Low Sugar Pasture and Supplementary feeding at Makino.
Low Sugar Pastures
A lot of thought, research, trial and error has gone into developing our equine specific pastures. We have dedicated paddocks which we graze and cut for hay to ensure sensitive horses have access to the best forage available all year round.
Our low sugar pastures comprise of Cocksfoot, Timothy, Tall Fescue, Brown Top, Yorshire Fog and no endophyte ryegrass. Our pastures contain little to no clovers to help keep your horses gut happy and healthy.
We also have a crop of 100% Timothy grass which we harvest as haylage to add variety and additional fibre and protein to our track horse’s diet.
Careful pasture management throughout the year minimises soil damage through pugging and compaction and ensures our pastures persist and soils remain healthy. Strip grazing and back fencing as well as significant rest periods between grazing events helps prevent overgrazing and reduces the presence of weeds and undesired pasture species.
Supplementary Feeds
We have chosen Harvest Grains Timothy Smart Feed as a great, safe, all round feed suitable for all horses, even those at risk of laminitis and with gut issues. It is a grain free feed and helps nutrient absorption without adding huge amounts of calories to the diet. We balance this with Kohnke’s Own Cell Vital Minerals as a pelleted mineral which is palatable on its own or added to the daily feed. Our track horses also have access to additional salt at all times.
Horses that need additional calories to improve condition from time to time have Harvest Grains Coco Mash added to their normal daily feed.
We ensure all our feeds are balanced through FeedXL, along with hay and pasture analysis to achieve a representation of the horse’s diet that is as accurate as practically possible. We support local business Vision Equestrian who supplies all of our feed in bulk which we pass on to you at cost.