Both hay and haylage belongs to the feed category roughage and is made up from several different sorts of grass, legumes and herbs. The difference between hay and haylage is the process of preservation. 

Hay is dried grass with a dry matter of minimum 84%. Dry matter, for short DM, tells us how large the proportion of the feed that is made up by DMand how much is made up by water. Haylage is dried for a shorter period and is wrapped in plastic, impermeable of air. Haylage contains more water then hay, the DM is usually around 45-65%.

A horse should eat a minimum of 1,5 kg dry matter (DM) per 100 kg body weight and day. To be able to calculate how much roughage the horse needs to eat to cover the need of DM, we need to know the DM level of the roughage. You will find the out DM level by performing a roughage analysis. In the analysis you will also find out the nutritional profile of the feed which you need to know to calculate how many kilos of roughage your horse needs to eat and if you need to supplement with any additives.  

To show you how important it is to know the DM level of the roughage we´ve done an example below.

We have a horse who weighs 600 kg.

The horse should eat 1,5 kg or DM per 100 kg body weight, thus, 1,5*6= 9 kg DM. To calculate how much 9 kg  DM is in roughage we divide 9 kg with the DM level of the roughage that we use.

If we have a dry hay, with a DM level of 84% the horse needs to eat  9/0,84=10,7 kg hay to cover the need of 9 kg of DM.

If we have a haylage with 65% DM the horse needs to eat  9/0,65=13,8 kg haylage to cover the need of 9 kg of DM.

Yes, in order to create and calculate a correct and sufficient feed ration, you need to have an analysis of your roughage. A feed ration that is created after your horses needs ensures that you cover hes nutritional needs. By meeting your horses nutritional needs you won’t risk to overfeed, or underfeed, your horse.

The most accurate way to find out what your horse weighs is by using scales, but a lot of us don’t have access to scales, but there are other ways to estimate your horses weight. 

There are weight tapes you can use to find the horses weight. These can be purchased in tack shops and are relatively correct. 

If you don’t have a weight tape you can use a standard measuring tape and measure the horse as follows:

No, your horse doesn't need a concentrate feed. If you have a nutritionally good roughage, that covers the horses need of energy and protein it’s often enough to add a mineral supplement. 

TRIKEM Ⓡ Macro and TRIKEM Ⓡ Multi makes it simple to complement the feeding ration based on the roughage and the horses needs. Should the roughage not contain enough energy or protein, there are suitable alternatives to concentrate feeds. TRIKEM Ⓡ Energy supplies the horse with high quality energy in a gentle way. TRIKEM Ⓡ Protein Complex  is a high quality protein supplement that is free from starch and can preferably compellent a protein low roughage.

Vitamins and minerals are vital för the cellular function of the body and plays a significant role in the skeletons development and maintenance, muscle function, immune system and the horses overall wellbeing. 

TRIKEM Ⓡ Macro and TRIKEM Ⓡ Multi makes it easy to complement the feed rations based on your roughage and your horses needs.

If the horse is going to be spelled he will require less energy compared to when in training. Therefore it could be beneficial to adapt the horses feed ration to optimize it towards the new nutritional needs. If the horse is eating a larger amount of concentrate feed it can be a good idea to reduce the ration during the spelling period and instead, supplement with a vitamin and mineral supplement. It is especially important to adjust the feed ration for horses who easily gain weight, but also to avoid secondary problems such as tying up.

A horse with loose droppings  often have a disturbance of the intestinal flora. To regain the correct bacterial species you need to feed the horses with feedstuff that promote the good bacteria. Increasing the roughage and decreasing the amount of starch rich concentrate feeds will have a positive effect on the horse. You can also give supplement of pre- and probiotics. To accomodate for your horses specific problems, TRIKEM has developed Harmoni, Harmoni Pro and Gut Balance.

Every hair has direct contact with the bloodstream and therefore is directly affected by the bloods composition. To change coat, on the body's largest organ (the skin), requires extra nutrients, especially protein. Even if the horse eats 100% of their protein need, it may be a good idea to give extra supplement of protein during the coat changing period as the body's requirement increases. If the horse eats less protein in relation to the daily need, a protein deficiency will occur that may affect the horses muscles, temper and coat quality poorly. Many horse owners testify  of a positive effect from B-vitamin in connection with the coat change. Since the horse needs extra nutrients during this period the microbes can struggle to produce enough vitamin B, and therefore the horse is benefited by a vitamin B supplement. 

