Winter Feed

Question
Hey there

Please could you help me choose the correct feed and schedule for my horse.

I own a 17.2hh Warmblood cross Mare who is 16 years old.
She is pretty big boned and puts a lot of weight one during Summer and drops it all in Winter.

Up until about a year ago, I have always fed her Sweet Feed mixed with Chaff.  She is a lovely bay colour and always has a nice soft, shiny coat.  

This year, I have noticed since I have been feeding her Safe Choice, her coat has become dull.  I tried to give her minerals and put Canola oil in her food but nothing has really helped.  I was wondering if it is okay to slowly switch her back onto Sweet Feed.  She drops weight in Winter as we live in Florida and the grass completely dies at where I board.  She will be living on a round bail of Coastal or some sort of hay and be getting two feeds a day.  

Is Sweet Feed a good choice to make?  I also tried Senior mix a few Months back but her coat still seemed dull.

She is 16 years old.  Currently weighs 1300 - 1380 lbs which is pretty fat compared to her usual 1280lbs weight but I know she will be dropping a lot in Winter.

I ride her a few times a week so she is exercised.  I school her more than trail riding.  She loves to jump.  I'm not too worried about her weight right now as she is still bloated from eating too much grass during Summer but I know now the grass has died, she will start to look pretty dull and out of shape.

Thank you

Laura

Answer
Hi Sarah,

Thank you for your question.  From what you're describing, it sounds like your winter forages (hay) are simply not as rich in energy as your pasture is during the summer.  It kind of explains why she routinely loses weight every winter.  So it's clear that you need to supplement her with some other feed over the winter to ensure she has enough energy in her diet.  Sweet feeds are rich in energy and although they are seldom my first choice of grain, some horses will do just fine on them.  If you are going to feed sweet feed, ensure that you feed it in smaller/more frequent meals so that your mare is able to digest it properly without causing hindgut disturbances.  Also try to choose a sweet feed that processes any corn, barley or wheat that might be in in (by steam flaking the cereal grain before including it in the sweet feed) as that will help improve digestibility.  If your mare has not traditionally had any issues eating sweet feed then you could try switching her back, as long as you do so with caution.

Another great way to increase the energy density of winter rations (where hay is not rich in energy) without feeding too much grain would be to add some beet pulp to the diet.  Beet pulp is a good source of safe energy that the horse's body digests like a forage.  It is safer to feed than grain and although not as rich in energy as sweet feed, it can bring enough extra energy to the diet of a horse that is not in heavy exercise. 3-4 pounds (dry weight) per day, mixed with water, can make a big difference for some horses.

I am a little concerned that the Safe Choice, the senior feed and the addition of oil caused her hair coat to become dull as you would expect the opposite to happen.  If you should switch her back to the sweet feed and find that her hair coat quality does not improve, it would suggest that she have some other underlying issue.  I would suggest in that case that you start including a good quality prebiotic (like Alltech's LifeForce Formula or SmartPak Equine's SmartDigest)to help improve digestive efficiency.  You may also want to make sure she is consuming enough salt in her diet and consider adding loose salt to her grain on a daily basis (1/8 cup per day for a horse her size is reasonable) as this too could improve hair quality....surprisingly enough!  Dietary fat is always a good way to make a shiny coat so choose high fat feeds or top dress with a fat supplement.

Thanks, Corlena