Posted: 7th January 2019 | Back to news feed
UK-based equine nutrition company Equidiet’s range of liquid fibre diet solutions have been recognised in a recent global equestrian technology and product report as an important innovative disruptor in the field of Equine Nutrition. The Global HorseTech Market Report highlighted Equidiet, which was founded by equine nutritional hydrotherapist Sandra Murphy BSc (Hons) in 2014, as having a wide range of benefits for both sports and riding horses as well as helping to combat some common health issues seen in domesticated equines.
WHY IS EQUINE NUTRITIONAL HYDROTHERAPY IMPORTANT?
Equines evolved as prey animals with a keen natural flight instinct to help them stay ahead of their predators and ensure survival. Despite the fact that the modern horse is relatively far removed from their ancestors and no longer needs to fear large mammals trying to eat them, the same instincts and biological processes still kick in when they perceive danger. In addition, we ask horses to travel in trailers, lorries and aeroplanes, attend busy competitions with loudspeakers, screens and crowds as well as learn new skills to help us excel at our chosen discipline. All of these things that we may take for granted can stress a horse and make their body react in exactly the same way as it would if they were in real danger.
It may surprise you to hear that one of the knock-on biological effects of a horse reacting to stress or fear is that they take on less water. This means a horse who becomes stressed at a competition or during transit may not drink as much water as they need to, which can in turn lead to complications such as loss of condition, poor athletic performance and colic. If a horse is not inclined to drink in the first place then traditional methods of rehydration, such as electrolytes or flavoured water, simply won’t help to solve the issue.
Interestingly the instinct to forage does remain even when horses are stressed, and this drive easily overrides the need to drink – perhaps due to the fact that forage is composed of between 40 and 80% water. The new concept of Equine Nutritional Hydrotherapy (ENH) is based on this very principle, that horses will still eat even when they are in transit or stressed, to develop products that deliver nutrition and hydration in a fibre and liquid feedstuff.
WHAT PRODUCTS DO EQUIDIET PRODUCE AND WHAT ARE THEIR BENEFITS?
Sandra recognised the extraordinary benefits ENH could bring to horse owners in every sphere of the equestrian world, and responded by developing Equidiet, a brand-new range of high-quality liquid fibre diets that ensure horses are able to stay hydrated regardless of the environment they are placed in.
The Equidiet product range was highlighted in the 2018 Global HorseTech Market Report as being at the cutting edge of the field of Equine Nutrition in delivering user-friendly and palatable liquid fibre feed solutions for the consumer market. Only structural carbohydrates including soluble fibre have a molecular structure which allows water to be carried inside it, meaning that Equidiet is a high fibre, low starch diet. This means that not only do Equidiet’s products enable horse owners to keep their horses well-hydrated, their solutions may also help those horses prone to gastrointestinal and metabolic disorders caused by high starch feed, such Equine Metabolic Syndrome, Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome or Laminitis.
THE EQUIDIET RANGE INCLUDES:
EquidGel® is a highly-palatable complete balanced feed system comprising 85% fibre that delivers nutrition and hydration on demand.
LamiGel ™ is a complete balanced feed system comprising 90% specially formulated with low protein and sugar levels making it particularly beneficial for horses prone to laminitis.
EquidChop™ is a high-fibre alfalfa complementary feedstuff which can be fed on its own or it can be added to reconstituted EquidGel® and LamiGel™ to slow down consumption and provide a hydrating ‘chewy’ feed.
EquidGrass™ is a high-fibre and 100% pure grass complimentary feedstuff which can be fed on its own, used to replace forage or it be added to either EquidGel® or to LamiGel™ to improve palatability or as above, to make a ‘chewy feed’.
LamiChop™ is a high-fibre, low-energy, low-calorie, complementary foodstuff made from dust-extracted 100% oat straw. It provides nutritious slow-release, low energy, non-heating nutrition which can be used as a bulk feed for laminitis-prone horses and ponies.Find out more about Equidiet and the full product range on their website, which also includes more information and white papers supporting the science underpinning the product range. Visit http://www.equidiet.org.uk/index.htm
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