Condition Without Fizz
At some point most of us will come across a horse that seems to be excitable, spooky or nervous regardless of the situation.
Feeding these horses can be a nightmare, as it can seem that no matter what you feed it results in uncontrollable behaviours, especially as the feeding levels increase.
First things first
Before assuming the problem is feed related there are a couple of things you should check.
- Is your horse being ‘naughty’ because;
- He doesn’t understand what is being asked of him
- He isn’t fit enough for the work he is being asked to do
- Maybe he is in pain because;
- His teeth need rasping
- His saddle doesn’t fit
- His back hurts
- He has some low-level lameness issues
- These should all be checked regularly, as well as if your horse’s behaviour has suddenly changed
- Digestive issues such as gastric ulcers and hindgut acidosis can also cause unwanted behaviours
Remember
If your horse’s behaviour has changed, or you have tried addressing the problem with no results, contact your vet to rule out any pain before assuming your horse is simply being naughty.
Starch & Sugar
When feeding excitable horses, the aim is to reduce starch (often from cereals such as oats, barley, and maize) and sugar (usually from forage) as much as possible. Enzymes in the small intestine of the horse quickly break down starch and sugar into glucose. This glucose is quickly absorbed by the horse and can be used as a ‘fast-release or ‘instant’ energy. For some horses, this type of energy is very important, i.e racehorses, some competition horses, and horses that struggle with energy levels. However, for horses that can be excitable, spooky, or nervous this type of energy is not required in large quantities and should be reduced wherever possible in the ration
It is important to remember that it is impossible to feed a horse a sugar-free or starch-free ration. Sugar is very important to the horse, as it is the only form of energy that can be used by the brain. Both grass and hay contain sugar and starch and even reducing the amount of forage being consumed will never result in a totally sugar and starch-free ration.
Grass
Most people are aware of ‘Spring Fever’ in horses and dread those first days of spring when their normally mild-mannered horses turn into spooky, excitable and nervous demons! Grass is naturally high in sugar and this is even more so during the spring and autumn months, with sugar being upwards of 20% in spring grass.
To help combat this;
- consider turning your horse out overnight when the sugar levels in the grass are lower.
- invest in a muzzle to decrease the amount of grass, and therefore the amount of sugar, your horse is consuming.
- Strip graze your paddock
Hay and Haylage
Most people are aware of the problems associated with spring grass, but what about the horse’s hay and haylage. Although not as high in sugar as spring grass hay and haylage can supply more sugar than we expect with the average UK grown hay being 10 – 15% sugar.
To help combat this;
- feed a high fibre haylage, suitable for laminitics, as this will provide a low level of energy and sugar
- consider whether you are using an early cut or late cut hay.
- Early cut hay will be higher in digestible energy, starch and sugar compared to late cut hay.
- Soak your hay for 60 minutes in cold water to remove some of the sugars
Concentrate Feed
- Remember that energy and calories are the same thing
- Feeding for weight gain/hard work = feeding a hard feed with a moderate to high digestible energy level
- The aim is to base the ration on fibre and oil, rather than cereals and starch
- Look out for ‘Super-Fibres’ and high oil levels
- ‘Super-Fibres’
- Highly digestible fibre sources
- Soya hulls, alfalfa and beet pulp.
- Fibre is broken down via fermentation in the hindgut of the horse by micro-flora
- This is a slow process and creates slow-release energy
- Less likely to exacerbate excitable behaviours.
Oil
- Contains up to 2½ times more calories compared to cereals
- Slow-release
- Should not encourage excitability or nervous behaviour.
SUPER FIBRE CUBES are a moderate energy, high fibre feed ideal for horses not requiring a good level of calories in the ration without oversupplying ‘instant’ energy. The cubes have a low starch and sugar content and are cereal free. Soya Oil is used within the cube to support skin and coat condition, and they are fully fortified with vitamins and minerals for optimal health and wellbeing. SUPER FIBRE CUBES are also a great way to increase the fibre content of any horse’s diet.
RE-LEVE®-MIX is a low starch feed designed for horses that react to a cereal based diet. It is suitable for horses at every level, from the ‘happy hacker’ to top-level performance horses. Soya hulls, alfalfa pellets and beet pulp supply oil and fibre as the energy (calorie) sources, keeping the ration cereal-free and starch to a bare minimum. RE-LEVE®-MIX is fully fortified with quality protein, trace elements and yeast, as well as Vitamin E and selenium to assist normal muscle function.
ENDURO-PERFORMANCE provides lasting energy for the competition horse that requires stamina without ‘fizz’. The formulation does contain cereals for a higher energy requirement, but the emphasis is on super fibres and oil, such as soya hulls and beet pulp, for more controlled, lasting energy. Yeast is included to optimise calcium absorption and fibre digestion.
CONDITIONING CUBES are unlike many other conditioning feeds as they do not contain barley, a cereal that can cause an excitable or spooky temperament in some horses. EQUI-JEWEL®, a high fat stabilized rice bran, has been carefully blended into the cubes to increase the calorific content through its high oil content, and to also provide a source of essential fatty acids, helping to support healthy skin and coat shine. This is a non-heating formulation for all over body condition and optimal muscle tone.
EQUI-JEWEL® is pelleted, high oil, stabilised rice bran supplement designed to increase the energy density of the whole diet, thereby decreasing the reliance on cereals in the diet. EQUI-JEWEL® is also an ideal product to improve topline and condition on your horse, whether you are bound for the show ring, require improved muscle tone, or are simply not carrying enough condition. EQUI-JEWEL® is fortified with the correct level of Vitamin E and ensures optimum calcium:phosphorus ratio.
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