Horse Nutrition 101 with Prydes

As horse owners we are always endeavouring to feed our horses to best suit their needs and ensure they remain in optimum condition.  Often, due to one thing or another, our horses have a break from work and competition, then when the time comes to get back into it, we are sometimes a bit confused about how to feed them to suit the circumstances.

After discussion on the topic, we decided to consult the nutritional experts at Prydes about this important issue, which faces us all at some stage...

Horsezone:  After a break, what feed should we be giving our horses when they are coming back into competition?

Prydes: The answer to this question really depends on your horse, if it needs to gain, maintain or lose weight following its break, whether you want to feed a sweetfeed, pellet, cube or non-grain feed and what your budget is.

For horses not needing to gain or lose weight coming back into work, the easiest thing to do is choose the feed you want to feed when they are back in full work and feed this according to the feeding guidelines given on the back of the feed bags for your horse’s bodyweight when in light work. Within the Pryde’s range there are various options for equestrian horses, including EasiResult (a very tasty, medium energy sweetfeed), EasiResponse (an economical yet high energy and very good quality fully extruded cube), EasiSport (a non-grain pellet, great for horses that tie-up or get a little hot) or EasiRide(very economical, moderate energy pellet). If your horse is an easy keeper, using the Pryde’s EasiPrep Concentrate is a good option.

If your horse is coming back into work and needing to gain weight, EasiResponse is going to be your best option. In the reverse, if your horse is coming back into work and needing to lose weight, the concentrated vitamin and mineral supplement, the 300 Pellet, fed together with a very small amount of Pryde’s EasiOil will keep your horse healthy with a great coat, but energy intake will be limited to hopefully encourage some weight loss.

There are a lot of options. If you aren’t quite sure which one to use, contact us here at Pryde’s EasiFeed (http://prydes.com.au/) for a free diet analysis for your horse.

Happy Riding!