The Horse Feed Guru

Massive Well Done to the rather wonderful Stephanie Bradley and Big Trev, for their wins this week!!
Steph has literally left no stone unturned and these successes are so deserved. You guys are fabulous, but also absolute proof that hard work and dedication pays off!! 💫🏆

🔥🔥 The morning after the night before!!! I think many horse owners by this point have just about had enough of thinking about the 5th November, fireworks and bonfires!! Talking of fires however, how does this relate to horse feed? I have been asked a few times in my career what is ash as listed on the feed ticket of your horse’s feed bag? 🔥🔥
I have also heard some interesting theories as to what it could be…. Some owners have even been quite alarmed about its presence. Put si...mply however the ash (also known as inorganic matter) content is obtained through sampling the feed in a laboratory and subjecting it to very high temperatures. Organic matter such as fibre, starch, protein etc will be burnt and what is left is the ash. Ash therefore is made up of inorganic minerals. It is NOT an ingredient, it describes the total mineral content of the feed. Your horse’s feed does NOT include burnt ingredients you will be happy to know and so as you can see the word ‘ash’ is not something you need to be scared of. Now fireworks on the other hand that is a different story.... I really hope your four legged friends have been coping. 🧡
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These are pretty much my goals for Halloween. Rather sedate I know!! 👻🕷🦇🎃
Anyone been on any Halloween rides? If so drop me a picture of it below or just drop one in of your horse anyway; just because... It’s Halloween, so why not. 😂😂

Such a busy weekend away in Guernsey fitting in as many nutritional checks as possible to make sure the horses are happy and healthy as we go into winter. Just waiting for my plane home now. 🇬🇬🤩🐴✈️
Even got to see lovely Haflinger Wirbel whilst over here, so I didn’t have to go too long without Haffie cuddles (don’t tell Schakira back home). 🤣😍

Back at the airport today for a weekend of non stop consultations... 🤩🐴
But where am I going? If you know put the flag in the comments... If you don’t have a guess anyway... ✈️

That’s one way to give your hay 🤣😂😂

🌱🦷🐴 It is important to check that any horse has good dentition, but for those of you with older horses in particular I want you to think about this and really check their teeth are in good order and they are able to eat their forage. If not then to take the appropriate steps. 🐴🦷🌱
It doesn’t matter what all singing, 🎼 all dancing, 💃 high calorific hard feed you give, if the horse is struggling to take in his forage he will struggle to maintain a decent weight and the horse wil...l be at risk of various health problems because his intake is too low. Think about it logically if your average 500kg leisure horse is only taking in 3kg of hard feed because he can’t take in his grass, hay or haylage properly, no matter how high in calories that hard feed is your horse will struggle massively. ☹️
So if you notice lots of chewed up balls of grass or hay on the floor, or forage being left take note of this and start to assess just how much he is taking in. Speak to your horses’s dentist/vet to assess the severity. If he is ‘quidding’ it may well be time to look at forage replacers. You may find that a short-chopped hay replacer is far easier for him to manage than his hay or haylage. To start with that might make up a shortfall for some of the forage being dropped on the floor. If his teeth become worse it may need to make up the entire forage ration. 🌱🌱🌱 You would feed this little and often throughout the day and a hard feed ration may still be required separately. At its worst you may find one day you have to feed a soaked fibre cube hay replacer or mash. Again look for one suitable as a hay replacer, and ensure you feed the correct dry weight throughout the day little and often to mimic ‘trickle feeding’ and to reduce the risk of digestive upset.
I have worked with owners who have struggled with keeping weight on their older horses and desperately jumped from one conditioning feed to the next as nothing appears to work. BUT when delving deeper and asking questions I have realised the horse simply isn’t able to take in enough forage. Once this has been sorted a number of them have then gone on to live on relatively low calorie hard feeds, which has really shocked their owners and they are far happier and comfortable as their basic needs are being met. Never forget forage is the major component in your horse’s diet! 🦷🌱🐴
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Only remote consultations this week folks and a couple of reports from the end of last week will be sent due to half term and being responsible for the 'Mini Horse Feed Guru's' (wish me luck)... 🤣
Both of mine do take their 'Mini Horse Feed Guru's' roles very seriously however and due to having heard me on the phone in my office hundreds of times will tell you the importance of fibre in the horse's diet and the starch levels of multiple brands of horse feed. I kid you not!! 😂😂🐴

