Just as leaves are turning on the trees, the fall can often be a transitional phase for your horse’s nutrition plan! We recommend considering the following areas when contemplating the suitability of your horse's current diet:
Reflect: How is your horse doing on their current nutrition plan? Were they able to maintain condition throughout the summer season? Are they in a healthy body condition going into winter? Are the feedstuffs in the diet (hay, vit/min, etc) adequate? Are they on a ridiculous amount of supplements that you’re not seeing results on? By considering the following, you can determine whether your horse’s diet could be optimized:
Body condition evaluation.
Signs of nutrient deficiency?
Feedstuff suitability & practicality.
Adjusting nutrient concentrations: Nutrient requirements are impacted by numerous factors, with exercise level being a major factor! For instance, if your horse’s training schedule is lighter after a busy summer of showing, some of their requirements will decrease. Scaling your nutrition plan to match such factors allows for:
Maintenance of an ideal body condition
Less excretion of excess nutrients into the environment
More efficient feeding costs.
Support through changes: There are a lot of changes in the fall - weather changes, aforementioned diet changes, as well as management changes often as a result of the changing weather. Nutritional strategies that help reduce digestive upset risk can support your horse’s health through these changes.
Making dietary changes gradually.
Promote hydration.
Select an effectively-formulated GI supplement.
Considering pasture: If you rely on pasture to meet a portion of your horse’s requirements, pay close attention to pasture availability. Declining pasture availability may warrant supplementation. Water soluble carbs (starch/sugars) increase seasonally in the fall, which may pose a concern for horses with metabolic concerns or laminitis history. You might want to consider:
Supplemental hay provision.
Evaluate contribution to energy & vitamin requirements.
Switching to a dry lot with hay provision for metabolic concern horses/ponies.
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