With the current health pandemic, it has resulted in show and event cancelations, racing behind closed doors and equestrian venues across the country only offering private arena hire. The uncertainty of the situation is making it difficult for horse owners and some are reducing workloads, whilst others are trying to maintain fitness with some events postponed to dates in late summer.

Reducing fitness levels – As workload reduces the calorie and energy content of the horse’s diet needs to correlate. Changes in exercise regimes will impact both cardiovascular fitness and muscular strength, this should be done over a tapering off period. Reducing the quantity of concentrated feed is one option, we recommend adding Bluegrass Stamm 30 balancer if feed quantity is reduced to help provide key nutrients. Another option is changing the product, i.e. a horse that has been on Bluegrass Hi-Performance Mix may change gradually over 10-14 days to a lower energy product such as Bluegrass Horse and Pony Range or Bluegrass Nice and Easy Range.

Maintaining Condition – A lack of exercise can mean that good doers may struggle to keep their weight down. To help, you can reduce the calorie content of their diet, provide a low-calorie balancer such as Bluegrass Stamm 30 and restrict daily intake to a minimum of 1.5% body weight per day.

Digestive Health – As with any diet, fibre is an essential part and for those horses spending more time in their stable, providing high quality forage is vital for digestive health. Fibre digestion occurs via hindgut fermentation process. The gut microbiome is a sensitive population, Bluegrass Stamm 30 balancer contains live yeast cultures designed to support the gut microbiome and ultimately enhance digestive health. The Bluegrass performance, stud and pro-range contain marine derived calcium (MDC), fortified in these feeds to provide three key benefits; promote gut health, promote gastric health and improve bone density. The NEW Bluegrass Re-Lite has been designed for horses in lower work, gut sensitivity, box rest and regular travel. Re-Lite is low in starch, high in fibre and is fortified in Stamm 30 and contains MDC.

The Bluegrass Horse Feed team are working hard to ensure manufacturing and deliveries continue as normal. We have precautions in place to help minimise the risk for our drivers and mill staff. Our dedicated nutritional team is on hand to answer any questions you may have.

For a tailored diet plan visit our online diet request form.

Useful contacts:

Bluegrass Nutritional Helpline

+44(0)28 3754 8276 or info@bluegrasshorsefeed.com

Thoroughbred Specialist

Craig Kileff

07817681538 or craig@bluegrasshorsefeed.com

Sport Horse Specialist

Conor Sheridan

353 872270515 or conor@bluegrasshorsefeed.com