By the time you read this we will, hopefully, be having weather more akin that expected at this time of year.

Currently, it is snowing yet again, but at least the sun is shining in between the showers and I think I detect an air of spring on the horizon!

Spring is a transition period for us and our equine friends – we all look forward to more turn out, more riding and less money spent on hay and bedding.

An element of caution is required, however, and the following pointers can help to make this transition a smooth one for you and your horse.

Current condition

As we head into spring it is worth standing back and having a good look at your horse.

Firstly, assess his current body condition, has he lost or gained condition over the winter and does he need to be on a diet or will he need extra feeding to sustain him for the work that you intend to do?

Assess how much work your horse will be doing over the summer months and devise a fitness plan accordingly. Be honest about the amount of work that your horse does.

Increased workload?

It is common for horse's workloads to increase during the spring months, so with any poor doers look out for loss of condition.

You may need to increase their feeding as any fitness work steps up to prevent any excessive weight loss. Conversely any horse that needs to lose weight should not be given extra hard feed for exercise as it will just be used to lay down more fat.

Use the extra exercise as an aid to weight loss. Once the grass is at its lushest you may need to re-adjust your feeding for both poor and good doers.

Grazing for good doers will certainly need to be restricted (see later). It is important to monitor the weight and body condition score of your horse, especially if their work level is increasing.

During the fittening period a good quality, high oil, high fibre horse and pony nut or a balancer pellet fed in conjunction with a quality chaff, will fulfil the majority of horse's needs, without incurring problems with fizziness. Please avoid competition feeds unless your horse is in hard work and needs more energy.

Any excess energy will lead to fizziness or excess weight gain depending on your horse's temperament/constitution. When selecting an appropriate feed for your horse always ask the question: "Is my horse working hard or hardly working"?

Good doers beware

For some, the arrival of Dr Green is very welcome, for others this is not the case.

If your horse is a good-doer or prone to laminitis you should be restricting grazing already and supplementing with hay (preferably soaked if dealing with a 'fatty' or laminitic).

Keep an eye on condition and weight by using a weigh tape and body condition scoring (BCS) once a fortnight.

This means that you can make the necessary adjustments sooner rather than later. Use strip grazing, grazing muzzles, 'starvation' paddocks and/or restrict to grazing at night only, depending on what best suits your system and horse.

Vitamins and minerals

The grass kept horse still needs vitamins and minerals. Grass, even when lush, is lacking in key trace elements.

If your horse is being fed very little or no hard feed, make sure that his requirements are still met by feeding a powdered vitamin and mineral along with a handful of chaff or by offering a mineral lick in the field.

Fibre

Fibre can be severely lacking in lush spring grass and this is a major change for the horse's digestive system to cope with, especially if he has been on mostly hay/haylage all winter.

Continue to offer hay in the field or bring them in for a few hours every day to allow them the chance to eat some hay, this will keep the fibre levels in their diet up, thus protecting the fragile hind-gut environment.

Any disruption to this environment kills off the 'good' bugs and can lead to such nasty conditions as colic and laminitis.

Continuing to feed hay during the grazing season is also listed as one of the factors for helping to protect against grass sickness.

Harbro Limited

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