Dengie continues Remus support

The horses, ponies and donkeys at the sanctuary had an early Christmas present this December when Dengie Horse Feeds made a donation of their Natural Vitality Senior Vits & Mins and Natural Vitality Coat & Hoof feed supplements. Dengie Equine Nutritionist Tracey Hammond has been working closely with the staff at the sanctuary for three years now and also spoke at the ‘Elderly Horse Awareness Day’ earlier in the year at Ingatestone Hall.

Tracey has given specific feeding advice for many of the horses and ponies at the sanctuary but in particular she has given advice on suitable forage alternatives for the older horses and ponies that can no longer manage hay. This advice, that included using a combination of Dengie Hi-Fi Senior alongside soaked sugar beet, has made a real difference and many of these older horses and ponies can be heard contentedly ‘slurping’ their feed and are now managing to maintain their bodyweight with ease.

With such a diverse range of horses, ponies and donkeys here at the sanctuary, Remus has also been able to help Dengie in trialling different types of feeds and the horses and ponies even took part in a Dengie funded study last year conducted by Writtle College student  and Remus supporter Tracey Mann. The study investigated the effects of various fibre sources on total feed intake in horses and ponies with dental problems and the results will benefit many older horses and ponies.

Marigold (pictured) is just one of several donkeys at the sanctuary. Marigold who has been at the sanctuary for 18 years is now in her twenties and suffers from Cushing’s, laminitis and arthritis. Marigold is fed a diet that includes Dengie Alfa-A Lite and is just one of the many occupants of Remus that will benefit from the addition of Dengie’s Natural Vitality Senior Vits & Mins and Natural Vitality Coat & Hoof to the ration.
This year saw the launch of the Remus Elderly Horse Awareness Campaignthat aims to raise awareness of the care and maintenance of the elderly horse including dispelling the adage of an old horse equals a skinny horse. Here are just some of Tracey’s top tips for feeding the older horse or pony: -

• Evaluate bodyweight and condition regularly so that a sudden change  can be spotted quickly and appropriate changes to the ration can be made
  
  
• Research suggests that as horses and ponies age they are less efficient at utilising certain nutrients and therefore it is important to ensure a good balanced ration. If your older horse is on a fibre only diet, or receives less than recommended of a feed with added vitamins and mineral then top up with a broad-spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement such as Natural Vitality Senior Vits & Mins.
  
  
• Make sure that your older horse or pony can manage all of their feed including grass. Quidding, a term used when a horse drops partially chewed feed from its mouth, is a sure sign that the horse is struggling to manage a feed due to poor dental condition.
  
  
• Appropriate fibre intake is vital for digestive health and can also help your horse to maintain weight. If your older horse or pony has started to struggle with long stem forage it is time to look for an alternative and a short chopped fibre feeds such as Dengie Hi-Fi Senior is often the next step.
  
  
• Soaking short chop products with Dengie Alfa-Beet can make them even easier for the older horse or pony to chew, but if your older horse or pony can no longer manage short chop fibre feeds then soaked Alfa-Beet and High Fibre Cubes can be used as a forage alternative.

• If your older horse or pony has laminitis, Cushing’s disease or liver disease they often require a specialised diet so it is worth speaking to the experts. Contact the Dengie Feedline 0845 345 5115 or www.dengie.com for advice.