LIGHT WORK

Most leisure horses fall into this category. Typical activities include hacking out for an hour or two a day — mainly walk and trot with some canter, low-intensity schooling, low-level dressage (prelim/ novice), eventing (BE80, BE90, BE100), showjumping (Discovery), Pony Club and riding club activities, local shows and sponsored rides. Feeding strategy

Horses should be fed according to their individual needs but, in general, low-energy cubes such as a horse or pony cube, fed alongside a chopped fibre and forage — at least 15g (dry weight) per kg of bodyweight of forage per day (for example, 9kg of hay for a 500kg horse) — should cover their requirements. If a horse doesn’t need the recommended amount of hard feed though, or does well on forage alone, top up vitamins and minerals with a supplement or a balancer.