A Horse & Hound Podcast Advertising Series with Dengie
Welcome to the third and final episode of the Dengie digestive health series, a Horse & Hound Podcast advertising series, in which our regular host Pippa Roome chats to coach and livery yard owner Jo Burns-Firth, who competes in British Showjumping amateur and veteran classes for pleasure, and Dengie’s technical and product development manager Katie Williams about feeding leisure horses and good doers to maintain good gastric health.
This is the third in a three-part podcast series, produced in partnership with Dengie. You can listen online here or via your favourite podcast app.
The Dengie digestive health series: episode one | A Horse & Hound Podcast advertising series
The Dengie digestive health series: episode two | A Horse & Hound Podcast advertising series
How to listen to the Horse & Hound Podcast: a beginner’s guide to podcasts
Inside the Dengie digestive health series podcast: episode three
Jo Burns-Fifth has been feeding Dengie to both her own horses and her liveries for many years, but she’s been working more closely with Dengie in the form of regular yard visits and diet checks for about the past six years. Her showjumper Freddie is one of the horses who took part in the initial trial of Dengie’s new feed Ulser Lite.
Katie Williams explains what’s included in the Ulser Lite formula: “It’s Dengie’s first feed that’s low calorie and also targeting ulcers. Our previous ulcer feeds have aimed for the stereotypical, underweight, poor doer, but as time has moved on, we now understand that ulcers are a problem that can affect all shapes and sizes. So it was the appropriate time to bring a low calorie option into the range and for that reason, it’s based on chopped straw.
“I think it’s worth reiterating the point that straw is a perfectly acceptable ingredient used in the context of ulcers when it’s used as part of a mix of forage types. There have been some past studies that show when straw is the sole or majority ingredient in the ration, it can increase the risk of ulcers, but we’ve subsequently seen follow-up work that shows if straw is used as a part of a blend, up to 50% of the forage ration can be straw and not result in ulcers. So it’s a really useful ingredient for these good doers where we want chew time, but without the sort of sugars and starch that you might find in other ingredients, and obviously, without the calories that you’d find in better quality forage options.
“I’ve also included a small amount of chopped grass in there to add some natural sweetness because it’s no good creating a feed that horses won’t eat. I’ve also put some grass pellets in for the same reason – a little bit of texture, a little bit of sweetness that encourages the horses to eat up. And obviously when horses have ulcers, they may well find eating painful, so we’ve got to try and make it palatable to get them to tuck in.
“We’ve also got alfalfa pellets in there for their natural buffering potential. There have been numerous studies to show the naturally high levels of calcium in alfalfa are really beneficial for helping to maintain gastric health. We have a light dressing of oil, just to help generate some coat shine and aid dispersion of the other ingredients. And again, to aid palatability, I’ve put a blend of herbs, which include oregano so some people feel it smells of Italian cooking or pizza!
“And last, but by no means least, I’ve included yeast and FOS [fructo-oligosaccharides or plant sugars] prebiotics – the FOS prebiotics in particular provide a food source for beneficial bacteria. We’ve had studies that have shown these good bacteria help regulate acidity through the digestive tract. So it’s all about trying to get the horse to eat and provide a low-calorie forage in a palatable form.”
Listen now to episode three of the Dengie digestive health series podcast for more information on how Jo feeds her horses to maintain good gut health, as well as expertise from Dengie’s technical and product development manager Katie Williams
