10 Essential Winter Feeding Tips

Keep your horse happy, healthy and in good condition with these useful tips from Castle Horse Feed nutritionist Lisa Elliott MSc

- Lisa Elliott

Along with the noticeable drop in temperature, winter brings with it a loss of nutrients from grass and the need to replace what is missing through feed. Here are some essential tips to keep your horse happy and healthy throughout the winter months by making sure his nutritional needs are met.

1 Provide good-quality hay or haylage

Forage should always be the foundation of your horse’s diet which, during winter, can be provided as hay or haylage. Forage quality can vary greatly, so it’s important to ensure you are feeding the best you can find.

The fibre in forage gets broken down through a process of fermentation by billions of microbes in the hindgut, which provides a source of energy for the horse for work and condition, but also releases heat, keeping your horse warm from the inside out. This central heating will help maintain his condition, and the better quality the forage, the more heat will be generated.

Plenty of good-quality forage in winter helps keep the digestive tract functioning well, and keeps those all-important gut microbes – who thrive on fibre – happy and healthy. The healthier the microbes, the healthier your horse will be, too.

2 Feed forage ad-lib

To maximise digestive health and condition in winter, forage should be fed on an ad-lib basis so your horse has constant access to it. If he’s stabled for longer periods, the use of slow feeders and double haynets can help extend his eating time. Additionally, if your horse is turned out during the winter, putting hay or haylage in the field will also help to ensure he has continuous access to fibre when grazing is scarce.

3 Consider forage enrichment