GAIN The Advantage

Overweight horses and ponies tend to be more lethargic and lacking energy particularly in warmer weather. If the horse is sound and healthy, increase exercise slowly to improve general fitness and at the same time gradually reduce calorie intake from feed, until the horses optimum weight is achieved. Ensure vitamin and mineral intake is maintained at the same time, by feeding a balancer such as GAIN Opti care. The horses “energy” should naturally increase as excess weight is slowly lost.

Suggested feed: GAIN Opticare Balancer

Horses that are underweight are often lacking “energy” but when calories from the feed are increased (particularly from higher starch cereal based feeds) they can become too excitable. Therefore, when increasing feed intake for weight GAIN, choose a low or medium starch option (i.e. less than 15% starch) that provides more calories as fibre and fat rather than soluble carbohydrates from cereal grains.

Suggested feed: GAIN Freedom Mix or GAIN Freedom Cubes

Increase calories by increasing the amount of feed and forage, if this doesn’t work then a feed that supplies more energy/calories (D.E.MJ/kg) i.e. a more energy dense feed should be fed instead. Choose a conditioning feed such as GAIN Freedom mix or cubes if the horse is prone to excitability or another feed such as GAIN Horse and Pony mix if a calm or more laid back type. Make any changes to the feed gradually.

Suggested feed: GAIN Easy Go cubes, GAIN Horse & Pony Mix

If possible, the horse should be rested with plenty of time out at pasture with other horses, on good pasture and/or hay or haylage if required. This helps horse’s psychological health, because many ex racehorses (particularly flat) have limited time out at pasture during their training and racing careers. If the horse has been out of training for some time, either resting, retired from racing or due to injury, then the diet should have already been reduced accordingly to a lower energy feed or balancer. If the horse arrives straight from training and is in good condition then good quality forage and a low starch balancer such as Opticare or a low starch feed such as Easy Go cubes will help the digestive system return to a higher forage based ration. Feeding a low starch feed to supplement the forage, should also nutritionally help reduce the risk of gastric ulcers.

Suggested feed: GAIN Easy Go Cubes, GAIN Horse & Pony Mix, GAIN Equestrian cubes, GAIN Opticare Balancer

Hunters need a feed that provides long lasting energy sources for sustained work such as from fibre and oil as well as some starch (quick release soluble carbohydrates) for bursts of energy when required.
Hunters are fit and work hard so medium to high-energy (Calorie) feeds should be suitable.
Energy is shown as D.E. MJ/kg, so choose a feed higher in Digestible Energy and oil for sustained energy release. If the hunter is prone to excitability then a higher calorie, lower starch feed is preferred such as Freedom cubes or mix.

Suggested feed: GAIN Freedom Mix or GAIN Freedom Cubes, GAIN Elite 10 Cubes, GAIN Horse & Pony Mix

Controllable energy is supplied by low to medium starch feeds with added fibre and oil sources.  Too much starch (water soluble carbohydrate) in the feed is rapidly digested to sugar and absorbed, giving horses a burst of energy and this can  make some horses more excitable and in some cases uncontrollable. This also wastes energy. In addition if too much starch is fed (i.e. more than 2.0kg of a high starch food in any one feed, then excess starch may reach the hind gut of the horse and disrupt the microbiome leading to increased risk of loose droppings, colic and laminitis

Suggested feed: GAIN Easy Go cubes, GAIN Equestrian cubes (light to medium work), GAIN Freedom Mix or GAIN Freedom Cubes, GAIN Elite 10 Cubes (medium to hard work),

Ponies prone to laminitis should be fed low sugar and starch rations. Most cases of laminitis are due to hormonal imbalances such as metabolic syndrome/insulin resistance (IR). It is important therefore to get veterinary advice before restricting rations. Most of these ponies do tend to be overweight, but in some cases they can be underweight. For overweight ponies, it is important to put them on a gradual weight loss ration. This means feeding a low calorie feed such as Opticare balancer and restricted forage, particularly pasture. Forage can be soaked to remove some sugars, but do not soak for more than 1 hour and discard water immediately. For underweight laminitic ponies, feed a low starch, higher energy ration with more energy supplied from fibre and oil such as GAIN Freedom cubes or mix.