Vill du veta mer om det här rekommenderar vi dig att läsa: Hästen och pälsbytet

Read more about  Protein Complex and B-vitami n

Many horses itches the mane, forelock and tail during summer months. Itchiness may be due to an over sensibility to gnats, bugs or the sun. Icelandic horses and coldbloods seems to be overrepresented, however, horses from any breed may suffer from itchiness during summer.

 

To help aid the itching for your horse you can apply TRIKEM Ⓡ Itch Stop on the exposed area. Itch Stop contains, amongst others, oil from clove which is known for its antiseptic function and camphor oil which has been used to soothe irritated skin. Itch Stop in applied once daily and preferably massaged into the skin for best effect. 

Adding a supplement of Zink may also be beneficial, as long as it’s done in balance with the feed ration. Zinc is a mineral with vital effect on the immune system, and through that, the skin's ability to resist gnats, insects and sunlight.  

In order to build muscles you have to include the three following components:

1. Protein

2. Training

3. Recovery
   
   

Protein are the building blocks of muscles and necessary in order to build strong muscles. 

Primarily the horse receives protein from the roughage (hay and haylage). The protein content varies between different roughages and for many, we might need to add extra protein in the feed ration to cover the horses needs. How much protein the roughage contains can be found by performing a roughage analysis. The analysis is always the base for calculating a feed ration and determine if the amount of protein is sufficient for the horse or not.  

For a grown horse to grow muscles training is needed. Hill work is a good example of muscle building training. What training really does is that it breaks down muscles in order to send a signal to the body that: We need to become stronger here! The body then responds by building up  that muscle to become stronger then what it was before training. The younger horse will build new muscles just through growing. Therefore it is extra important to cover the young horses need of protein. 

Recovery, something that often is forgotten, but just as important as the above mentioned aspects, is recovery. Since we break down the muscles via training, add protein to build a larger muscle but for the body to have time to rebuild the muscle before the next training, rest is needed.

TRIKEMⓇ Protein Complex  is a swedish protein supplement that contains a high concentration of high quality protein and is a good complement for a low protein roughage.

Ledtillskott börjar man generellt ge när man känner att hästen behöver extra stöd för lederna, vilket kan vara fallet för hästar som t ex tränar hårt, är lite äldre eller som har lätt för att bli lite knackiga och stela. 

Man bör alltid vara uppmärksam när man märker en förändring hos sin häst. Börjar den få svårare att plocka upp hovarna vid kratsning? Upplever du hästen som stel eller har det börjat “knäppa” i lederna vid uppvärmning? Ja, då kan det vara dags att börja ge ledpreparat. 

För individuell rådgivning om vilket ledtillskott som är bäst lämpat för din häst, vänligen kontakta oss.

Best is to contact us for individual consultation to receive a feed ration, individually made for your horses specific needs. If you wish to have a free consultation, please Contact us.

The first two things you need to consider is if the horse is well prepared for the expected performance and if it has enough energy in the feed ration. At Trikem Academy you can find lots of training tips to build condition and stamina. To meet the horses need of energy oil is a efficient choice. TRIKEM Ⓡ Energy  contains a unique combination of oils from canola, flaxseed and coconut oil who together supplies the horse with good energy in a gentle form. 

For many horses, competition means both travel, change of environment and top performance. This results in increased sweat lost, and to prevent the horse from turning dull and tired it’s important to make sure the horse receives water and electrolytes. TRIKEM Ⓡ Elektrolyt contains sodium and magnesium, which are necessary for a correct balance between electrolytes and fluids in the body. 

Many horses are well trained and prepared for the expected performance on competition day but lack that little bit of extra energy needed. Perhaps the horse feels a little dull prior to the last class or on the homestretch? TRIKEM has a booster that contains both MCT- oils and CLA-oils, whom together give the horse access to efficient fast acting energy.

  

It's also important to make sure the horse has access to roughage during the competition day to keep the intestinal tract moving.
If you experience that the horse gets an upset stomach every time you travel and compete it may be a good idea to try probiotics. TRIKEMⓇ Harmoni contains a live yeast culture that contributes to a stable microflora and optimizes the nutrient uptake, a must for the performing horse.  

