Feeding naturally

By Your Horse

Seasonal guides

02 February 2012 09:52

Many equine vets see their fair share of colic cases in the winter months and recent studies have looked back over records to identify risk factors involved in colic cases.

Horses fed a higher concentrate diet are much more likely to suffer colic than those on a forage-only diet such as hay. A high grain diet can cause gassy colic or stomach ulcers.  Introduce a new feed slowly over 7-10 days and try to split the ration into small frequent feeds. 

Stabling increases the risk of colic. In bad weather when horses are ‘confined to barracks’ the gut motility slows and may lead to impaction colic. If your horse cribs when stabled, the air swallowed may result in a gassy colic or even large bowel displacement. Horses can tolerate extremely cold weather, if given shelter from wind and rain, so try to turn out as much as possible.

In cold weather horses naturally drink less, and this is compounded when water sources freeze over. Reduced water intake can lead to impaction colic. Make sure your horse always has access to fresh water – no matter how thick the ice layer is! Don’t assume they will manage by eating snow as the amount they can pick up falls far short of their daily need.

Many horses lose a bit of weight over winter and for good-doers this is desirable! Evolution designed native breeds to store fat in the grazing season to be used up when grazing is sparse. Many good-doers only need a simple feed balancer to top up any nutrients missing from hay in winter.

On the flip side of the coin, some horses struggles to keep weight on over winter. If you own a poor-doer, don’t over-feed concentrates as a substitute for good quality hay or haylage. Fibre is so important in maintaining a healthy gut and enables your horse to get the best out of the hard feed you do give.  Most feed companies have nutritionists who give free advice, and are more than happy for you to pick their brains! 

Teeth should be checked at least once yearly.  Inability to chew hay properly can lead to weight loss, impaction colic or choke. Check your horse’s dung for the presence of long fibres which can indicate he isn’t chewing well. Geriatric horses with poor teeth may need soaked grass cubes instead of hay.

Make sure a poor-doer is well rugged in a cold snap to avoid using up precious calories to keep warm and have adequate worm control strategies in place.

Be aware that weight loss can sometimes be a sign of an underlying problem, such as liver or bowel disease so do call your vet if matters don’t improve.