Horse care tips

On sparse autumn grazing near sycamores, give extra forage — ideally in a hay feeder away from the trees — so horses aren't tempted to forage for seeds.

If you can't clear acorns straight away, feed good-quality forage well away from the oak trees.

Feed little and often. Horses evolved to eat small amounts for 16–18 hours a day, and frequent chewing keeps saliva flowing and food moving steadily through the gut.

As a guide, most horses eat 2–2.5% of their bodyweight in feed a day, forage included. For a horse that needs to lose weight, this may drop to about 1.5%.

Change your horse's diet gradually, ideally over 10–14 days. The gut bacteria need time to adapt, and sudden changes raise the risk of colic.

Feed at the same times each day — horses thrive on routine. On DIY livery, agree a feeding rota with other liveries so someone can always cover for you.

Give each horse its own feed bowl, and keep a separate mixing utensil for any feed containing medication, to avoid cross-contamination.

Keep feed in vermin-proof bins. If it stays in the bag, raise it off the floor on pallets so it doesn't spoil.

Never feed mouldy feed or forage. Check each batch before it goes in the bucket or haynet.

Horses on hay or restricted grazing benefit from something succulent each day — apples, carrots or soaked sugar beet add moisture and interest.

Avoid exercising for about an hour after a cereal-based meal: a full stomach presses on the lungs and diverts blood away from digestion.

Let your horse eat some fibre before exercise. It helps stop stomach acid splashing onto the unprotected upper part of the stomach.

Many leisure horses don't need a concentrate at all. A vitamin and mineral supplement or a balancer alongside forage may be all they need.

Grass and hay are often short of vitamin E, copper, zinc and protein, so a broad-spectrum supplement or balancer is recommended even for good doers.

Feed mixes and cubes at the rate on the bag. Feeding less leaves your horse short of nutrients; if that rate is too many calories, a balancer may suit better.

Fibre and oil release energy slowly, which suits stamina work and horses that become excitable on cereal-based feeds.

Grass is up to 90% water. Horses living on hay or restricted grazing get far less from their food, so keep a closer eye on how much they drink.

To cut the sugar in hay, soak it in clean water for 6–12 hours, or in warm water for one hour.

For horses that are overweight, have EMS or are prone to laminitis, forage under 10–12% sugar and starch is usually safer. A forage analysis tells you what you're feeding.

Use haylage fairly quickly once a bale is opened — it keeps only while air is sealed out.

For an overweight horse, soaked hay is usually a better choice than haylage, which tends to be more digestible and higher in energy.

Clean barley or oat straw can replace part of the hay for good doers with sound teeth. Introduce it slowly, and add a balancer to cover vitamins and minerals.

Slice apples and carrots lengthways, never into rounds or cubes, to reduce the risk of choke.

Before adding a supplement, ask your vet or a qualified nutritionist whether your horse actually needs it.