Winter feeding advice from TopSpec

During winter, when grazing is in limited supply, frozen or covered by snow, it is important to provide alternative sources of fibre (e.g. hay, haylage or chop) to aid digestion and keep the hindgut working efficiently. Even if your horse is living out, hay or haylage should be provided at least twice daily. 

A horse would normally graze for at least 16 hours a day and fibre is continually fermented by the microflora in the hindgut, supplying energy to the horse. This process of fermentation also produces heat and is a perfect central heating system. So before reaching for extra rugs and hard feed in the cold weather, always ensure your horse has access to ad-lib forage. 

Snow and frost also brings with it a risk of laminitis, diarrhoea and colic. Sunny days result in sugar production within the grass from photosynthesis. However, low temperatures (below 5oC) mean that the grass doesn’t use those sugars to grow and stores them as fructans. Ingestion of this high-soluble-carbohydrate grass can trigger laminitis and digestive disturbances. Therefore avoid turnout in these conditions and offer unmolassed grass chop if confined to a stable, such as TopChop Grass.

With hay or haylage supplying the majority of your horse’s forage in winter, effective teeth grinding is crucial and annual dental checks by a vet or qualified equine dental technician are essential to keep him in good condition throughout the winter. Elderly horses with dental problems will drop weight significantly when they become reliant on hay or haylage as they are unable to chew it effectively. Loose droppings may also be seen as a result. Chopped forage, e.g. TopChop Grass, or pre-ground fibre e.g. TopSpec FibrePlus Cubes, can be used as partial or total hay replacers to maintain the essential fibre supply to their hindgut.  

Horses with respiratory problems can also find winter a difficult time. In most cases living out is a good option. However, for horses that have to be stabled, the key is a well-ventilated environment, i.e. a clean stable, low-dust bedding and good quality forage. Soaking hay for 30 minutes before feeding may help but for some horses, haylage is preferable. For good-doers, feeding a dampened low-calorie chop (e.g. TopChop Lite) as a partial hay replacer may be necessary. 

Winter stabling and inconsistent workload may mean that your horse’s behaviour could begin to change. To reduce fizzy behaviour, late-cut meadow hay is recommended and to prevent boredom, this hay should be fed ad-lib. TopSpec FibrePlus Cubes can also be fed in a snack ball to keep your horse occupied. 

Although forage is the foundation of a horse’s diet during the winter, it is important to balance this diet and ensure an optimum supply of the essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals that will be lacking in a forage only diet. Hard feeds should be kept small and for most horses, low in sugar and starch and cereal-grain-free. Mixes or flakes should be avoided, especially for those prone to becoming excitable with restricted exercise.

This is where TopSpec Feed Balancers come in. They are extremely nutrient dense products, help to maintain optimum forage to concentrate ratios and increase digestive efficiency. All TopSpec feed balancers are low in sugar and starch and cereal-grain-free and are therefore, ‘Non-Heating.’ 

For those that need to gain weight, I recommend a conditioning feed balancer. These include TopSpec Comprehensive Feed Balancer, TopSpec Joint Feed Balancer, TopSpec Senior Feed Balancer and TopSpec Cool Balancer. The high quality protein included will promote muscle development and topline whilst the amount of nutrients that can be utilised from the grass and hay or haylage will be increased, reducing or eliminating the requirement for additional hard feed. 

If needed for further condition, there are several low-starch blends that are suitable to feed alongside a TopSpec balancer, the lowest of all being TopSpec UlsaKind. These cubes are ideal in those circumstances where the internal surface of the stomach has been eroded, because they contain very high levels of β-glucans which form a gel and coat the stomach lining with a protective film. The gel-like stomach contents are less likely to splash the upper squamous epithelium in the stomach.

These β-glucans also slow the rate of passage of feed through the stomach and intestines because of the sticky, gel-like consistency of the feed. In the stomach this means that the periods of time when the stomach is empty and therefore highly acidic, are reduced. Because the β-glucans in TopSpec UlsaKind cubes bind to sugars in the intestine, their absorption is slowed and the glycaemic index of the feed is lowered.  

The TopSpec UlsaKind formula also contains 1% of a marine-derived ingredient with established buffering properties. This calcium and magnesium-rich substance has been scientifically proven to reduce environmental acidity in vitro, in the equine stomach, for up to six hours. 

TopSpec UlsaKind Cubes are highly suitable for many horses or ponies requiring a low-starch/high-fibre diet, e.g. those susceptible to muscle dysfunction when on high-starch feeds, those prone to, being treated for, or recovering from laminitis or those that are ‘fizzy’ on high starch feeds.

Conversely, for good-doers, winter can be a very useful time to drop some condition by feeding poor-nutritional-quality hay e.g. late-cut, high-fibre meadow hay that has been soaked in ample, fresh, cool water for 12 hours before feeding. TopSpec Lite Feed Balancer or TopSpec Senior Lite Feed Balancer can be used to balance the diet. These supply optimum levels of vitamins and minerals (and joint supplement if necessary) without promoting weight gain, 

when fed as part of a calorie controlled diet. 

If your horse can be very anxious or over-excitable due to management changes during the winter period, a calmer, such as TopSpec Calmer, may also be beneficial.  

 By Anna Welch BVSc, BSc, MRCVS. Veterinary Nutritionist, TopSpec.

TopSpec can be contacted, free of charge, on their Multiple-Award-Winning-Helpline 01845 565030 or visit www.topspec.com

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