THERE are many horse owners in the Southern Downs facing the extreme dry, and now the prospect of a very cold winter, who are starting to think about winter feeding.

Winter puts extra demands on your horse to stay warm and day-to-day activities can require more energy than is needed in warmer months.

Cold winds or damp weather mean your horse's body has to work much harder to keep warm.

No doubt you have noticed that when it is cold and wet horses spend much of their time with their bums into the wind, and don't spend the normal 14-18 hours per day grazing. Any horse can lose weight under these conditions.

It is very important that you monitor your horse's condition to ensure they are getting enough roughage in their diets in winter.

The average 500kg horse needs at least 1.5per cent of body weight in forage each day and that is 7.5kg of hay and chaff or about four biscuits of hay or 25 litres of chaff.

Hay and chaff have the added bonus of creating heat in the hind gut as it is digested and a couple of extra biscuits of hay on really cold days will help your horse to stay warm.

This is much better than giving a warm feed of mash, which only warms his mouth and very small stomach.

It may be worth considering allowing free access to good quality hay, especially if your horse tends to drop weight in winter.

Free access to a large round bale or giving a couple of regular bales broken into eight or nine piles around the paddock will be enough to keep five or six horses busily eating all day and will help keep them warm.

If your equine friend tends to get a little too rounded or gorges himself greedily whenever the opportunity presents itself, then just stick to the 1.5 per cent of body weight amount of good quality hay.

Adequate shelter from driving wind and rain will also help to retain heat and keep your horse snug and happy.

Fatty

If your horse does well on a small amount of feed then you may not need to increase his feed at all.

If you cannot ride as often or you have to keep your horse indoors, you may actually need to reduce the hard feed consumption.

Cut the hard feed in half and just give a little extra hay.

This can help prevent some of the problems associated with overfeeding such as behaviour changes, ulcers, laminitis, tying up and colic.

Skinny

Thoroughbreds and older horses can often be poor doers and may fade away in the winter. If this is your horse, you've got some work to do or perhaps you have already changed the diet in anticipation of colder weather.

If you have noted the weight falling away and you need to increase the feed ration, then hay and forage is best.

Good quality forage is the safest and most natural feed you can give your horse.

Extra hay is far better for their digestive system than feeding too many grains.

If your horse is working hard in winter or is a particularly poor doer, then you may need to feed some grain or hard feed in addition to forage.

There are some very good, well formulated complete feeds available that take all the "brainwork” out of using these feeds.

Do your homework and choose one that is designed for the type of horse you have and the work you are doing, as well as the temperament and age of your horse.

Feed it at the recommended levels, but if you are unsure, discuss your needs with your feed supplier or veterinarian.

Tips for every horse owner

Winter has some advantages for horse owners in that there are fewer flies and cool afternoon rides are a welcome relief, but there are some general tips that everyone should remember for good winter management.

Salt and electrolytes are just as important in winter as in summer so a salt block in the paddock is a good idea all year round, especially if you are not giving any hard feed.

Time spent on a dark winter night making up a schedule for your horse's health needs is time well spent.

Schedule your vaccinations, dental checks and worming for the next year. Winter is also a great time for checking your worming program and to check on the active ingredient in your wormer each time you worm.

This helps to make sure you remove all types of worms and are not feeding the worms rather than your horse.

While a horse doesn't need to be in show condition through the entire winter, most will enjoy a little extra TLC to ensure that they come out of winter in tip top condition. Your horse relies on you to make the appropriate changes to his management in winter so he is ready and raring to go when the warmer weather returns. After all, your horse is entirely dependent on you to ensure they remain in good health.

Good health in a favoured horse over winter is always the result of good owner care and you and your horse are the winners. Remember, though, if you have any concerns regarding your horse and how it is going over winter, contact your vet.