Feeding for the colder months

“Autumn is a key time to really assess your feeding regime ahead of the winter months,” says equine nutritionist Donna Case. “Throughout the seasons, the nutritional quality of the grass fluctuates, and while there may be an autumn flush, the grass is now declining and changes need to be made to your horse’s diet to compensate. “The first stop is to evaluate his body condition to assess where he is right now and then do this every two weeks so changes can be spotted quickly. As the coat grows, looks can be deceiving, so make sure you physically feel too, as this will help you notice fluctuations you may not otherwise see.” Donna is also an advocate of weightapes. “Although they can be slightly inaccurate, when used alongside body condition scoring they’re a useful tool,” she says. If your horse has put on weight over the summer, use the colder months to get him trim, as you’ll have the natural advantage of reduced grazing. Alternatively, if you have a horse who struggles to keep weight on, think about providing additional calories. “When looking at a horse’s regime, I always adjust the forage levels up or down before making changes to the hard feed,” explains Donna. “If you consider that your horse will consume between 1.5 % and 2.5% per day in forage. it makes sense to get this right.” Remember to increase his hay/haylage