How can we fix LH Folly

Luisa Wood from KER  were once again a blessing with guiding Team Joyce in the right direction in regards to feeding LH Folly properly and help us make sure she feels and looks amazing coming back into full work after 2 years out and having a foal. LH Folly was weaned from her colt foal LH Floyd only 1 month ago and will now become part of the Team Joyce showjumping team in 2013 if she is not sold when the season starts. We hard fed LH Folly and LH Floyd for 3 months out on the paddock to make sure both kept in top condition. This was easy because Barastoc and KER provide an easy mixture of pellets called Barastoc Breed and Grow, KER Equi-Jewel which have it all, you do not need to add anything! Juts scoop and feed, they love it and the top line on each of them gave a perfect body score. Each day we fed 4 kg Breed and Grow and 200g KER Equi-jewel.

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The charts above have been developed by Luisa Wood from KER . Please open them to view LH Folly’s current diet .Team Joyce noticed it was obvious that DE,Vit A,E, Lysine & Protein needed to be more balanced, as these fell below the acceptable ranges required to create a balanced diet. Team Joyce need to make minor changes to rectify this. This is where Luisa kindly advised us the small changes needed to give LH Folly a well balanced diet for competition.

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A wonderful breakdown suggested by Luisa Wood specially formulate for LH Folly

Many horses are required to switch disciplines or make ‘career changes’ throughout their lives and this always requires an evaluation of their dietary needs and some changes made to their feeding regime. In this instance Lals Haven’s ten year old Warmblood mare LH Folly was making the change from broodmare to competition horse, having just recently had her 4 and a half month old colt weaned.

Feed companies formulate feeds to suit specific disciplines and it is therefore always important to select the correct feed for what your horse is doing. Nutrient requirements for a lactating broodmare are very different from requirements of a working horse, and because of this LH Folly’s diet needed to be adjusted accordingly. Prior to her foal being weaned, LH Folly’s diet consisted of ad lib hay, 4kgs of Barastoc Breed N Grow, 200g KER Equi-Jewel and 60g of Barastoc Groom. When fed at the correct levels, Breed N Grow has been formulated to provide the correct amount of protein, vitamins and trace minerals to support a lactating mare and ensure she continues to supply milk for her growing foal. The Equi-Jewel she was also receiving is a great source of fat for an additional energy source, and the Barastoc Groom provides additional minerals to assist with coat quality. LH Folly’s diet when she was lactating is displayed here:

Now that LH Folly has had her foal weaned she is not longer lactating and therefore her nutritional requirements have changed. Although she still requires adequate levels of protein, vitamins and minerals to support a working horse, requirements for most nutrients will be slightly less than when she was producing milk for her foal. The diet designed for LH Folly when she comes into work consists of ad lib forage (grassy and oaten hay) Barastoc Equibix, Barastoc Competitor, KER Equi-Jewel, salt and electrolytes. Barastoc Equibix is a great source of fibre to improve digestive health. Barastoc Competitor has been specifically formulated to provide a balanced level of all required vitamins and minerals for a working horse and also contains beet pulp for a highly digestible energy source. KER Equi-Jewel has also been included in LH Folly’s diet as this is one of the safest and most effective ways at helping her gain and maintain condition throughout the season. Working horses also require additional salt and electrolytes to replace minerals lost through sweat and KER Restore has been recommended as it is formulated to mimic the composition of horse’s sweat so the minerals lost are replaced in the correct proportions. LH Folly’s diet for when she is coming into competition work can be seen here:

When making a transition from one feed to another, it is always important to make the changes slowly over a period of seven to ten days to allow the horse’s sensitive digestive tract to adjust to the new feed. It is always important to alter feed amounts in accordance to the hose’s body condition and workload, and LH Folly’s diet may need adjusting throughout the season. The team at KER and Barastoc wish her all the best in her new career as a showjumper.

For more information about nutrition and selecting the correct diet for your horse, contact Kentucky Equine Research.

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If you wish to read other stories of how Luisa Wood helped Team Joyce with their Performance horses

https://lalshaven.au/ker-help-wes-lh-king-arthur/