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Equine Health- Temperament &
Workload |
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Now you know your horse’s
weight, there a few other
points to consider before
you choose what and how much
to feed.
Workload
People often misconceive
what level of work their
horse is in, below is a
table breaking down workload
to give you a better idea of
what level your horse is
currently at.
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Maintenance/ Very
light work |
At grass or rest/
ridden once or twice
a week |
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Light |
Hacking up to four
to six times a week,
including canter
work and occasional
show jumping
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Medium |
Affiliated jumping,
dressage- schooling
six days a week |
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Hard Work |
Racehorse/ advanced
eventer/ endurance
riding- over 70
miles |
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Feeding cannot change your
horse’s natural temperament
and behaviour, although
feeding the wrong product or
too much of it can
exaggerate excitable
behaviour and even encourage
laziness! It certainly can’t
change a laid back good doer
into a Thoroughbred!
Providing the right type of
energy is key to enhancing
your horse’s performance and
minimising unwanted
behaviour. Energy is
discussed in detail later on
in this section. |
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How your horse lives and is
managed also plays a role in
what you feed. You need to
ask yourself a few
questions, such as:
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Is your grazing good
or poor? – Poor
quality grazing
might mean you need
to supplement your
horse’s fibre
intake. Even good
quality spring and
summer grazing will
not provide optimal
levels of essential
minerals, (Jones,
Lax and Hollands,
2005). |
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What quality is your
forage? - Even with
good quality hay
important vitamins
and minerals may be
missing from the
diet |
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Is your horse
stabled or turned
out during winter
and does your horse
wear a rug? – The
weather can play a
large part in how
your horse holds his
weight and therefore
affects what you
feed. |
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What is your yard
like, quiet or busy?
– A busy, noisy yard
with no routine can
upset an excitable
or nervous horse,
disrupting feeding
and causing fretting
which in turn leads
to weight loss. |
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