7 Best practices to help manage horses on sandy conditions
- Feeding Practices: Avoid feeding horses directly on sandy ground. Provide hay or feed in elevated feeders, mats, or platforms to minimise sand ingestion during feeding. Utilise slow-feed hay nets or grazing muzzles to encourage slower eating and reduce the intake of sand along with the forage.
- Grazing Management: Monitor the pasture conditions regularly. Rotate pastures to prevent overgrazing, which can lead to increased sand exposure.
- Resting pastures periodically allows for grass regrowth and helps reduce sand intake.
- Water Source Placement: Position water troughs or buckets away from sandy areas to prevent horses from inadvertently ingesting sand while drinking.
- Regular Sand Clearing: Implement a sand clearing protocol to periodically remove accumulated sand from the horse's digestive system. This may involve incorporating psyllium-based supplements like SandBuster into their feed as directed by a veterinarian.
- Shelter and Bedding: Provide access to shelters or stables to allow horses to seek refuge during times of high wind or sandstorms. Use ample bedding, such as straw or wood shavings, to minimise the risk of horses ingesting sand while lying down.
- Supplementation: Feed Stance Equitec SandBuster periodically to help prevent impaction colic from a build-up of sand in the intestinal tract.
Customer Success Story;
"Last week I started our two ponies on SandBuster, as current conditions at our place are very dry and dusty. We haven't had any issues with bloat, colic or impaction yet but I have noticed despite the large feed buckets both ponies will drop feed on the ground and then eat off the dirt. So I decided as a good measure and preventative to introduce SandBuster into their diet.
I love that SandBuster can be included at the recommended feeding rate monthly and then as required. We will definitely be keeping our ponies on this fantastic supplement!" Stephanie
SandBuster
- Designed to feed to horses exposed to dry or sandy conditions, where an accumulation of sand in the hind gut may have occurred.
- Ingredients: A proprietary blend [Psyllium husk, CoolStance (Coconut meal), Montmorillonite] 125g.