Back to Basics
‘Cutting down the feed’:
This does not mean you should reduce the amount
of overall food intake. That would be just plain stupid
whether we are talking about horse or human. Most
of us are aware that when it is cold we have a tendency
to eat a little more than normal. The reason for this is
that the body uses up, or burns off fat (weight) to keep
warm. Horses are the same. We need therefore, to re-
place the burnt off fat by giving more weight producing
food to provide the weight again.
Keeping weight on in Winter:
The horses main food for providing weight is hay or
haylage (in the Summer in most cases it is of course
grass). Not only must you provide that little extra hay
to replace the amount of weight they are burning off,
you need also to somehow replace it lb for lb or kg for
kg with the amount of energy food on which you have
been cutting down! If you replace the usual energy
food in the bucket with more chaff or other high fibre
feed that will be fine - otherwise just give more hay/
haylage. Cutting down the food therefore, means cut-
ting down ONLY on the energy giving qualities of the
food in the bucket.
Be Prepared - Planning ahead for diet changes:
The complete change over from the energy food
you usually feed to high fibre food should of course be
done over a period of a few days to enable the horses
digestive system to adjust. You should plan ahead for
this to avoid colic.
If the weather forecast tells you a cold snap is on
the way with possible icy conditions and snow, be
prepared. You need to be aware that it is possible your
horse might be stabled for longer than normal and you
might not be able to ride for a few days.This means
you will need to reduce the energy food and introduce
something else instead (to replace it weight for weight).
If you were not ready for the cold snap this time - be
prepared for the next one.
Turnout & freedom:
Sometimes it is impossible even to lead it to the field
for an hour or so. An outdoor school is often ideal
alternative for turnout. That little bit of freedom every
day is absolutely vital for the wellbeing of your horse.
It is often possible to provide a small fenced off or
corralled area in front of the stable/s to allow the horse
freedom to walk in and out as it pleases during the day.
If you have a block of a few stables it is a good idea
to set this up on a permanent basis. On a temporary
basis you could use electric fencing tape or whatever
you have to hand as long as it is secure. It enables the
horses to stretch their legs, walk about and interact
with each other. They may visit another horses stable
just to check it out but rarely do they stay long. Horses
like their own space and usually keep to their own sta-
ble. This is a far more natural way to keep horses and
should be used whenever possible.
Some horses may well be greedier than others and
may well make free use of hay in other stables. Provid-
ing there is plenty of hay available no horse is likely to
go hungry nor will arguments persist over whose hay is
whose after the first day. It would however, be sensible
to be on hand the first time you set this corral sys-
tem up. Especially if the horses are not used to being
12 • Walking On