Food for thought… why you need to be feeding fibre this winter *Promotion*

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Dodson & Horrell’s Nutritional Team Manager Dr Chloe Casalis de Pury, explains why feeding fibre is so important for our horses and ponies.

The diet of horses and ponies in a lower level of work during the summer is made up of almost entirely forage (grass and hay). Forage not only contributes to the overall energy and nutrient content of a horse’s ration, but also helps to maintain digestive health through a physical effect on the movement of food through the gut, retention of fluid in the digestive tract and a protective effect on the microbial population within the hindgut.

It can be difficult to know how to feed your horse during winter to maintain condition and ensure that they are receiving optimum fibre levels when the cold, wet nights can limit opportunities for riding and there is less grass available when they are turned out. If your horse needs a little more than a balancer during the winter months, Dodson & Horrell High Fibre Mix and High Fibre Nuts are a fabulous choice when fed alongside at least 2% of your horse’s bodyweight in forage (hay or haylage).

When the amount of time your horse spends in the stable increases, so does the risk for digestive disturbances such as colic, so feeding plenty of fibre is essential as this helps to maintain natural gut movement. Our High Fibre feeds are low in cereals therefore provide energy (calories) from fibre, a slow-release energy source digested in the hindgut, which may help to maintain a calm, even temperament during winter stabling and inconsistent workload. As well as providing a slow-release energy source, a by-product of fibre digestion in the hindgut is heat, helping keep your horse warm through the coming winter.

For those horses and ponies that need a small amount of extra calories, our High Fibre feeds have a low calorie level of 9.5MJ/kg to support weight maintenance and workload without providing excessive calories that may lead to weight gain while activity levels are lower. However this does not mean that the feed is not tasty! Both High Fibre Nuts and High Fibre Mix are very palatable, tempting even the fussiest of eaters.

Horses only have a stomach the size of a rugby ball meaning they are not designed to have large meals in the day as this will accelerate the passage of digesta through the gut. As it is not as easy to feed three or four small meals in the day at winter, our High Fibre feeds are ideal as they have a low intake rate of 300g per 100kg bodyweight e.g. a 500kg horse requires 1.5kg per day to meet micronutrient requirements.

High Fibre Nuts are an incredibly versatile product to have in the feed room as they can be used for a variety of situations. We do not use any binders in our cubes, therefore they are easily broken down for those with impaired dentition and only require a little water to form a palatable mash, no need to soak! This feature is why High Fibre Nuts are a part of our forage replacer diet alongside KwikBeet and Alfalfa, which is designed for senior horses that can no longer chew forage.

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