{"id":9536,"date":"2024-10-30T10:49:32","date_gmt":"2024-10-30T10:49:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/redp\/?p=9536"},"modified":"2025-01-03T12:50:22","modified_gmt":"2025-01-03T12:50:22","slug":"get-your-horse-gut-ready-for-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/redp\/get-your-horse-gut-ready-for-winter\/","title":{"rendered":"Get your Horse ‘Gut Ready’ for Winter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The following is written by Kate Hore RNutr(Animal) R.Anim.Technol (Cert). Head Nutritionist at NAF<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dark days, cold weather and winter is upon us.  Inevitably this means changes for our horses, both in terms of diet and \u2013 often \u2013 routine too.  As any change can disrupt the balance of the digestive tract microbiome, it is worth being aware and ensuring we take the right steps to keep our horses gut happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Forage Changes \u2013 Know What You\u2019re Feeding<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the year, forage as long fibres should be the basis of the diet.  For any horse, general advice is to not drop below 1% of bodyweight (BW) as forage, as a minimum for gut health. Remember that guide is for dry matter (DM) forage, so it is important to weigh your forage and take into account its moisture content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, a 500kg horse should have a minimum<\/em> of 5kg DM forage, but that might mean up to 10kg of haylage in the net for a relatively wet haylage (50% moisture).  Increasingly, we see much drier haylage\u2019s produced, so check with your supplier and make sure you know what you are feeding.  If feeding hay, around 90% DM is typical, so that 5kg DM relates to 5.5kg as fed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What winter forage lacks, whether stabled at night or wintering out, is much input from the grass.  Grass growth stops when the soil temperature drops below 5o<\/sup>C, so very little nutrition is coming from their grazing, this results in a greater reliance on preserved forages. Grazing conditions may influence gut health through winter too.  In very wet conditions, we find the intake of wet grass can disrupt gut balance, which may be seen as a change in the consistency or number of your horse\u2019s droppings, or water passed alongside normal faeces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winter Stabling<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For many, winter means longer time spent in the stable for our horses. Stabling can be an essential and practical part of winter management for some, but it does bring its own digestive challenges.  The horse\u2019s gut evolved to work most efficiently when grazing for around 16-18 hours per day – eating, walking, eating, walking \u2013 repeat.  Therefore, even for horses on ad lib forage the stable still challenges gut health by hugely reducing step count.  We need to encourage horses to continue to move in the box.  Think about splitting forage, positioning feeders or nets across the box from each other, with water and salt lick in the other corners to encourage natural movement.  Try to maintain turnout as much as possible where fields are in good condition, or if access to a turnout paddock is possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GastriAid for Gut Maintenance<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Winter sees increasing challenges for the gut. \u00a0Therefore, whether tucked up in a stable or wintering out, feeding NAF Five Star GastriAid<\/a> daily is advised to help maintain a healthy digestive tract in all horses and ponies. NAF Five Star GastriAid combines herbs for mucosal health and natural rate of passage, with digestive \u2018mopper-uppers\u2019 like bentonite clay, and NAF BioG \u2013 our unique combination of prebiotics, probiotic yeast and new postbiotics, working in synergy for total tract health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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NAF GastriAid for Total Gut Health<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n