integrity — and nucleotides, which act to provide the proteins necessary to help replicate cells and repair the damage to the hoof laminae. Also, Primovento, a respiratory supplement that incorporates eucalyptus and menthol, is included to help to keep airways clear at a time when your horse or pony may be stabled for longer periods to reduced grass intake, helping him stay healthy from head to hoof!
(Image credit: creditUnknown)
Feed fibre! Blue Chip Lami-Light can be fed on its own or alongside a low-calorie, unmolassed chaff in order to fill the gut and improve the movement of food through the digestive system to reduce the incidence of digestive upsets. Splitting Lami-Light between two feeds helps to improve the efficiency of nutrient absorption, allowing your horse or pony to better utilise the essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients the formulation provides.
Formulated with the guidance of vets and farriers, Blue Chip Lami-Light has helped many horses and ponies continue to lead useful active lives.
If you would like any more information on Blue Chip Lami-light, call 0114 266 6200 to speak to a nutritional advisor.
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