The Blue Cross helps with winter weight watching at Blenheim

The Blue Cross helps with winter weight watching at Blenheim The Blue Cross will be providing winter weight management tips for horse and pony owners at Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials this week as part of its Fat Horse Slim campaign. The national initiative was launched by the charity earlier this year to tackle the increasing problem of equine obesity. "It's important to remember your weight management regime in the winter as well as in the summer," says Rosie Mogford, equine welfare education officer for The Blue Cross. "Wild horses naturally lose weight in the winter but domesticated horses can do the opposite, often through the overuse of rugs, stabling and hard feed.

By managing the natural process of weight loss in the winter, there will be less need to restrict feed and grazing come spring -making for a happier horse."

The Blue Cross suggests the following ideas to help you to keep your horse or pony in good shape this winter:

• With good shelter and somewhere well drained to stand, many horses should be able to stay out day and night to use extra energy, especially if they do little or no work.
• British winters are rarely cold enough to cause adversity. With regular monitoring it is easy to ensure that the horse's health is not put in danger by losing too much weight. A good doer will easily put the weight back on if he loses a bit too much in a cold snap.
• If your horse isn't being ridden and has shelter he shouldn't need a rug. Horses will burn off fat to keep warm just as nature intended and still eat hay and grass, which is much nicer than having their food severely restricted.
• Remember it is worse for horses to be over-heated in rugs than to be cold. Also, rugs can fit poorly, rub, rip, they need more maintenance and you always need a spare.
• Thoroughbreds and old horses may need to be rugged, stabled or have extra feed - but be careful they do not gain extra weight each year.  An old horse should not carry too many extra kilos.
• Remember that very cold weather in the winter and very dry weather in the summer will stop the grass growing and the older or underweight horse will need extra nutrition.
• As soon as the grass starts to grow in the spring and when it has a second flush in the autumn, those prone to laminitis should be taken off the grass and most native ponies and cobs will need to have their grazing restricted.

Katie Williams MSc R Nutr, from Dengie adds: "Feeding plenty of fibre in the winter is important not only for maintaining normal gut function but also for keeping the horse warm. When fibre is broken down heat is produced - literally providing central heating for the horse. When snow or frost cover the grass, alternative sources of fibre are required. For good doers, straw based fibre feeds are ideal as they don't contain too many additional calories. In addition to fibre, vitamins and minerals are required to help keep your horse or pony healthy. These can be supplied without having to significantly increase energy intake by using a low sugar lick, broad spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement or a balancer. "

The Blue Cross Fat Horse Slim campaign was launched earlier this year when the charity revealed that 40% of all horses and ponies taken in by its equine centres last year were overweight.  It is backed by several leading riders, including Blenheim competitors Mary King and William Fox-Pitt.

A Fat Horse Slim weight management pack, sponsored by Dengie, provides advice on how to condition score your horse and how to manage weight loss safely and effectively at all times of year. It includes a 28-page Blue Cross guide; a Shires weigh tape; calculator; body condition score guide; wall chart for recording weight changes over time; and vouchers for free and discounted Shires and Dengie products.

The pack is available to purchase on The Blue Cross stand 54, opposite the Blenheim arena, at the special show price of £5 (usually £8). Alternatively visit www.fathorseslim.org.uk or call 0845 230 1672 to order a pack. Proceeds from the packs will support the The Blue Cross's work helping animals in need.

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