Equimins specialises in producing natural horse supplies, products and supplements for the major areas associated with caring for a horse. All products are proudly made in the UK and excellent specification quality products are of paramount importance. Using this blog we want to share some of the knowledge we have gained through nearly 30 years of experience. 
How to keep condition in the winter
Keeping condition over the winter months does have something to do with feed, but there are a lot of other factors that influence your horse and how he ‘winters’…
- Fibre. Fibre in an essential part of the diet – not just from a nutrition point of view, but fibre also helps to keep the horse warm due to the digestive process…and this can prevent him using his calories for this.
- Temperature. If a horse is too hot, he’ll lose weight; if he’s too cold, he’ll also shed pounds! Yep, it’s a tricky balance to strike, but get your rugging right and your horse won’t need to use his reserves to keep warm or cool off.
- Shelter. If your horse is cold because he doesn’t have any shelter, he’ll have to use his fat reserves to keep warm, and this will mean a loss in weight too. A substantial hedge can provide your horse with shelter, as can a field shelter. Even if your horse is stabled at night, having access to a shelter that he can use in the day is also important.
- Stress. Horses are herd animals and creatures of habit. Keeping these two facts in mind can help reduce your horse’s stress levels day to day…and your stress levels longer term as he won’t be fretting and causing an impact on his condition. Turning him out with other horses (or at least where he can touch noses with and see other horses) can help to support his herd instinct, making sure he can see other horses from his stable and installing a stable mirror can support his herd instinct. As for routine, just do your best to maintain one – this means turning out and bringing in at the same sort of time each day, giving feeds at the
same time, etc. - Health. Horses suffering from illness will often lose condition, so if you can’t see any reason why your horse is dropping weight, calling your vet is a good idea. Making sure routine healthcare, like worming, worm counts and dental care, is up to date can help prevent many issues, but illnesses not connected to the digestive system can also cause the horse to lose condition.
- Balance. Supplying the horse with the vitamins and minerals he needs to help maintain health can make a difference, and including probiotics and prebiotics to support the gut can help even more. Consider adding a high spec balancer, like Advance Concentrate Complete to your horse’s feed. This balancer also has a money back guarantee,
so if you don’t see an improvement in your horse’s condition after using it for two months, we’ll refund your money. - Top up. If you think your horse would benefit from a few extra calories, consider adding oil, like Glow & Shine Oil, or something like Cooked Linseed. Both of these supplements provide a source of slow release energy and can work with your current feed regime.
