How to feed in sympathy with the horse’s digestive system?

Although we cannot affect a horse’s inborn temperament, by thinking about the way the horse’s digestive system evolved, and feeding in sympathy with it, we can help him feel much more relaxed and focused.

So how do we feed in sympathy with the horse’s digestive system?

Offset that rocket-fuel, high sugar spring grass with mature forage.

The more forage you feed compared to hard feed, the closer you get to the horse’s natural way of feeding and the calmer he will be. However the forage needs to be suitable and high-sugar spring grass alone may make your horse become over-fresh. Make sure that you offer ad-lib mature forage like crunchy straw, straw chop or mature hay in field or stable. This will help make the average forage intake lower in sugar.

Reduce hard feed intake by feeding a TopSpec Feed Balancer.

These products will provide the micronutrients needed to balance forage and allow the horse to get the maximum benefit from it. This will reduce the need for hard feeds. They are all cereal-grain free, and low in sugar-starch.

Consider feeding yeast.

There is a lot of anecdotal evidence that feeding yeast, either on its own, or incorporated into a feed balancer or supplement, can help relax horses and ponies and this may be partly due to reduced acidity in the hindgut. All TopSpec Feed Balancers contain yeast.

Use low sugar-starch blends, unmolassed chops, unmolassed beet pulp.

If more condition is needed feed suitable products less likely to cause excitable behaviour.

Avoid feeding cereals and other starchy feeds.

Feeding cereals or other high-starch feeds has been shown to make horses more reactive to ‘scary’ objects.

Be wary of mixes.

‘Cool’ mixes, by their very nature, even when advertised as oat-free, may contain rolled or flaked barley, flaked maize and/or flaked peas. They are usually molassed and contain higher levels of sugar and starch than a similar product in cubed form.   

Oil is an expensive but useful solution.

Oil provides high levels of energy  in a ‘Non-Heating’ form.

Add TopSpec Calmer?

If following all this advice does not help enough, then try adding TopSpec Calmer to your horse’s feed. Many, but not all, horses respond very well to additives formulated to reduce anxiety and help a horse to cope with stressful situations like a plastic bag blowing out of the hedge!