This Summer the majority of us in the UK have had hot, sunny and rain free weather. Though most of us enjoy these sunny days - boosting vitamin D levels, topping up the tan and relaxing in the warmth, the hot weather is NOT ideal for the condition of our horse’s pasture! The powerful sun can bleach, weaken and dry the grass during peak summer time and it can therefore loose a big percentage of it’s nutritional value at this time of year.
During the summer most horse owners will maximise their equine’s opportunity for turn out and this can lead to the grass become sparse. Fertilising the grass in the spring can be an important measure, dependent on the land, and earlier in the summer methods like topping the field to encourage new growth can wise. But in the height of the summer the option to boost the grass are significantly reduced!
Why not section off parts of your field with electric fencing so the grazed area can be rotated, offering our equines fresher grass each week? Or potentially rest the field for a few days if rain does come to encourage new growth!
Critically if your horse or pony has lost condition as the grass levels have decreased this needs to be addressed. Their concentrate feed may need to be increased, however as forage is the most important aspect of our horse’s diet making up the difference in hard feed isn’t always the answer.
Offering good quality and ample hay in the field to supplement the grass when it has decreased in quality and quantity is absolutely essential.
In addition when the grass quality has reduced it may be beneficial to include a horse vitamin supplement in the diet to ensure our equines are receiving a balanced diet.
Vitamins and Minerals received through diet are crucial so if your pasture has diminished it is highly advisable to supply a Vitamin and Mineral Supplement such as Horse & Pony Multivitamin Supplement from Scientific Nutritional Products.
Equine Vitamins and minerals play a multitude of roles within the body including supporting the immune system, bone and teeth structure, benefiting eyesight and assisting nerve and muscle functioning and the high specification supplement from Scientific Nutritional Products is packed with over 25 beneficial ingredients.
To find out more about this supplement - ideal for boosting equine health and condition in the late summer months visit the website at www.horsesupplementsdirect.co.uk or for a bespoke enquiry, specific to your horse contact our expert nutritional advisor Peter Fishpool on Tel: 01377 254900 or FREEPHONE 0800 032 7774.