Suggested feed: GAIN Opticare Balancer, GAIN Easy Go cubes, Freedom Mix or GAIN Freedom Cubes

This depends upon the quantity of mix or cubes being fed. If feeding the recommended amount daily then further vitamin/mineral support from a balancer should not be required. However if feeding much less for whatever reason, a smaller amount of balancer should be added. For example if feeding half the recommended amount of mix or cubes add a balancer at one third to one half of the recommended daily amount only.

Suggested feed: GAIN Opticare Balancer

Food allergy in horses is rare and finding sources of these food allergies is notoriously difficult, in fact it is not unusual for a horse with no known allergies to react to at least some of the allergens on an allergy test panel.  Feed allergies are also known as “Food Hypersensitivities”. Horses and ponies should be tested by veterinary dermatologists who are local to the area where the horses live to ensure they are tested for the most commonly encountered allergens in that area. Horses with a food allergy are likely to show soft raised lumps and wheals (urticaria) all over their body and this should not be confused with contact allergies in certain places e.g.under a rug or saddle where contact allergies may have occurred. When it comes to food intolerance, it is thought this does not exist in horses as it does in humans. Changes in behaviour are sometimes attributed to feed intolerance in horses.

Horses that are prone to ulcers (EGUS) should be fed plenty of long stem forage to encourage chewing as each chew produces saliva. Saliva contains substances which help to neutralise or buffer the stomach acid. In addition a low starch feed can be fed such as  Easy Go cubes, Freedom mix or cubes or Opticare Balancer.

Horses showing symptoms of ulcers should be checked by the vet as appropriate treatment may be     required.

Suggested feed: GAIN Opticare Balancer, GAIN Easy Go cubes, Freedom Mix or GAIN Freedom Cubes

Horses on box rest should be fed low starch feeds and plenty of good quality forage. This helps reduce the risk of muscular problems caused by high or continued intakes of soluble carbohydrates such as cereal starch. Horses on box rest are not working and so will need less feed than normal, but they are also commonly recovering from illness or injury and so need nutrients to help repair tissues and nutritionally aid recovery. If horses and ponies are holding their condition on good quality forage alone then feeding a balancer such as Opticare will help support important nutrient intake for repair and recovery. If horses need extra calories as they have lost weight, Easy Go cubes or Freedom mix or cubes will help horses that need to slowly gain condition too.

Suggested feed: GAIN Opticare Balancer, GAIN Easy Go cubes, Freedom Mix or GAIN Freedom Cubes

Metabolic changes occur in horses and ponies with liver toxicity/insufficiency. Adequate energy and protein intake is important to preserve body fat stores and protein in the body and so any type of fasting should be avoided. Providing a balanced diet with  enough energy (calories) and protein will help to prevent catabolism (tissue breakdown).   Free access to good quality pasture and supplementary hay/haylage if required is important as is more frequent smaller concentrate feeds if possible, which helps prevent breakdown of tissues and supports energy sources. Feeding a good quality compound feed which will also supply good levels of micronutrients in particular fat soluble vitamins, zinc  and quality amino acids is ideal.

Choosing a  higher cereal starch feed which will supply readily available starch/glucose in addition to pasture and good quality hay or haylage will help to support liver function. Dietary protein restriction is now thought to be inappropriate, that being said high protein intakes in excess of requirements should be avoided.

Suggested feed: GAIN Elite 10 Cubes, GAIN MaxPower Cubes or GAIN Sustain Plus Mix

Metabolic changes occur in horses and ponies with liver toxicity/insufficiency. Adequate energy and protein intake is important to preserve body fat stores and protein in the body and so any type of fasting should be avoided. Providing a balanced diet with  enough energy (calories) and protein will help to prevent catabolism (tissue breakdown).   Free access to good quality pasture and supplementary hay/haylage if required is important as is more frequent smaller concentrate feeds if possible, which helps prevent breakdown of tissues and supports energy sources. Feeding a good quality compound feed which will also supply good levels of micronutrients in particular fat soluble vitamins, zinc  and quality amino acids is ideal.

