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PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS for Performance Horses
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Condition & weight loss

You have probably reached this page because your horse has been losing weight and become thin.
Horses drop weight, lose condition and become thin and poor because of an inadequate supply of essential nutrients! The fat cover is used up first to meet your horse's daily energy requirement. When that is exhausted muscle gets broken down, leading in extremis to the poor example above!
HORSEHEATH  NUTRITION products have been used very successfully for many years to promote weight gain and restore lost condition to thin horses, and then maintain it, as you can see from the accompanying testimonials.
 

 

Significant weight loss will involve muscle wastage; rectification requires top quality protein, which You will find this in these HORSEHEATH products:

  • Body-Builda™,

  • Equi-Builda™,

  • LinGold™, 

  • Stud Mix,

  • Competition Mix,

  • Working Horse Mix,

  • AntiLam™

  • Full Fat Soya

  • Full Fat Cooked Linseed meal (ready to use)

Click to go to the PRODUCTS page for more details.

Causes of Equine Weight Loss

  • Human error - underfeeding!  If you aren't sure what your horse is receiving you should invest in weighing equipment - many feed merchants and tack shops stock spring balances for weighing hay nets and kitchen scales can be used for feed scoops.

  • Muscle consists of protein. Proteins consist of amino acids. All animals require a daily supply of suitable quality protein (must contain enough essential amino acids, e.g. lysine, methionine, etc) to maintain muscle and other protein.

  • Hard working or growing animals have a much greater need for good quality protein than those resting, to maintain muscle and facilitate  growth.

  • Illness suppressing appetite or impairing digestion e.g. gut tumours, colic, scour, gastric & colonic ulcers, etc.  Consult your vet.

  • Stress e.g. bullying, travelling. Stallions are notoriously prone to weight loss during the covering season.
     

  • Worn or damaged teeth preventing a horse chewing its food properly; this restricts food digestion, leading to loss of weight and dropping condition.
    .

  • Inadequate worming - serious damage can be caused to the gut, liver and blood vessels, which will cause condition and weight loss (AS ABOVE) and ultimately death. Do not omit TAPEWORM from your worming programme!
     

  • Age - A horse's digestive system will become less efficient over time. A number of veterans, including some toothless geriatrics (equine) have had their lives extended considerably with HORSEHEATH products.

Horses' natural diets are primarily grass-based; this is normally inadequate for the performance horse and so needs supplementing. HORSEHEATH NUTRITION achieves this by selecting and blending feedstuffs which centuries of experience combined with the latest scientific research tell us can be satisfactorily digested by the horse. 
 

Good quality hay/haylage  and pasture (especially spring grass) will help. Also you should check teeth, worm control and liver function (esp. older horse - consult your vet).

A horse requires a minimum of 1% of its bodyweight per day of dry fibre to keep its gut working properly. A 500 kg horse will therefore need 5.7kg (12.5lb) of hay (12% moisture content) or 8.3 kg of haylage (30% moisture). In practice it will need rather more (to satisfy its chewing urge) and can eat up to 3 - 4% of its bodyweight in fibre. A typical small hay bale weighs around 20kg/44lb; a stabled horse will normally require around 1/2 bale/day. If in doubt weigh your haynet!  Especially if you are feeding hay or haylage from large bales.

 


Beverley Brightman 

International Dressage Rider
"....we noticed an improvement within a week.....".  

Daniel Neilson - Ongar, Essex. Winner, HOYS 2008, Young Showjumper Competition - Olympia 2007, Silver Medal  Junior European Championship, Auvers, France 2007 etc.etc :  “I first experienced Horseheath products last summer when Helen West sent her High Tone Z to Katrina & Jason Moore. We were impressed by the way her horse maintained condition and even temperament on the feeds she supplied. We now use Body-Builda as the main base feed for the whole of the yard, adding EquiBuilda and/or Competition Mix depending on workload and condition. The horses all look very well & have plenty of stamina, in spite of their high workload, and remain level-headed.”
   
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Tony Clark, Newton Longeville, Bucks.
 
 THREE STAR  Event Rider

       
           February 
   
         
           June
                     

This was “Drop of Port” last February, having worried himself into a rather poor state. We changed his feed to BodyBuilda & EquiBuilda; he’s  a bit calmer and his condition has improved no end.  We have quite a number of  competition horses, several of which are prone to weight loss  - BodyBuilda is very effective in maintaining their condition.”   
 

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Case History

This Pony Mare was in foal to one of Anne Smalley’s stallions. It went very lame seven months before foaling, looked like a toast-rack and was written off by its vet. Its owner was referred to John Chapman for advice, as a result of which it reared a healthy colt foal (which later bit him!) and made a full recovery. It was fed Horseheath AntiLam with additional soya and a mineral/vitamin supplement (Pegavite).

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 RORY GILSENAN, Tingewick
“I saw the improvement in Lyn Jones’ horses last winter so I thought I’d better give BodyBuilda™ a try. It’s fantastic - the horses all look terrific - they keep level in the ring - perform well and have lots of stamina."
 
      
Rory  at HOYS on Pencarder Gatsby, formerly owned by Sharon Mills, Buckingham.


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sharon mILLS,   Buckingham.

Pencarder Miss Ramexico with new arrival "Something to Talk About" a.k.a. "Bomber" who won the Yearling class & Reserve Championship at the National Hunter Show at Addington
I have been using Horseheath products for over 9 years now, my horses all have a good topline,  maintain excellent condition and have a fantastic shine to their coats. Those in competition work have the required stamina without the fizz. Both Pencarder Gatsby and Pencarder Miss Ramexico have been brought up on Body Builder from foals through to their ridden competition careers.”

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