Feeding for Performance - Nutritional considerations as we move from autumn to winter

FORAGE FIRST

As we turn the corner from winter to spring (insert cheer here!) the nutritional profile of grazing can change dramatically depending on the weather, with young grass higher in sugar and lower in fibre. Fibre provision is key for performance as it supports stamina. Forage provision allows your horse to maintain a healthy gut, limits the incidence of digestive upset and gastric ulcers, which in turn promotes healthy weight, improved digestive health, and even positive mental state.

Forage Feed a minimum of 1.5 - 2% of your horse's bodyweight/day, higher if feeding haylage

Ponies and horses may now have access to more regular turnout, as a consequence it is an important time to balance their forage ration (grass, hay, haylage) to ensure digestive health is maintained.

Feeding a balancer in spring ensures your pony/horse continues to receive the vitamins, minerals and nutrients they need to maintain good health. Consider using a feed balancer which includes a targeted supplement if your horse has any particular health issues. For example, feed Pro or Ulsa-Cool balancer if your horse suffers digestive stress during the changing season, or Calming if your pony/horse become excitable at this time of year. We are always happy to help you choose the best option for your horse.

For performance ponies and horses who are also good doers it's time to spring into action if you haven't already, and kick start your weight loss plan. Feed a forage based diet, supported by a low calorie, low sugar and low starch content balancer, such as Ulsa-Cool or Joint Care. Either can be particularly useful for those who need to lose weight, when partnered with daily work to burn those excess calories. Please contact the friendly Blue Chip nutrition team if you have any questions.

For performance ponies and horses who are poor doers, calorie content, good quality protein, pre and probiotics are vital to include in their diet. Look for a balancer with good levels of protein content, such as Pro, coupled with a fibre product such as alfalfa or a conditioning mash for slow release calorie inclusion.

Determine Energy Needs

Feeding performance ponies and horses continues to relate to their individual needs including; bodyweight, workload, temperament, and management factors. Determine your ponies/horse's energy needs and evaluate body condition honestly

Some key ingredients for performance ponies and horses

• Water - Maintain your pony/horse's hydration by providing access to clean, fresh water at all times. a 500kg horse need approximately 25 litres/day.
• Forage/Fibre first (grass, hay or haylage) - ad-lib where possible, at least 1.5 - 2% of bodyweight.  Ideally conduct equine forage analysis to ascertain the nutritional provision of your hay/haylage. A structural carbohydrate vital to digestive health.
• Vitamins, minerals and essential amino acids, the building blocks of protein to fuel competition needs and aid the building and repair of muscle cells.
• Vitamin A - An important antioxidant, supplied through good quality grazing (converted from beta-carotene), forage provision and feed supplementation, for immunity, vision and more.
• B Vitamins - Biotin, B1 and B6
• Vitamin C - An important antioxidant, can be made by the horse, supplementation may be beneficial particularly useful for performance horses under stress, supports lung health.
• Vitamin D - Important for bone health, the sunshine vitamin!
• Vitamin E - An important antioxidant, found in good quality grazing and supplemented through feed.  Needed to protect cells from oxidative damage (found in all Blue Chip balancers)
• Pre and probiotics - Prebiotics - Support the health of good bacteria in the gut. Probiotic "live yeast" - to aid digestive health by maintaining a stable pH in the hindgut and improves fibre digestibility. 
• Selenium - An important antioxidant, commonly fed alongside Vitamin E. Poor levels found in UK forage, but very low levels needed in the diet
• Magnesium - A macro mineral, mostly stored in the skeleton, muscles and body fluid. Magnesium deficiency can impair muscle and nerve function.
• Phosphorus Electrolytes - Needed for fluid balance, nerve and muscle function and many essential processes. A lack of electrolytes can lead to colic, dehydration and other complications. Electrolytes are included in all Blue Chip balancers, but may need to be supplemented further for ponies and horse's sweating heavily.
• Sodium (Salt) - Good for horses lacking energy, feed 30g/day. Chloride - Needed for cell function.
• Potassium - supplied through good quality grazing, forage provision and feed supplementation.
• Starch - A carbohydrate useful as a source of fast release energy, ideally fed in small amounts.
• Sugar - Accessible energy, needed for daily function and short bursts of energy. High sugar diets can cause excitable and unwanted behaviour.
• Oil - Excellent provision of slow release energy.

Many of the ingredients above are included in all Blue Chip Feed Balancers

Final thoughts

• Grass will never fully balance a diet, even when best quality grazing is available.
• Make sure your horse gets all the vital nutrients, vitamins and minerals they need by feeding a balancer year-round.
• This is a time of readjustment for your horse's digestive system - providing a digestive supplement such as probiotics (included in all Blue Chip balancers) can help settle any gastric upset caused by changes in grass quality during this time.
• Over the autumn/winter months your pony/horse may have limited access to turnout, spending an increased amount of time stabled, be aware of potential stiffness and/or behavioural changes as turnout can be increased in spring.
• Feed a balancer linked to their individual needs, Pro for competition season, Ulsa-Cool for supporting healthy digestion, Calming for excitable behaviour or maybe Joint Care for joint support