AFTER a summer turned out on good grass many hunters will be going into this season carrying plenty of condition. When hunters come in from a summer break their routine will change, being stabled for longer periods of time.

To mimic natural grazing habits where horses would graze for approximately 17 hours a day, forage should be offered on an ad-lib basis when they are stabled. Late-cut meadow hay or haylage may be appropriate if your horse is carrying plenty of condition.

As workload increases, or for those horses that need to gain condition, the best quality forage available should be fed on an ad-lib basis. First-cut ryegrass hay or haylage is ideal in this situation. This will reduce feed costs by increasing the quantity of nutrients sourced economically (good quality forage is very good value).

During the first few weeks of fittening work good-doers will require very little hard feed in addition to ad-lib forage. However, it is important to ensure optimum vitamin and mineral intake together with good quality protein to support muscle development during the fittening process. A good solution is to feed a top specification feed balancer, such as TopSpec Comprehensive Feed Balancer which will provide an ideal low-volume, nutrient-dense feed.

FEED ACCORDING TO WORKLOAD

As workload increases you can gradually increase your horse’s hard feed by adding straights or a “blend” to their feed. The quantity can be adjusted according to condition without affecting vitamin and trace-element intake because these are provided by the Feed Balancer.

It is important to make sure feed sizes don’t become too big to be digested effectively. A typical 16hh 500kg horse should not have more than 2kg dry weight per feed.

If your horse struggles to maintain condition providing three or four (if possible) small hard feeds that are nutrient-dense will be the most effective way to keep condition on him. Base the hard feed on a conditioning feed balancer, such as TopSpec Comprehensive Feed Balancer which is designed to promote muscle development and topline. It also contains several specialised supplements including a hoof supplement, a blood tonic, generous levels of vitamin E and selenium and pre- and probiotics that will improve fibre digestibility.

Provide additional protein and calories to support condition using conditioning blends (cubes or flakes) or straights.

FEEDING STRAIGHTS

Straights can be utilised alongside feed balancers and where, for example, good quality oats are available, this may be a cost-effective way of feeding. TopSpec produces a range of blends designed to be fed with a feed balancer or a supplement and they are a more balanced alternative to straights.

If you are looking for a ‘Non-Heating’ regime look for very low sugar/starch cubes formulated without cereal grains e.g. TopSpec UlsaKind Cubes, CoolCondition Cubes or Performance Cubes.

If medium level starch products are suitable for your horse TopSpec Super Conditioning Flakes are particularly beneficial when weight gain is required but feed sizes cannot be increased. They are 25% more conditioning than most conditioning feeds and provide generous levels of intracellular oil.

ADDING SALT

Ensuring 24/7 access to a salt lick is important. In addition, if your horse is a good-doer on a limited in-take of hard feed or if you feed predominantly straights like sugar beet, oats, linseed and chops, he will probably need the addition of table salt to his hard feeds.

Keeping horses rugged and warm as temperatures drop will help to reduce the energy used to keep warm and therefore reduce the amount of feed he needs to maintain his condition. Regular dental checks by your vet or a qualified equine dentist will ensure that your horse can chew his forage.

And don’t forget an effective worm control programme including worm egg counts and targeted worming for those worms not detected in worm egg counts e.g. encysted small redworms and tapeworms.

A successful feed regime will help you produce a fit and healthy horse that is physically able to stand the rigours of a busy hunting season and end it looking as good as he did at the start.

Sarah can be contacted on the TopSpec Multiple-Award-Winning-Helpline, free of charge, on 01845-565030 (UK) or 062-85401(Ireland).