Posted: 28th October 2014 | Back to news feed
With horses and ponies now well settled into their winter routine and many more winter months still ahead of us, maintaining a healthy digestive system is vital to ensuring they come through winter in tip top condition.
A horse’s digestive system plays a pivotal role in helping to keep the horse warm by way of fermentation of fibre in the hind gut. The hind gut is populated by fibre digesting bacteria which help break down the fibre creating warmth from the inside out.
If this delicate system becomes disrupted it can affect the horses overall well-being as well as performance and prevent them from flourishing during the harsher weather as the body is ill equipped to cope.
The natural diet of a horse is high in fibre and maintaining a diet closest to the diet they evolved to eat will help avoid digestive issues.
In winter horses should be provided with adequate fibre to replace the lack of grazing and stabled horses should avoid long periods without food, following the golden rule of feeding little and often.
Forage should be of a high quality and from a reputable source to avoid exposure to mycotoxins which have been shown to have a negative impact on the digestive system.
Ensure that your horses’ teeth are checked regularly by a qualified equine dental technician. In order for a horse to digest its food successfully it must be able to grind its food into small pieces, beginning the process of releasing nutrients. Chewing also produces saliva which in turn acts as a buffer against stomach acid.
Minimising stress where possible is key to success. Horses today are expected to participate in activities that they never evolved to do, so no wonder at times their digestive systems suffer. Providing ample forage will help prevent boredom during winter which in turn will reduce stress.
Supplementing the diet with yeast cultures can help reduce hind gut acidity, creating optimum conditions for the beneficial bacteria to flourish, thereby improving fibre digestion.
The Lifeforce Range from Alltech has been designed to optimise the digestive health of horses at every stage of life, from breeding stock to leisure and performance horses.
For further information please visit www.lifeforcehorse.co.ukor telephone 01780 764512
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