How to find a feed that puts YOU in control…of energy, behaviour and condition

How do you get more impulsion in your dressage test without the involuntary fly buck? How do you get adequate energy levels without going up a girth size? It’s a minefield…

Step one: First forage, the rest later

Focus on getting your horse on high quality pasture or hay that is naturally high in fibre and low in carbohydrates. Once you establish what’s missing from the mix, we can build on that.

Step two: Focus on the Digestible energy content

So your condition feed claims to be calming – but how so? Energy and calories are the same thing, so anything that claims to be conditioning is likely to be high in energy! Try and source a feed that’s slow-release energy and doesn’t have to be fed by the bucket!

Step three: Be weary of ‘conditioning cubes’

In amongst their long list of unwanted additives, could be something contributing to that odd spooky behaviour he’s been showing lately. Try sticking to a more natural condition feed that contains no artificial buffers that could upset the applecart.

Step four: Slow and steady wins the race

Increasing and even losing weight is a hard job, it takes time. Sometimes it takes weeks’ worth of uphill hacking. It may even take your horse a couple of bags to chomp down on before you see results – don’t expect a change overnight!

Step five: Be careful with ‘Complete feeds’

Whilst the idea of feeding your horse one or two Stubbs scoops of one feed sounds dreamy, it’s harder than you think to get it right. Often we have to feed the ‘recommended’ amount when it’s a complete feed to get the vitamins and minerals up to scratch, but that can mean compromising calorie intake. Find a feed where YOU can control how much you feed of what your horse actually needs and only what it needs.