The British Equestrian Trade Association’s (BETA) Feed Fact Fortnight is back again for Spring 2025, running between Saturday 29 March – Sunday 13 April.
BETA are dedicated to equine welfare, and this Feed Fact Fortnight aims to help you access sound nutritional advice. By focusing on good feeding practices and separating fact from fiction, they can help you make more informed choices when it comes to buying your feed and supplements.
This year’s, the fortnight is focused on ‘Preparing your Horse for Competition.’ Throughout the event we will sharing useful tips and information on feed and supplements for horses of all levels, whether you are heading to your first dressage competition, or are a seasoned eventer.
What’s On In-Store
Throughout Feed Fact Fortnight we have trained representatives from a wide range of equestrian feed and supplement brands visiting our Totnes Store, who will be on-hand to offer you FREE advice and guidance. There is no need to book, so if you’re unsure how to give your show horse some extra sparkle and energy in the ring, or are planning on heading out competing this summer for the first time and want to check you are feeding your horse correctly, make sure you pop in!
Feed & Supplement Brand Visits
| Date | Time | Brand | About The Brand | Daily Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 30th March | 10am – 2pm | TopSpec | ‘Created without Compromise’ – TopSpec is one of the UK’s favourite brand of feed balancers and quality horse feeds. | Discounts across the whole TopSpec range |
| Tues 1st April | 10am – 2pm | Saracen | With a heritage that spans over 200 years, Saracen’s founding values of trust, integrity, and quality are now coupled with research and innovation to ensure their range meets the very exacting nutritional requirements of the modern equine. | |
| Wed 2nd April | 10am – 2pm | Dengie | Founded in 1968 as a farmer’s cooperative, Dengie is still run today with the same ethos of supporting the local farming community. They grow as many of their own ingredients as possible which keeps their ‘feed miles’ low and provides the best traceability possible. | £2 off the whole Dengie range |
| Fri 4th April | 10am – 2pm | Spillers | Industry leaders in equine nutrition and horse feed products, Spillers are passionate to help benefit the lives of our horses and ponies; whether competitive performance is the goal or simply enjoying the pleasures that horses bring. | |
| Mon 7th April | 10am – 2pm | Horslyx | Horslyx Balancers have been carefully formulated to balance the deficiencies in forage and grazing. This is a unique and innovative approach to ensuring that the modern horse’s health is supported. | |
| Tues 8th April | 10am – 2pm | Horsehage | Official forage supplier to the British Equestrian Team, HorseHage have a wide collection of forage & fibre based horse food to suit your horse & their dietary requirements. | |
| Wed 9th April | 10am – 2pm | NAF | NAF supplements are created using natural formulas developed by vets & nutritionists using premium grade, fully traceable ingredients. | 20% off RRP on all NAF |
| Thurs 10th April | 10am – 2pm | Redpost | The Redpost range of supplements is a great value choice to support your horse however they need it. | |
| Fri 11th April | 10am – 2pm | Animalife | Animalife are continuously creating new products packed with the highest quality natural ingredients that are targeted, effective and safe, to help horses live their happiest lives. |
Feed & Supplement Offers
Along our brand representative visits, we will also have some fantastic offers running throughout the 2-weeks! Some of these are live for a limited time (see schedule above), while others are running while stock lasts:
- Get a FREE Science Supplements cap with any Science Supplements supplement over £25
- Get a money off voucher with any bag of Baileys Feed to use on your next purchase
- FREE Cinnamon Calming Powder with any Premier Performance product
- Get a FREE BETA gift when you buy purchase 2 or more bags of feed in one transaction
Plus on Wed 9 April, if you spend £30 or more on NAF at our Totnes Store, you’ll get a free NAF bucket!
Horse Feeding Facts
With so many feeds to choose from and often lots of different factors to take into account, choosing the right feed for your horse can seem a little daunting at times. Below, we share some useful tips to consider when putting together a feeding plan.
Feeding Tips
If you are planning on competing, always check the governing bodies’ rule book for guidance on prohibited substances. Look out for feeds bearing the BETA NOPS (naturally occurring prohibited substances) mark, as this shows that the manufacturer belongs to this assurance scheme, which has taken stringent measures to minimise the risk of cross- contamination. The code, which most of the UK’s major feed manufacturers have agreed to comply with, is endorsed by the British Horseracing Authority and National Trainers Association. The British Equestrian Federation requires all squad members to use only NOPS accredited products.
When trying to choose a feed for your horse or pony, it can be tricky to know the difference between the types of feed a brand offers. When it comes to the nutritional contents of the feed, it is important to consider the following within the feed:- digestible energy, starch levels, sugar levels and protein amount.
Horses at different stages of their lives will have different dietary needs, so what you fed your horse when it was competing as a youngster will likely need to change to what they need to be fed now. It’s important to constantly monitor your horse’s weight, condition and workload to determine whether they are receiving sufficient nutrients and calories from their diet.
And remember, always allow your horse access to fresh, clean water at all times.
Did You Know?
- A horse’s stomach is about the size of a rugby ball (in a 500kg horse).
- In the wild, horses can cover up to 20 miles per day in search of fresh grazing and water.
- Calories are the same thing as energy – so “high energy” feeds will also be high in calories.
- Molasses is a by-product of the sugar production industry. It can come from either sugar beet or sugar cane. It is added to feed to aid palatability as a horse’s natural diet contains sugar and the horse has evolved to recognise and generally prefer a sweet taste.
- Balancers are small, nutrient-dense feeds formulated to provide a concentrated source of vitamins, minerals, and quality protein to balance the diet alongside a negligible level of energy (calories).
Looking For Feeding Advice?
At Redpost Equestrian we stock a huge range of horse feeds and supplements. We are always happy to give information on the products we sell or to provide the details of specialist nutritional helplines who can advise further. We always recommend consulting with your vet for any specific dietary concerns.
You can contact our knowledgable team by emailing [email protected], calling 01803 812040, or use our Live Chat service through our website or app.
