Healthy feeding of the Friesian horse
The Friesian horse is known as a graceful black horse with beautiful, full mane and tail, as well as the long socks on the legs. The Friesian horse is a frugal breed and has different needs than a warmblood horse. Despite we have long since stopped seeing the Friesian horse as a cold-blooded cart horse and she is being bred with more and more temperament. In addition, skin problems such as mug and summer eczema occur regularly. Maintaining a beautiful black coat is also sometimes difficult. Therefore, feeding the Friesian horse healthily and properly is not always easy.
An austere breed
Austere horses have a digestive system and metabolism that maximizes nutrition. As a result, they can get fat faster from little nutrition. This means these horses are more sensitive to a carbohydrate- and protein-rich ration. Carbohydrates, including sugar and starch are broken down in the body into glucose. Glucose is used for energy. Protein is needed primarily for muscle maintenance. In addition, proteins are needed for many other body processes. The body needs energy as well as protein, but how do you provide enough energy and protein?
-
Provide a high-fiber ration
Adequate fiber is very important for horses to maintain a healthy gut flora. Coarse-stemmed roughage contains a lot of fiber (crude fiber), some of which may also contain a lot of hard-to-digest fiber (NDF, ADF and ADL on a roughage analysis). This limits the digestion of protein and fat from the roughage.
-
Low sugar and starch
Provide feed that is low in sugar and starch. Coarse-stemmed roughage can also be high in sugar. You can have the forage tested for feed value just to be sure. Or soak the hay in water. Research has shown that sugar levels can be reduced as much as 31% by soaking. You can soak the hay in hot water for 30 minutes or in cold water for 60 minutes.
-
Slow release energy
Friesians are mainly used in endurance sports and also increasingly in higher dressage. It is therefore desirable to add energy to the ration in the form of fats. Fat provides up to three times more energy than starch. HorseAdds Powerlin provides an easy way to add fat to the ration. HorseAdds Powerlin is extruded flaxseed Flaxseed has many health benefits for the horse and is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. These Omega fatty acids are essential for health and help support skin and coat condition. Due to the high fat content of flaxseed, it is a good source of energy.
Friesian Gold Expert Balance
Our Friesian Expert Balance takes into account the conflicting needs of, on the one hand, frugal nutrition and, on the other hand, sufficient energy and protein for athletic performance. The protein, starch and sugar in the Expert Balance have been kept as low as possible, but we have used easily absorbable energy sources, healthy fats and added extra amino acids to ensure there are no deficiencies for muscle development. In addition, Friesian Expert Balance also contains high levels of natural vitamin E to slow down muscle acidification and promote muscle recovery.
Zinc, Copper and Biotin
Proper nutrition for the Friesian horse is also important to prevent skin problems and maintain its black color. Friesian Gold Expert Balance contains high levels of Zinc, Copper and several B vitamins including Biotin. Zinc and Copper are largely added as organic for better absorption. Zinc supports a beautiful, shiny coat and plays a role in the regulation of various skin functions and building skin structure. Copper is important in hair pigmentation and helps maintain black color. Biotin is a well-known B vitamin that contributes to healthy skin condition and strengthens hooves.
Friesian Gold also has special feeds for pregnant/lactating mares and growing horses, namely Friesian Gold Expert Breeding and Friesian Gold Expert Grow.
Extra support with Friesian Gold supplements
To give your Friesian extra support, we have an extensive range of supplements, which have been specially developed for the Friesian horse.