Six Tips for Feeding Horses to Minimize Colic

By Kentucky Equine Research Staff · August 18, 2014

If you’ve been unlucky enough to hold a stall-light vigil during the wee hours of the morning, then you know how terrifying a bout of colic can truly be. If you know that your horse is at risk for colic, consider some of the following strategies to avoid future episodes:

Recognize there are a large number of reasons that horses can colic, including change in season, activity level, dental status, internal parasites, and nutrition;

Abrupt changes in diet can change the delicate microorganism balance in a horse’s intestines;

 Avoid feeding large quantities of concentrate or cereal meals, varying grazing times, and other dietary changes, including supplement use;

Higher fiber diets are helpful for maintaining a healthy gastrointestinal tract. Offer horses a minimum of 1-1.5% body weight in forage daily (2-3% is ideal unless weight gain is an issue);

If forage is restricted for any reason, slowing intake rather than limiting intake is recommended; and

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, changing batches of hay can be problematic. In fact, experts* suggest that switching hay can pose a greater risk of colic than changing concentrates. Hay should be switched over the course of two to three weeks.

In sum, the equine digestive tract evolved over thousands of years to process a high-fiber, low-starch diet that was gradually consumed over approximately 16 hours each day. Such a diet supports a stable and constant population of microorganisms in the equine digestive tract.

 Rapid alterations in the population of microbes due to changes in diet can trigger colic episodes in many cases. Thus, manipulating management to best mimic a horse’s “natural” diet and feeding pattern can help minimize colic, especially in at-risk horses.

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*Durham, A. 2013. Feeding the horse with colic. Proceedings of the British Equine Veterinary Association Congress.

Nutrition FAQ from  Spillers horse feeds 

Q) I am competing my horse regularly and feel he needs more energy, but when I feed a traditional competition mix he gets too excitable. What options do I have?

Answer) This is a common problem amongst horse owners either you can't feed too much as it makes matters worse, or your horse ends up with not enough energy for the work you want to do. 

Traditional competition feeds are normally high in cereal starch and are therefore best avoided when choosing feeds for naturally exuberant or difficult characters.

 Fibre and oil, on the other hand, release fuel to the horse gradually and tend not to encourage excitable behavior, despite being valuable sources of energy. 

It is therefore possible to feed hard working or poor doing horses plenty of calories whilst keeping over-exuberance at bay. 

SPILLERS RESPONSE^® Slow Release Energy Cubes and Mix are ideal for these types of horses; providing a medium level of energy suitable for the competition horse without the high level of starch seen in traditional competition feeds.

Spillers care line have a team of nutritionists waiting to answer any more questions you may have.  01908 226626

Slow response coming soon to our Click and Collect 

http://www.hartpurysaddleryshop.co.uk/index.php?cPath=222_54

Ring.01452 700 800 for more info and pricing

Ammonia. A bigger threat to your horse’s health

May 08, 2014

by Tim Smalley

Nobody likes the smell of ammonia in the stable. It gets into the back of your throat, makes you cough, makes your eyes water. If you wear leather boots in a stable that smells strongly of ammonia, you may also notice that it eats holes in your boots in a surprisingly short time.

If it has that effect on humans and leather boots, it is logical to expect it to have an equally negative impact on horses. Experienced owners and grooms know that minimising or eradicting it is important to their horse’s health and well-being.

As long ago as 2010, The Horse Trust  announced initial results from research it has been funding at the University of Glasgow to test and measure the effect of ammonia on the respiratory system. The research by Prof Sandy Love at Glasgow, “confirmed that stabling horses results in increased exposure to environmental ammonia and that this is associated with respiratory problems”. Prof Love has subsequently gone on to test what effect different environmental conditions have on these results. The Horse Trust 2010

It is also known that ammonia attacks the hoof horn in the same way that it attacks other organic materials such as leather. The horn is the outer defence of the hoof against infection. When breached, bacterial and fungal infection can invade the inside of the hoof, causing potentially irreparable damage to the structure of the foot.

Ammonia is produced by an anaerobic organism called Micrococcus ureus which converts the urea in urine into ammonia. M.ureus thrives in a damp, airless environment, so clearly the type of bedding you use in the stable, and how you management it, will pay a big part in the level of ammonia in your stable.

For all it’s faults, the straw traditionally used in stables had the merit of allowing urine to drain down to the floor, and formed a well-aerated bed. Many of today’s purpose-made types of bedding are the opposite – dense, un-aerated and highly absorbent, and therefore more likely to raise the level of ammonia in the stable and increase the risk of ammonia damaging your horse’s hooves, skin and respiratory system.

We have always disputed the value of an absorbent bedding, for this reason. We believe at least the surface of the bed must allow urine to drain away, ideally to be absorbed at the lowest level, away from contact with the hooves or skin.

That’s the way we believe a BEDMAX bed performs. Each bag of BEDMAX contains a mixture of larger and smaller shavings, which naturally ‘layer’ themselves when you make the bed. The larger flakes sit on the surface, the smaller ones fall through the larger ones and form a more absorbent layer on the stable floor.

Customers who use BEDMAX have often told us that one of the things they like about our shavings is that they appear to reduce the smell of ammonia in their stables. This may be because our shavings are made of pine, which gives off a characteristicly strong, clean, healthy smell. But we’re also exploring the possibility that the same antibacterial defences in pine that science has proved kill off many strains of bacteria, including E.coli, may also kill or control the M.ureus bacteria that converts urea into ammonia.

This is why Hartpury Saddlery stock Bedmax-For more information and pricing, click the link

http://www.hartpurysaddleryshop.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=222_54_63&products_id=141

RUG CLEANING FROM HARTPURY SADDLERY

Have you ever stopped to think?

IS MY RUG CLEANING COMPANY USING THE SAFEST METHODS

 FOR MY HORSES SKIN?

You may think cleaning is cleaning

however there are factors to consider when thinking about the longev- ity of your rugs, and exactly what you are paying for. 

Have you ever thought about what happens to your expensive rugs when you drop them off for cleaning and more importantly 

RE-PROOFING?

 As a horse owner myself, I have spent a lot of money on rugs over the years and want to ensure they are looked after and treated professionally when I send them off for cleaning. So with this in mind Hartpury Saddlery has undertaken research to bring you not only the best rug cleaning service around but facts behind the dirty job too.

Detergent-free washing-

 cleaning your horse rugs detergent free ensures a thoroughly clean rug with no risk of an itchy reaction for your horse, avoids skin conditions - and it is totally environmentally friendly.

Disease prevention-

 is important to all horse owners, therefore it is essential your rug cleaning service has methods in place to prevent any spread. Good storage practices, separate areas for clean and dirty rugs and no bags should ever be taken from customers for transportation and defiantly not returned in them.

Reproofing-

 is an important part of ensuring the long life of your rugs and keeping your horse dry and comfortable. It is essential that the right product is used to do this. we only use Nikwax aftercare treatments.

"The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation claim that Nikwax are the only manufacturers of aftercare products that contain no fluorochemicals.

"Fluorochemicals are able to enter human tissue, which can have harmful effects on fertility and hormones. They are also known to spread environmental pollutants into water and the air"

 So when we use Nikwax we know it is safe to 

                           You,Your Horse & your rugs.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND PRICING use the link below

http://www.hartpurysaddleryshop.co.uk/rug_cleaning.php