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Staffordshire Welfare News |
Winter Welfare |
When you mention ‘Welfare Concerns’ to anyone, usually an emaciated, dejected horse fills our thoughts. For the benefit of this article I’ll assume as a BHS member your horse is well fed and pampered, so lets look at horse welfare in a more sophisticated way.
Winter often brings with it turnout problems. Many people on livery yards are forced to keep their horse stabled for hours on end due to poached ground. A feral horse, as a herd animal, would naturally seek out company of its own kind, and be on the move, grazing for up to 20 hours a day. A domesticated horse is at the mercy of our care. The least we can do is bear in mind its inherent needs as a horse.
It has a psychological need to chew. It chews once a second, or 3,600 times per hour. If for example, you ‘maintenance feed’ a 500kg horse, equating to 2 ½% of its bodyweight, you would provide it with: |
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12.5kg food
1kg hay = 4,600 chews
12.5kg hay = 57,000 chews
This equals 16 hours of chewing. (Dr T.Hollands 2006) |
Fibre restriction compromises this need, and horses on low forage diets spend more time chewing wood. (A.Walters 2002) Horses that wood chew are at higher risk of simple obstructive and distension colics (M.Hillyer 2002).
Horses only produce saliva when they are chewing, which protects against acid in the upper stomach. So as well as being necessary for its psychological welfare, it’s necessary for physical welfare too. Consider the effect of a horse being deprived of forage to eat or companions to engage with, and ask yourself if this is entirely satisfactory. By making a few changes we can improve a horses stabled life. Why not provide stable toys, feed from a horse ball, which ensures trickle feeding and provides entertainment, and feed ad lib hay. Give a horse turnout in a schooling area if a field is off limits. Question everything you do and look at horsecare from the horse’s point of view.
Oh and don’t forget…if you feel a horse’s welfare is a concern, phone the BHS.
Wendy Webb, Staffs Welfare Officer - Email: wmwis@hotmail.co.uk |
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Ragwort Campaign |
here we are again. Here to remind you all about how important ragwort control really is!!! The BHS are currently in the midst of a Ragwort Campaign so listen up!!!!
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Ragwort is a common weed that grows throughout the British Isles. It has always been a problem but it has recently become apparent that the weed is out of control, and potentially posing a threat to the horse population.
Prevention is better than a cure!!’ is what they say and they’re right! Prevention of ragwort poisoning is the best option. Control methods for ragwort such as pulling, spraying and cutting should all be viewed as short-term methods. Maintaining or improving the quality of pasture should be the long-term priority to ensure the prevention of ragwort growth. Ragwort can be controlled. And there is no excuse for letting horses graze in infested pastures.
For more information or advice go to:
www.defra.gov.uk/rural/horses/topics/ragwort.htm or just give us a ring!! We’re here to help!
Speak soon
Your friendly welfare representatives, Wendy and Natalie |
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