General Nutrition - Conditioned to Perfection
Improving a horse’s condition isn’t always about helping him gain weight; it’s about making him look and feel as well and healthy as he possibly can. For this he needs a balance of nutrients supplied in sufficient quantities to meet his body’s requirements for well-being plus any additional demands made on it. Clearly, the higher these demands, whether from work, breeding, growth or recovery from illness or injury, the higher the requirements for essential nutrients - and this doesn’t just mean calories.Calorie Counting
Calories are important though, especially if the horse does need to gain some weight, when he basically needs to consume more than he uses so that the body has some left over to deposit in the muscles and tissues as glycogen and body fat. These contribute to a more rounded appearance but their purpose is as stored fuel which could ultimately be converted to glucose and ATP and burned by the muscles. Just as important though is the accumulation of other nutrients, like certain vitamins and minerals, to maintain residual levels and, in some cases, build reserves.
A thin horse, who has low body nutrient reserves, is likely to fatigue more rapidly and take longer to recover from exertion. Other niggling problems like poor hooves or a dry, scurfy coat, and performance issues, like lack of stamina or enthusiasm for work, can all be signs that a horse is malnourished, even though he 
may not be thin. This is why it is so important to look at your horse’s overall condition and attitude and then ensure that his whole diet and management regime is tailored to keep him at his best.
may not be thin. This is why it is so important to look at your horse’s overall condition and attitude and then ensure that his whole diet and management regime is tailored to keep him at his best. All About balance
From a dietary point of view, balance is the key, with forage supplying some calories and other nutrients and a supplement or compound feed being necessary to provide others to achieve a fully balanced diet. Selecting the right feed for the horse’s workload and condition, and feeding it at the recommended levels alongside forage, will achieve this fully balanced diet and ensure your horse is not missing out. But all feeds brands are not equal and choosing a cheaper brand does not always pay off in the long run.
From a dietary point of view, balance is the key, with forage supplying some calories and other nutrients and a supplement or compound feed being necessary to provide others to achieve a fully balanced diet. Selecting the right feed for the horse’s workload and condition, and feeding it at the recommended levels alongside forage, will achieve this fully balanced diet and ensure your horse is not missing out. But all feeds brands are not equal and choosing a cheaper brand does not always pay off in the long run.
At Baileys, we work hard to ensure that each mouthful of our feed is as nutritious and beneficial to your horse as it possibly can be. We make them highly digestible to keep meal sizes manageable and overall quantities to a minimum, thus avoiding the potentially adverse effects on the digestive system of large cereal-based feeds. The quality of the protein sources used, for example, is such that Baileys-fed horses stand out because of the muscle tone and top line they’ve gained. Vitamins and minerals are also essential – not just the levels but the ratios of one to another and Baileys choose these to be as easily absorbed and available to the horse as possible.
Fabulous Forage
So when you are looking at your horse’s condition, it pays to look at the bigger picture and consider everything that is passing his lips. Forage is hugely important but its calorie content and levels of other nutrients can vary and this will influence your choice of supplementary feed. Feeding hay or haylage and/or grass ad lib is the ideal starting point and, when this is supplemented by small meals of the correct compound feed, still very much represents a “high fibre” diet. What you put in your horse’s bucket can supply as many or as few calories as you like but is not worth feeding if it is not supplying essential nutrients to ensure the overall diet is fully balanced.
So when you are looking at your horse’s condition, it pays to look at the bigger picture and consider everything that is passing his lips. Forage is hugely important but its calorie content and levels of other nutrients can vary and this will influence your choice of supplementary feed. Feeding hay or haylage and/or grass ad lib is the ideal starting point and, when this is supplemented by small meals of the correct compound feed, still very much represents a “high fibre” diet. What you put in your horse’s bucket can supply as many or as few calories as you like but is not worth feeding if it is not supplying essential nutrients to ensure the overall diet is fully balanced. Simply feeding additional fibre sources, like alfalfa, will supply more calories and some other nutrients but will not necessarily achieve the fully balanced diet you should be aiming for. If your horse doesn’t need any more calories, a balancer, like Lo-Cal, is perfect and will give you the peace of mind that your horse is getting all the nutrients he needs without additional calories or “carbs” that he doesn’t. But when your horse needs the additional energy (calories) that a “conventional” compound feed can provide, feed it according to recommendations (the guideline amounts on the bag are carefully calculated, not over-inflated!) and divide it into as many small meals as you can.
So, don’t be fooled, ad lib forage plus small digestible, nutritious meals of the right compound feed remains a highly effective, natural and cost effective combination for promoting outstanding condition and, with the choice now available, need not mean you have to give unwanted calories or over-supply other nutrients. Take a look at the case studies we outline here to see just some of the options the Baileys range gives you to help keep your horse in outstanding condition.
Case Studies
Case Studies
Bob – Pre Novice Eventer/Fit, Rounded and Rideable
No.4 Top Line Conditioning Cubes
No.4 Top Line Conditioning Cubes
Bob gets ad lib haylage plus 2 to 2½ Stubbs scoops (8 – 10lb/3.6 – 4.5kg) of No.4 Top Line Conditioning Cubes divided into two or three feeds, depending on how long he spends in the field. In light to moderate work all winter, this has helped him build body and muscle whilst easily fuelling and supporting his work.
Samantha – Polo Pony/Low Starch Diet
No.6 All-Round Endurance Mix Outshine high oil supplement
Samantha’s owners were advised to keep her starch intake down and maintain a fully balanced diet to support muscle function and integrity. She gets ad lib hay plus 3 scoops (8 – 8½lb/4kg) of No.6 All-Round Endurance Mix which provides a blend of energy sources but is particularly high in oil (10%) and fibre (12%). This also supplies all the other nutrients she needs to support performance but if she needs extra calories to boost condition, Samantha gets 2 to 4 mugs (1 – 2/0.5 – 1kg) of Baileys Outshine high oil supplement in addition to her mix – to provide these with the mix would mean feeding an extra ½ to 1 ½ scoops which Samantha would struggle to eat.
Jaeger – Leisure Horse/Good-doer
Lo-Cal balancer
Jaeger is essentially a good-doer and maintains condition (levels of body fat) easily on ad lib hay and grass. To help build and maintain muscle tone and support health and well being, Jaeger gets just 3 mugs (1 ½lb) of Lo-Cal balancer per day. This supplies the quality protein he needs to build muscle tissue plus a balance of vitamins and minerals to support his work along with healthy hooves and a shiny coat.
Elliot – Working horse/low energy diet
Meadow Sweet with honey Lo-Cal balancer
During the winter, Elliot looks and works well on the recommended amount of Meadow Sweet with honey (3 scoops/6¾ lb/3.3kg) but when the spring grass comes through, he doesn’t need as many calories so his owner cuts it back to 1 or 1½ scoops (2¼ - 3½lb/1.1 – 1.75kg) but adds 1½ mugs (3/4lb/340g) of Lo-Cal balancer. The Lo-Cal provides the additional nutrients which are lost by cutting back the hard feed but without adding extra calories.