Weight Gain and Condition
Some horses do not maintain their bodyweight easily and it can prove a real challenge to keep them at the perfect weight. Whilst all of your horse’s ribs shouldn’t visible, it should be possible to easily feel them if you run your hand along their side. More information on feeding the poor doer can be found here.
The top line of your horse follows their silhouette, along their neck, over their shoulders, back and quarters. A well-defined, muscular top line develops in response to working correctly with an appropriate diet supplying quality protein also known as essential amino acids. Alfalfa provides the quality protein essential for improving top line, muscle condition and repair and is also a high quality fibre that can help build condition. Naturally low in sugar and starch, alfalfa is a great way to provide energy for work and condition without resulting in over-exuberant behaviour.
Our guide below explains the benefits of the conditioning fibre feeds in the Dengie range.
Alfa-A Oil
- 12.5 MJ/kg Digestible Energy
- 4.5% sugar
- 2% starch
- The highest calorie option from the Dengie range, supplying a comparable energy level to a competition or conditioning mix or cube, but with 10x less starch
- An ideal choice for horses who struggle to maintain weight
- Naturally low in sugar and starch with no added molasses
- Approved by BETA for horses and ponies prone to Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome
Click here to learn more about Dengie Alfa-A Oil.
Performance Fibre
- 12 MJ/kg Digestible Energy
- 12% sugar
- 1.5% starch
- A blend of soft, highly digestible fibres with a high oil level – perfect for supporting weight and condition
- The light molasses coating and added spearmint oil make this the ideal feed for encouraging fussy feeders
- Approved by BETA for horses and ponies prone to Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome
Click here to learn more about Dengie Performance Fibre.
Healthy Tummy
- 11.5 MJ/kg Digestible Energy
- 4.5% sugar
- 2% starch
- A nutritionally balanced fibre feed based on alfalfa with high specification ingredients to promote gut health – when fed to recommended levels, there’s no need to add a balancer
- A tasty herbal blend aids palatability whilst a light rapeseed oil coating has been included for slow-release energy and coat shine
- Approved by BETA for horses and ponies prone to Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome
Click here to learn more about Dengie Healthy Tummy.
Alfa-A Molasses Free
- 11.5 MJ/kg Digestible Energy
- 4.5% sugar
- 2% starch
- An ideal option for horses in work or for those needing to gain weight
- Pure alfalfa – helps to support gastric and digestive health
- Mint, fenugreek and added alfalfa pellets are perfect for tempting fussy feeders
Click here to learn more about Dengie Alfa-A Molasses Free.
Meadow Grass with Herbs & Oil
- 5 MJ/kg Digestible Energy
- 12% sugar
- 2% starch
- A blend of chopped and pelleted meadow grasses with a rapeseed oil coating supplying additional calories and a unique blend of herbs to aid palatability
- Soft and easy-to-chew, making it perfect for veterans, youngstock or horses with poor teeth
Click here to learn more about Dengie Meadow Grass with Herbs & Oil.
Cool, Condition & Shine
- 11 MJ/kg Digestible Energy
- 10% sugar
- 2% starch
- A high-fibre fusion of soft, chopped and pelleted fibre with a high oil content for supporting weight and condition
- A spearmint oil and light molasses coating help to tempt the fussiest of feeders
- Nutritionally balanced when fed at the recommended rate – no need to add a mix, cube or balancer
Click here to learn more about Dengie Cool, Condition & Shine.
Alfa-Beet
- 10.5 MJ/kg Digestible Energy
- 5% sugar
- 2% starch
- A high-fibre, low sugar and starch conditioning feed
- The combination of alfalfa and unmolassed sugar beet pulp provides ‘slow release’ energy in the form of highly digestible fibre
- Must be soaked before feeding – ideal for aiding hydration and recovery
Click here to learn more about Dengie Alfa-Beet.