There could be many different reasons. If the horse eats a large amount of concentrate feeds it can simply be that it’s full and unable to finish the roughage. If this is the case, it might be a good idea to review your feed ration nd perhaps decrease the amount of concentrate feeds. If several horses in the same stable does not finish the roughage it might be due to the hygienic quality of the feed.  Horses are very sensitive to mold and dust in the feed, and it may be directly harmful for the horse to eat a poor quality roughage. An other reason for the horse not to finish the roughage may be the composition of the roughage, what types of grass and the length of the fibers.  

Probiotics are the good bacteria, the once the intestine benefits from harbouring. The good bacteria makes sure the digestion works and provides us with a healthy intestinal environment. Prebiotics is feed for the probiotics. Prebiotics are fiber and carbohydrates that reaches the hindgut intact and therefore can contribute to promoting the good bacteria as they utilize the prebiotica as nutrient

You can give supplementation of both prebiotics and probiotics. TRIKEM Ⓡ  Harmoni Pro is probiotica, good lactic bacteria that contributes to an improved bacterial culture in the horse's hindgut. Prebiotics is often given as a yeast TRIKEM Ⓡ  Harmoni contains prebiotic yeast and is beneficial for horses who’s hindgut needs a little support to maintain a healthy environment in the intestines.

Absolutely, the horses hooves are built from the inside and mirrors what the horses eats. A good feed, a correct feed ration, a well functioning hindgut and an efficient nutrient uptake is vital for good hooves. 
Poor hoof quality may be due to lack of nutrients needed for the hoof buildup. To provide the horse with nutrients needed for the hooves, TRIKEM Ⓡ Biotin and TRIKEM Ⓡ Hoof.Biotin can increase the horn growth and supports the horses  buildup of keratin, which is very important for the quality of the hoof wall. Hoof contains, appart from Biotin, MSM, Zinc and specific amino acids that all play a vital role in the hoof structure.

Daily care of hooves also plays a significant role. Pick the hooves every day and if the hooves are muddy it’s good practice to rinse them and scrub with a brush to remove mud particles. Grease the hooves with a protective paste or oil, TRIKEM Ⓡ HoofPaste or TRIKEM Ⓡ HoofOil are suitable options that protects the hoof and promotes the natural moisturizing, which is important for good hoof quality.

The most important factor is to decrease the energy intake. Exercise is a great complement and can contribute with other health aspects as well, but if the horse eats to much energy, weight loss will not occur regardless of exercise. By performing a feed ration and calculate on the horses actual nutrient need you can decide how much the horse needs to eat to reach the goal weight.

Often it’s a good idea to decrease the concentrated feed. The horse has a daily need of 1,5 kg of dry matter per 100 kg body weight, and it’s not recommended to feed less. If you have a energy rich roughage you may complement with straw to supply the horse with enough chewing time and fiber intake.

Many horses are easily affected by changes, both big and small. If you experience that your horse easily gets worked up and waste energy on incorrect things it may be beneficial to try TRIKEM Ⓡ Fokus, is made to aid the horse to regain calm and focus.

It’s always difficult with horses with previous laminitis, but what we actually know is that starch and sugar has a negative effect on them and should therefore be minimized in the feed ration. It’s a good idea to use an analysed roughage so you know the sugar content and to make sure its low. Many concentrate feeds contains high levels of starch, and if he horse needs a supplement of protein or energy it's wise to choose a starch free protein complement or oil. You should also avoid pasture and fresh grass as the sugar content can vary between different times of the day and during the season.  

If you want to read more about TRIKEMs starch free Energy and Protein Complex. 

Laminitis is a multifactorial disease, which means that it may be many different factors that causes the disease to occur. The definition of laminitis is that there is a inflammation and tissue damage in the soft parts of the hoof. A clearer description is that there is a separation between the pedal bone and the lamellar dermis of the hoof walls. This may lead to a forward rotation of the pedal bone which damages the sole and surrounding blood vessels. This is extremely painful for the horse and obvious symptoms are lameness, heat in the hoof/ hooves, resilience to move and that the horse tries to shift more weight on to the hind legs. If you suspect laminitis, contact your veterinarian immediately.

For the healthy horse it’s not dangerous to eat frozen grass and there is no scientific evidence that healthy horses are at a higher risk of colic or laminitis when eating frozen grass. For horses who suffers from insulin resistance, Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) or has a history of laminitis on the other hand, frozen grass might be a risk factor. The frozen grass often contains higher amounts of sugar, which may be a risk factor of laminitis.