Prepare Your Horse's Gut for Winter with NAF GastriAid

As the crisp mornings roll in and the fields turn golden, it’s time to start thinking about how the change in season affects our winter horse feeding. Autumn and winter bring their own unique challenges — from fluctuating temperatures to shorter turnout hours — and a shift in both workload and diet often follows. To help navigate these seasonal changes, our friends at NAF have shared their expert insights into feeding and supporting your horse through the colder months.

Whether your horse is living out, stabled, or a mix of both, NAF’s advice focuses on maintaining digestive health — the foundation of overall wellbeing. With thoughtful feeding practices and the right nutritional support, you can help your horse transition smoothly into the winter routine, keeping them comfortable, healthy, and ready for whatever the season brings.

The following has been written by NAF (Natural Animal Feeds)

As the days shorten and we feel that chill in the air, we are looking forward to autumn. Whether it’s fun rides, autumn hunting or simply the joys of a stubble field, for many of us it is our favourite time of year. However, we also need to consider our horse’s regime change. Whether wintering out or spending time stabled, there will be changes ahead.

Winter is often seen as a challenging time for equine health, particularly digestive stress, and there are a number of reasons for that.

Reduced water intake

Horses typically drink less over winter
Provide a salt lick to encourage drinking
A short hay soak, fed still wet, encourages intake without compromising feed quality

Dietary changes

The change from fresh grazing to preserved forages is a particular stress

Reduced exercise

Stabled horses take far fewer steps, which compromises gut health

Environmental stressors

Severe weather may mean a short-term change of plan, and any sudden change can upset gut stability

The season this year is likely to be particularly challenging, with widespread reports of forage shortages following the summer drought conditions over much of England. We recommend securing your winter forage source as soon as possible. If necessary, consider partial forage replacers, such as chaffs, grass nuts or mixing good quality clean straw into their hay or haylage.

NAF Five Star GastriAid

By supplementing with daily digestive support from NAF Five Star GastriAid we can help maintain healthy digestion right along their digestive tract, from teeth to tail! GastriAid is a unique complex of key actives working in synergy right along the digestive tract.

Only NAF GastriAid provides all of the following in one hard-working complex, to support your horses’ digestive function from all angles.

NAF GastriAid provides:

Prebiotics, live probiotic yeast, postbiotic metabolites for a healthy microbiome
Psyllium husks and L-Glutamine working for the health and integrity of the mucosal lining
Natural bentonite clay who’s large surface absorbs excesses and toxins to harmlessly maintain a clean gut
Sodium and calcium carbonate supporting a natural pH balance in the stomach

GastriAid can be introduced to the daily diet as you prepare to change your horse to his winter regime, continuing daily through autumn and winter.

Remember to feed little and often, ideally alongside trickle feeding forage, to avoid their gut becoming overwhelmed and challenged. Any concentrate feeds should be split between multiple small feeds, and we recommend also splitting their GastriAid between three feeds a day.

One of those feeds can be the small pre-exercise high-fibre feed recommended to provide a protective gastric mat in the stomach whilst exercising. Remember, it is imperative that the pre-exercise feed is small and fibrous, as we should avoid exercising directly after concentrate feeds.

By following a few simple rules we can help ensure our horses, and their digestive tract’s, stay happy and healthy through autumn and into winter.

Winter Horse Feeding Tips

Make changes gradually
Stay forage focused
Split concentrates between meals
Ensure clean, fresh water is always available
Feed to work done, and monitor regularly for changes
Feed NAF Five Star GastriAid daily, split between meals

As the colder months approach, careful planning around winter horse feeding can make a real difference to your horse’s comfort and condition. The experts at NAF understand that digestive health is key to overall wellbeing, especially when grazing decreases and routines change. That’s why they’ve developed NAF Five Star GastriAid — an advanced equine digestive supplement designed to maintain a healthy gut and support horses through seasonal transitions.

With its unique blend of prebiotics, probiotics, and natural buffering ingredients, GastriAid helps promote balance throughout the digestive tract, ensuring your horse stays happy and healthy all winter long.

You can find NAF Five Star GastriAid, along with the full NAF supplement range, right here at Redpost Equestrian — your trusted source for expert advice and quality products to support your horse this season and beyond.

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