Feeding
Feeding dilemmas
Q
How can I get fibre
into my old boy’s
diet in the winter?
As colder temperatures set in and
the nutritional value of grazing
drops, ReadyFibre Mash is the ideal
product to use as a hay replacer to
help increase the fibre content of your
horse’s diet this winter.
Made up out of 100% highly digestible
fibre and taking just five minutes to
soak to form a soft textured mash, it
is extremely palatable for horses that
have difficulty chewing and digesting
long stem fibres. Cereal free and with
a very low starch and sugar content,
ReadyFibre Mash is suitable for feeding
to horses that suffer from laminitis
and also helps provide a low energy,
non-heating diet for horses that tend
to get excitable when stabled for long
periods of time.
Q
After all the rain,
our fields are more
brown mud rather than
green grass. I have seen
Baileys Ultra Grass in the
shops; can I feed this to
help compensate for our
lack of grass?
When grass is in short supply, the
most cost effective way to provide a
substitute is to feed plenty of hay or
haylage. However, if these are in short
supply or of dubious nutritional value,
it can be useful to eke out supplies
Baileys Horse Feeds
01371 850 247
with bagged alternatives, like Ultra
Grass. This is pure dried grass, with
a light coating of oil to keep it freeflowing, and is likely to supply more
calories than the average hay.
It does still contain naturally
occurring sugars, though, so is not
recommended for those prone to
laminitis who, along with good-doers,
are better fed a low calorie chaff, like
Baileys Light Chaff. Horses with higher
calorie requirements may benefit from
the digestible fibre and slow release
energy provided by Alfalfa Blend and
Alfalfa Plus Oil which, like most fibre
feeds, are not fully balanced with
vitamins and minerals and so should
be fed alongside the recommended
amount of a compound feed or
balancer.
Q
My yard is changing
to haylage this year,
why would they be doing
that?
Finding a supply of hay of consistent
quality has always been a problem
and has been made worse this year
after the difficult summer. Horses
can be fussy feeders who will reject
poor quality hay which is also low
in nutrients and so this can be
uneconomical to feed. As a result
some yards like yours have decided to
change to a haylage product such as
Equilage.
Equilage is very palatable and dust
free so there is less waste and no
need to soak. Equilage is made from
specially selected grasses which have
Rowen Barbary Horse Feeds
01948 880598
“After all the
rain, our fields
are more brown
mud rather than
green grass.“
been chosen for making haylage
for horses and have a higher feed
value than species of grass found in
traditional hay.
There are three types of Equilage;
original Ryegrass, which is ideal for
competition horses as it has optimum
protein and energy levels, whilst
Timothy & Ryegrass and Hi-Fibre
Ryegrass are both lower in protein and
energy levels making them suitable
for leisure horses and ponies, natives
and veterans.
Q
Why do people use
a feed lick in their
stable?
The SUPAlyx horse and pony range
supplements are packed full of
essential vitamins, minerals and
protein and have been designed
to be used in the stable or field to
supplement the horse’s normal
forage diet and with added molasses,
even the fussiest of eaters won’t be
disappointed. SUPAlyx Horse and Pony
is formulated for horses and ponies
and provides selected nutrients,
minerals, vitamins and feed additives,
proven to be beneficial. It is also proactive in improving digestion, hoof
health and blood circulation.
Rumenco
0800 833675
Fulmart
01904 468371
Q
Every winter when
we start feeding
haylage my gelding gets
restless in his stable and
his droppings become
loose. The vet has
checked him and says
basically he’s fine health
wise, his gut is just a little
sensitive. I’m interested
to find out more about
Haylage Balancer and to
know if you think it might
help him?
During the winter months many horse
owners put their horses onto hay