Feeding Fibre For Condition – Latest Advice:
- Feed your horse little and often
- Choose conditioning feeds high in fibre and low in starch
- Ensure hay or haylage is of good quality – sweet-smelling, free from dust or mould spores
- Feed forage to appetite so there is always plenty available
- Feed your horse a digestive aid supplement containing prebiotics and yeast culture to encourage efficient fibre digestion in the hind gut
- Make sure vitamin and mineral requirements are being met. If necessary, top up with a broad-spectrum supplement or a balancer
If you would like the Dengie nutrition team to review your horse or pony’s diet and help you select the most appropriate conditioning feed, get in touch by calling us on 01621 841 188 or by completing our feed advice form.
Frequently Asked Questions
My horse has 3 big buckets of feed a day – is this too much?
The answer to this is it depends on what is in the bucket! If you are using a chopped fibre feed such as Alfa-A Oil then it is very voluminous and so a bucketful is probably about 1.5kgs (check this number!). The key thing is also that it is a high fibre feed and so can be thought of in the same way as forage – you wouldn’t be worried about feeding a bucketful of hay. High fibre feeds don’t overload the digestive system in the same way that cereal based feeds can and so it is perfectly acceptable to feed them in bigger quantities in one bucket. In fact, if your horse spends all night eating a big bucket of chopped fibre, it is a much more natural way to feed than giving a small meal of cereals. Horses would spend 16-18 hours a day grazing and the more we can replicate this in the stable the better.
With cereal based feeds, giving more than 1.5kgs in each feed is likely to reduce the efficiency with which the nutrients are absorbed and increases the risk of digestive upsets. It is far better to introduce a 4th feed than carry on with 3 large meals.
How can a hay replacer be used to help with weight gain?
On average hay provides approximately 8MJ/kg of digestible energy. For a 500kg horse stabled overnight they would typically consume 5-6kg of hay providing 40-48MJ. If they struggle to eat this amount they miss out on a large amount of energy which tends to result in weight loss. Providing an alternative to long stem forage will therefore help the horse to gain weight and also provide fibre that is vital for digestive health. Chopped fibre feeds including Dengie Hi-Fi Senior combined with soaked fibre products such as Dengie Alfa-Beet or Grass Pellets provide a high quality forage replacement. For more information on Dengie forage replacers and how to use them please read our hay and haylage replacers page.
What are the best types of fibre for weight gain?
How useful a fibre source is to the horse in terms of weight gain or energy provision depends on its digestibility. There are many factors that affect digestibility including the type of plant, environmental conditions during growth and particularly the age of the plant when harvested. The more mature a plant is when it is harvested the more fibre it will contain and the less digestible it will be. Straw and late cut hay that feels coarse in the hand are examples of fibre sources with low digestibility. Whilst these types of fibre can be great for helping to manage the weight of good do-ers they won’t be as useful to the horse that needs to gain weight. Examples of fibre types with higher digestibility include early cut, soft leafy hay, haylage, grass, alfalfa and sugar beet. For horses that need to gain weight we should therefore focus on using these types of fibre. Dengie Alfa-A Oil which combines alfalfa with a rapeseed oil coating has as much energy as a conditioning mix/cube for example, but is based on entirely slow-release energy sources.
My horse’s weight is ok – I just want them to look great
To build topline a horse needs to be a healthy weight, have sufficient good quality protein in the diet and be exercised at an intensity sufficient to build muscle. Good do-ers on restricted rations to manage their weight may lack good quality protein in their diet. This is easily rectified with the addition of a feed balancer which not only supplies a broad-spectrum of vitamins and minerals but good quality protein as well. For poor do-ers, consuming the recommended amount of a fortified feed will supply what they need.
A balanced diet is also key for skin, coat and hoof condition but there are key ingredients that can help with that show condition. Linseed will help to promote super coat shine due to its high oil level, and additives such as biotin when fed at quantities of at least 15mg for a 500kg horse are also great for skin, coat and hoof condition.