CALORIE COUNTING

For horses with moderate to high-calorie requirements, highly digestible fibre sources, such as beet pulp, alfalfa and soya hulls, along with elevated levels of oil, are used in feeds. Good doers should be fed a balancer to provide essential nutrients without unwanted calories. Calorie requirements can then often be met with forage alone. If a horse is overweight, his forage ration will need to be controlled, so use small-holed nets to ensure it lasts as long as possible. Lengthy periods without forage present a high risk of ulceration.

Beet pulp is a highly digestible fibre source for horses who need more calories