Win A Solar Strip Grazing Kit From SPILLERS
3 years ago 
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SPILLERS™ is giving one lucky horse owner a kind hand to help manage their horse’s waistline by running a competition to win a strip grazing kit, including energiser, fencing tape and posts.*
The competition will be running on the SPILLERS Facebook page from 21-28 June 2021 in celebration of SPILLERS’ phenomenal credentials as a leading researcher: the WALTHAM™ Equine Studies Group, who underpin the science behind the SPILLERS brand hit the publication of their 100th research paper relating to obesity, laminitis, equine metabolic syndrome EMS and weight management this year, and it happens to be all about the benefits of strip grazing.
For many horses and ponies, grass is the main source of calories in the diet and is also one of the hardest for owners to control. A 250kg pony living out at grass may consume enough energy (calories) to fuel a 500kg racehorse – equivalent to more than half a bag of conditioning cubes every day.
Restricting grass intake is an essential part of many weight management programmes, and the latest research on strip grazing shows that it can be an effective solution. Comparison of three restricted grazing practices for equine bodyweight management during the UK grass growing season1 was conducted by Annette Longland in collaboration with SPILLERS via the WALTHAM Equine Studies Group.
Three groups of four ponies were turned out into individual paddocks that had been measured at the start of the study to provide 1.5% of the ponies’ bodyweight (dry matter) in grass, for 28 days. They were assigned to one of three grazing practices: after a two day adaptation period ponies were given access to the whole paddock with no restrictions; a lead fence was placed across the width of the paddock and after a two day adaptation period, it was moved 1/26th of the remaining paddock length daily to allow access to fresh grass; after a two day adaptation period a lead fence and a ‘back fence’ were moved by 1/26th of the remaining length every day.
The strip grazed ponies gained significantly less weight than ponies in the total allowance group, regardless of whether a back fence was used. In fact, strip grazing without a back fence was no less effective than strip grazing with a back fence, even though the grazing area got larger every day.
Clare Barfoot RNutr, Marketing and Research and Development Director at Mars Horsecare UK, home of the SPILLERS brand said: “All of us at SPILLERS are extremely proud of our research work to support horse health, not least this 100th paper on the benefits of strip grazing.
“This competition is our gift to all horse owners – as well as giving a solar strip grazing kit to one lucky winner, we hope it will help spread the word that, under controlled conditions strip grazing can be an effective tool to reduce the rate of weight gain in ponies living out at pasture.”
To enter visit https://www.facebook.com/teamspillers between 21-28 June 2021.
For advice on managing your horse’s grass intake please call the SPILLERS Care-Line on 01908 226626.
*The kit is suitable for up to 2.5km of fencing and includes:
• Hotline Fire Drake solar energiser
• 12v battery
• 1m earth stake
• 200m white 20mm poly tape
• 20 plastic fence 3’ posts.
• A gate handle
• Ring insulators
• Warning sign
• Basic tester
• 3yr guarantee
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