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Is The Credit Crunch Having A Detrimental Effect On Your Horses Health

20 February 2009

If any of you are feeling a little like me then you will be getting rather tired of hearing those awful words 'credit crunch'! However, whether you call it that word or a recession or some other description, the fact remains that most of us are making changes to our spending habits and looking at ways to tighten our belts.

While we maybe saving those extra pennies,can we be sure that we are also doing the best for our horse’s health in the process?

Providing a complete and balanced diet does not need to be a drain on finances,and if we just stop and think for a moment,then it is possible to save money with the peace of mind that our horses will not be missing out on anything.

Horses require six nutrients in their diet: water, carbohydrates, fats, protein, vitamins and minerals. With the exception of most of the horse's water requirements, almost all of a horse's remaining dietary requirements can be obtained from a single source and that is FORAGE!

Forage

Generally through the winter many horses will be on reduced work loads due to short daylight hours. Adult horses that are not involved in moderate or heavy work do not generally require any hard feed and will maintain the appropriate body weight and obtain all necessary nutrients on pasture and free choice to good quality forage alone. The only exception to this rule is the requirement for salt. Salt is the only mineral for which horses have an undisputable appetite for and it should be supplemented regardless of their feeding regime. Normal table salt can be offered in a handful of chaff if the horse is reluctant to use a salt lick (Some horses find licks tough on the tongue!).

You maybe able to save cost further by actually weighing out your hay rather than allowing your horse to have free choice access, which may result in some wastage. To help maintain a healthy digestive system and to prevent bad habits such as stereotypies and wood chewing,horses require approximately 1.5-2.0% of their body weight as forage on a daily basis e.g. 500 Kg horse requires 7.5-10 Kg of forage. For horses that are out grazing on good quality pasture then this quantity can be reduced. Usually field kept horses are quite good at telling you if they are getting enough or not!!

Evaluate Body Condition

Take time out on a fortnightly basis to evaluate your horse’s body condition. This will indicate if your horse is being fed enough (or too much) forage or concentrate feed. I have seen many situations where owners end up overfeeding their horses because they prefer to see their horses ‘well covered’ or are simply not familiar with what a healthy weight looks like (see our body condition scoring chart at http://www.saracen-horse-feeds.co.uk/feedcheck/condition_scoring/ ). Ideally, horses at an appropriate body weight have ribs and hip bones that are not visible but are easily felt.