Spotlight topic: Winter weight awareness - Part 2 of 3 - Managing a good doer

Got Good doer? Let the winter be your friend!

Q Do good doers need hard feed in winter?
A If you are serious about improving the health of your horse and are keen to use the winter months to aid healthy weight loss, forage (at the recommended levels) and a low calorie feed balancer are likely all they will need.

Q I feed a low calorie balancer and 1.5% of forage daily, how else can I help my good doer lose more weight?
A Exercise is key, this needs to be suitable for your horse's abilities, aiming to burn more calories daily than are fed. Turnout is the basis of this, as horses freely roam they will burn calories. Aside from this, keep their work varied to maintain interest; hacking, schooling, pole work, jumping, hill work, lunging, long reining and more. Also remember, if your horse is unclipped they can mostly withstand colder weather than we realise, provide shelter but don't rug up to keep them toasty warm too soon as they can burn additional calories to generate warmth.

USING A WEIGH TAPE TO HELP

Track and record weight loss regularly using a weigh tape, as this will show losses before the eye may see. Use in the same place weekly/fortnightly to track losses over time. Pass over the lowest point of the wither and under the belly where the girth would lie. Apply slight tension to read the weight in kg.

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