Choosing a  higher cereal starch feed which will supply readily available starch/glucose in addition to pasture and good quality hay or haylage will help to support liver function. Dietary protein restriction is now thought to be inappropriate, that being said high protein intakes in excess of requirements should be avoided.

Suggested feed: GAIN Elite 10 Cubes, GAIN MaxPower Cubes or GAIN Sustain Plus Mix

Overtopped foals have an oversupply of calories (energy) from mares milk, good pasture/forage and possibly additional high cereal starch compound feed.  Overtopped foals will put more weight on their immature joints/skeleton and this can quickly develop into Developmental Orthopaedic Disease (DOD) which encompasses a range of growth related problems. DOD includes physitis, wobbler syndrome, angular or flexural limb deformities and Osteochondritis Dissecans (OCD). To help reduce the risk of DOD, overtopped foals should be watched carefully and high starch feeds removed. Continual nutritional support of growth and development should be maintained by feeding an appropriate balancer such as GAIN Stud Care 32 which will provide important nutrients for growth and development  without over supply of energy.

Suggested feed: GAIN Stud Care 32 or GAIN Opticare Balancer

No feed will provide topline on its own, building topline  requires hard work with specific and appropriate exercises to build the muscle into the correct shape along the neck and the back. The most important  nutrient for building a horse’s topline is protein, specifically high quality protein with important essential amino acids. This can be achieved by feeding a good quality forage with an appropriate choice of feed.  It is important to differentiate between a fat crusty neck and topline with well toned muscle.

For horses in good condition this may be a balancer such as GAIN Opticare. For horses in harder work, then GAIN Maxpower cube of Competition mix may be fed. If horses are excitable or need a lower starch feed, GAIN Freedom mix or cubes will provide the nutrients required.

Suggested feed: GAIN Opticare Balancer, GAIN Maxpower Cubes, GAIN Freedom Mix or GAIN Freedom Cubes

GAIN manufacture several low starch feeds for those horses and ponies requiring these feeds fo many reasons such as gastric ulcers, laminitis, digestive issues, muscular problems etc.  A low starch feed should supply no more than 15% starch and ideally lower than this at 8-10%.  Appropriate feeds for horses and ponies maintaining condition are GAIN Opticare balancer or  GAIN Easy Go Cubes. If horses are working harder or need more calories then GAIN Freedom mix or cubes are ideal.

Suggested feed: GAIN Opticare Balancer, GAIN Easy Go cubes, Freedom Mix or GAIN Freedom Cubes

Retired horses that are in good health and with good dentition do not suddenly require a change of their regular feeding programme if it is suiting them.

However there will come a time when the veteran horses dentition is compromised which will result in weight loss if not addressed. Good quality fibre from forage is essential and older horses may struggle to chew and break down forage such as harder long stem hay.

Ideally therefore,  older horses should have daily access to pasture as grass is easily chewed and digested, and even horses with poor dentition can do reasonably well during the spring and summer when given plenty of access to grazing, unless the horse has damaged/missing  incisor teeth.

Old Horses with poor dentition will need softer, soaked feed with chaff/fibre cubes added and beet pulp which is excellent for the digestive tract. For horses and older ponies in good condition a balancer can be added to the mash or for those needing more calories a higher calorie feed such as GAIN Freedom cubes/mix or Max Power can be added.

Suggested feed: GAIN Opticare Balancer, Freedom Mix or GAIN Freedom Cubes

There is no doubt that horses have different responses to the same feed ingredients. However, feeds high in cereal starch such as those containing oats, maize and barley tend to result in excitability in some horses. It is thought that the rapid digestion of cereal starch into glucose produces rapid high blood sugar spikes which may make some horses more skittish and excitable. If this is the case then low starch feeds are preferred which should help them remain more calm and level headed. It is important to know that some horses are naturally more excitable and changing to a low starch feed will make little if any difference.   Horses and ponies that have been undernourished for a time and then fed properly can often be more excitable as they feel better as can horses that are becoming much fitter through increased work.  Protein however does not make horses excitable.

Low starch feeds available from GAIN include Opticare, Freedom mix/cubes, GAIN Easy Go cubes

Suggested feed: GAIN Opticare Balancer, GAIN Easy Go cubes, Freedom Mix or GAIN Freedom Cubes