Equestrian Life Magazine September Issue 220 | Page 72

Preparing for Winter
with Blue Chip
Although it feels like summer
has only just arrived it won’t be
long until we are all thinking
about dusting the cobwebs
off our mucking out tools and
contemplating the long, dark
nights of winter and all that
mud! Winter time can mean a
complete change of routine
for many horse owners (and
horses) and feeding habits can
change dramatically.
Often horses that aren’t in work
or are in light work spend all
summer turned out, with a diet
that often solely consists of grass
and then winter arrives and they
are stabled for long periods and
given ‘hard feed’, hay or haylage
that they are not used to. These
major changes in diet and
management routines can have
a drastic effect on the equine
digestive system and can easily
lead to complications such as
colic and unwanted stereotypical
behaviour.
If you are changing your
horse’s routine dramatically
during winter try to make the
changes gradually, ideally
starting in the late summer
or autumn. Start by bringing
them into the stable for short
periods and gradually extend
these. During late summer and
autumn, grass will have an extra
‘growth’ period, after the dry
spell through summer, then in
late autumn and winter, grass
starts to lose its nutritional
value and will eventually stop
growing and become dormant.
Supplementing your horse or

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pony’s diet with hay or haylage
is the best way to keep a healthy
digestive system and reduce the
chances of colic. Introduce hay or
haylage gradually, ideally in the
field in autumn, to establish a diet
that is largely made up of fibre.
Horses have evolved to eat a
mainly fibre diet, however a
diet solely consisting of grass
is not always possible in winter
and the grass that is available
is often lacking in essential
vitamins, minerals and nutrients,
which is why the diet needs to
be supplemented with hay or
haylage. Grass also contains
natural antioxidants which will
be depleted in winter. Feeding a
high quality feed balancer such
as one from the Blue Chip range,
alongside a high fibre diet will
ensure that your horse or pony is
getting a nutritionally balanced
diet, without the need to feed
large quantities of starch-based
cereal feeds. Blue Chip balancers
are whole cereal- and molassesfree and include a fruit derived
form of vitamin E, which is a
powerful natural antioxidant.
Because the balancers in the Blue
Chip range are nutrient-dense
they need only to be fed in small
quantities, ensuring that the
digestive system isn’t put under
excess stress

yeast which can double the
digestibility of fibre in the diet,
meaning that they will get twice
as much ‘warming energy’ out of
their hay or haylage.
Stabled horses need a well
ventilated stable to help prevent
dust allergies and spores
irritating their airways. All the
Blue Chip balancers contain
a comprehensive respiratory
supplement that includes
garlic, menthol and eucalyptus,
to promote lung health and
integrity. Also included in the
balancers are a complete hoof
supplement and a purified form
of Nucleotides, which are the
building blocks of DNA and RNA
and can aid nutrient absorption,
injury recovery and improve the
horse’s immune system.
Dehydration can be a major
factor in colic cases and this is
especially true in winter when
horses aren’t inclined to drink

as much, particularly when
water is colder than normal.
The maintenance level of fluid
requirements for an adult horse is
50ml/kg of bodyweight per day.
Encouraging fluid intake can be
done by offering slightly warmed
water and if your horse or pony is
still not keen to drink, try wetting
the feed or using a high water
content source of fibre such as
unmolassed sugar beet.
Providing a high fibre diet that
is complemented by a balancer
from the Blue Chip range, along
with careful management, will
mean that you can enjoy this
winter safe in the knowledge
that your horse is getting a
nutritionally balanced diet and
will be happy and healthy from
the inside out.
For more information on the Blue
Chip range visit www.bluechipfeed.
com or call 0114 2666200

Horses can use up to 80% of their
feed energy keeping warm; fibre
is the most ‘warming’ feed, as
more heat is produced during
digestion of fibre than any other
type of feed. All of the Blue Chip
balancers contain a probiotic

www.equestrianlifemagazine.co.uk

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