Expert tips: Cold weather – feed this way
How much more feed does the horse need when it is cold? This is a common question from the students at Academy Dressage & Jumping to St Hippolyt, which offers the students free feed advice.
– Many people ask how much they need to increase their feed intake. If you follow the ”Feed Recommendations for Horses” from SLU, which we largely do in our advice, there are rarely any major adjustments needed unless, for example, you live in Norrland and have temperatures below 25 degrees Celsius for a long period, says agronomist Hanna Lann at St Hippolyt.
The recommendations say that an uncut horse that walks without a blanket may need a small energy supplement for every degree the thermometer drops below minus 15 degrees.
– As a numerical example, a horse weighing 400 kilograms needs 2.5 megajoules more if the thermometer is at minus 17 degrees Celsius. If you have a horse that gives 9 megajoules per kilogram, that means about 300 grams more hay per day, says Hanna Lann.
This calculation is based on the horse being outside most of the day.
– Many horses are also kept inside for a large part of the day, so the need for an additional supplement becomes even less. If you have the horse on pasture, that’s another five percent – the default situation is that the horse is outside most of the day, is not clipped and is without a blanket because that’s the most natural thing for the horse.
Hanna Lann says that if the horse is clipped and has a blanket, it counts as if the horse is not clipped and has no blanket.
– Of course, it depends on the individual horses how frozen they are, but the coat is often intended to compensate for the increased energy loss caused by the clipped fur.
”Keep going”
Those who have already started feeding their horse in the cold weather do not need to feel guilty, as long as it is hay.
– If the horse can eat more roughage without putting on unwanted fat, go ahead. But we are seeing significantly more easily foaled horses, where the roughage intake needs to be restricted, than horses that can go on free access. It’s important to keep an eye on the amount of roughage.
One way to give the horse the opportunity to perform its natural foraging behavior in winter is to provide hay in the yard, advises Hanna Lann.
Something that is important to keep in mind is that the horses should always have access to water.
– This applies both indoors and outdoors. Research shows that the risk of colic increases if the horse does not have access to water all day long.
Solving it during the winter may involve using a heated car.
“Remember to clean it out and change the water often, because when the water is kept a little warmer, harmful microorganisms thrive there,” says Hanna Lann.
One way to get water into the horse is to give mash soaked in plenty of warm water.
If the meadows are muddy in the winter, a tip is to give flax or lupine seeds to reduce the risk of colic.
”Take help from someone who has training”
As for feed for livestock, no special winter measures are usually required.
– Many can feed the same way all year round. Make sure the daily needs of energy, protein, minerals and vitamins are met. If the horse needs more feed to keep its weight up, I always recommend that the horses get more roughage first. But of course, if you have a difficult-to-breed horse that already eats so much roughage it can get into its system, it may be worth increasing the amount of concentrated feed during cold weather.
– When we calculate the feed rations, especially for the Academy Dressage & Jumping students, the vitamin and mineral content in the feed ration often needs to be adjusted, explains Hanna Lann.
– That is a common problem we see in counseling. Often, the food budget is not enough, and it can be difficult to figure out what you need on your own.
An example could be that the horse owner feeds the horse less supplement than the recommended amount for that particular feed. Without additional minerals and vitamins, it will not be sufficient.
– There are also mineral and vitamin supplements that are not complete. I recommend getting help with the feeding regimen from someone who has training in the subject.