Finding your horse isn’t as sharp as usual? Tempted to try and use an iron supplement to ‘perk him up’. Think again...
Horses believe it or not are far more likely to receive toxic levels of iron than to have an iron deficiency, so as a nutritionist adding additional iron is something we try to avoid unless there is a strong reason for it. Iron deficiency from the diet is highly unlikely.
If you feel your horse is sluggish it could be that a change in ‘base diet’ is in order ...as his current one may not be quite right for him. A nutritionist will be able to support you with this and guide you through the process. Loss of performance or a feeling that your horse just isn’t quite right is best addressed through speaking to your vet first and foremost to rule out any clinical issues which most likely are entirely unrelated to iron. If in doubt call the vet DON’T start on iron supplements.👌🐴
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I seem to be having a fabulous ‘golden oldie’ week this week... 🌟🦄
So many people wanting to make sure their veteran horses have a plan as we head towards winter and it truly is heart warming how much my clients care. As it should be!!This month Absolute Horse Magazine asked me to write about the common mistakes/guidelines when feeding the older horse which I think many of you will find helpful. Even BETTER than that their entire magazine this month is packed full of veteran advice...
Check the free link out to read it all: https://issuu.com/absolutehorsemagazine/d ocs/abh_oct19_issuu

Great to see Luke Prior have a great end to his season and for the lovely thank you for overseeing his competition horse diets 😍🌱🐴

Hello October....
Wow you came around fast. A month of treats starting with HOYS and ending with Halloween plus lots of autumn saddle days in between. We won’t take kindly to your clock changes however. 💛🧡

🌱🐴 In the last couple of weeks I have seen many horses and ponies starting to have their grazing patterns altered, and in the next few months I know many more will follow. Those on summer 24/7 turnout may be starting to come in overnight, or turnout in the afternoons may be shorter as bring in is done earlier. However your yard is affected, I would urge you to consider a few points. 🐴🌱
As owners we are generally very good at introducing or changing hard feeds gradually. But w...hen it comes to changing the horses forage source, we are less so. 🤯🤯 Which is crazy really, when you consider forage makes up the biggest part of your horse or ponies diet. So when we make the change from fresh forage (grass) to preserved forage (normally hay or haylage) we should consider it in a similar light.🙌🙌 A sudden change in the diet affects the balance of microbes in the hindgut which can cause havoc for your horse. This is one of the reasons why at this time of year colic is a real risk.
Remember also that different types of forage have differing moisture contents. 💧💧 Hay has a low moisture content of around 10-15%, whereas grass when it is fresh out in the field has a moisture content of around 80%. This is a big difference, meaning the sudden introduction of hay can cause increased risks of impaction colic, in addition to what I mentioned above.
In order to try and reduce the risk if you know the regime is going to be changing, try and do so gradually. 🐢🐢 For example if you know your horse is suddenly going to be in over night start to bring him in for a couple of hours and introduce the forage he will be on. Ensure there is fresh water available at all times. You may find your horse drinks more, which may seem a little odd as the temperature is dropping, but remember you are probably now feeding forage with lower moisture levels, meaning he will drink more. On top of this you may wish to consider feeding a probiotic/prebiotic to help to support the microbial population in the hind gut. If possible introduce this a couple of weeks before the change over and throughout the process.
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What a wonderful weekend... I really do LOVE my job and the amazing horses and people I get to meet!
As part of it I got to start working with Daisy Davies over in Wiltshire who at only 13 has a really bright future ahead of her with her super 17.1hh KWPN mare Donja. What is so lovely is how much she wants to learn and get things right for her horses. Definitely a pair of future superstars 💕

Hi Gang!! Fresh back from Rhodes... Missed you all... 🇬🇷🐴
I have a lot of catching up to do today, and many emails so bare with me as I get through them. Looking forward to speaking to so many of you soon!!

Wishing awesome client and friend Mark Walters an awesome charity open day this weekend in aid of Cancer Research UK. Such an amazing cause.
If you are local to Shropshire, or just want a great day trip and to see a wonderful dressage yard in action I would recommend popping along. Sadly I am not available to see you all as I will be in Greece but there will be all sorts of professionals available to speak to, stallion displays and much more.... Have the best time guys!! 🖤🐴
For full details and how to book on to the event, it can all be found at www.markwaltersequestrian.co.uk

Who else is excited about Autumn?!! 🍁🍂🍁
Can’t believe we are in September the year is going so quickly; but this is one of my favourite times 🧡💛🧡

Increasing fibre intake 🌱🌱🌱
In the September issue of Absolute Horse Magazine I have shared my Top 3 Tips for increasing fibre intake...
Never forget fibre/forage is the absolute foundation of the horse’s diet 🌱🌱🌱
... The digital edition is now available (link below) and print edition out on 1st September...
https://issuu.com/absolutehorsemagazine/d ocs/abh_sep19_issuu
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