Sport Horse | Pony
Feed Guide
Developed in partnership with Kentucky Equine Research
and proudly manufactured in New Zealand, NRM feeds
are unique blends of nutrients and quality products to
optimise t he health and performance of your horse.
Horse & Pony |
Sweetfeed |
everyday nutrition
A low energy, multi-purpose pelleted
feed designed to provide basic, essential
nutrition to horses and ponies in light
to medium work, or as a supplement
to pasture or hay. Feed with or without
added chaff or haylage.
For horses and ponies in light to medium
work and spelling.
Coolade |
cool nutrition
A complete textured feed, which is high in
fibre and low in energy. Highly palatable,
Coolade supplies essential nutrients for
horses in light work or spelling and now
includes added omega 3 from linseed
for enhanced coat condition and general
health. Coolade is ideal for fussy eaters or
those requiring a low-grain diet.
For horses in light work or spelling and
those that ‘heat up’ on high grain diets.
Low GI Sport |
low glycemic nutrition
Scientifically formulated without grains,
Low GI Sport is a pelleted, fully fortified,
low glycemic feed that provides
slow release, cool energy, while still
providing all the essential amino acids,
vitamins and minerals required for top
performance. The low starch, high oil
and digestible fibre formulation assists
the natural digestive process and
minimises potential issues such as fizzy
behaviour, colic, laminitis and tying up.
Low GI Sport contains KER Equi-Jewel.
SUITABLE FOR: all performance horses.
Race 13 |
the world’s leading racing feed
Race 13 is a premium textured feed with
steam flaked grains to enhance digestibility
and maximise energy production.
Race 13 contains a combination of super
fibres as well as vegetable oil, which are
great alternative energy sources. The
fully fortified formulation provides the
hard working horse with all its essential
nutrients in a performance proven feed.
For racehorses and sporthorses
in moderate to heavy work.
Ask about these
specialty NRM B
reeding
and Racing formulas:
high activity nutrition
A highly palatable textured feed, ideal
for slow or fussy eaters, Sweetfeed is
a complete, balanced feed containing
steam flaked grains for higher energy
utilisation to meet the demands of
increased workloads. Sweetfeed now
contains more flaked barley and a
higher oil content so the energy level is
increased, and it’s an oat free feed so
you have the flexibility to add your own
oats if required. Omega 3 fatty acids are
added from linseed and soy oil to boost
coat condition and general health.
For horses in moderate to heavy work
such as eventers, hunters and racehorses.
Equine Balancer | vitamin & mineral
concentrate
A scientifically formulated pelleted feed
designed to balance the diet of horses
that do not require increased calorie intake,
but still require the necessary protein,
vitamins and minerals for optimum good
health. The ideal supplement for pasture
only diets or overweight horses that need
a restricted calorie diet.
For overweight horses and ponies or those
on pasture-only diets.
Equi-Jewel | high fat stabilised
rice bran supplement
Developed by KER, Equi-Jewel
increases the energy density (calories
per kilo) of a ration. It is ideal for
putting condition on poor doers,
providing additional energy in the diets
of performance horses with heavy
workloads, enhancing body and coat
condition. Research proven to be a Low
Glycaemic Index feed suited to horses
at risk of metabolic disorders such as
Developmental Orthopaedic Disease,
Tying Up and Laminitis.
Equi-Jewel provides a ‘cool’ energy
source, making it ideal for ‘fizzy’ horses
or those intolerant to grain.
Equi-Jewel is not a complete feed.
Perfect partners in the specialised
field of equine nutrition.
Kentucky Equine Research (KER) works closely with
an international network of horse feed manufacturers
dedicated to the advancement of equine nutrition
and exercise physiology to produce healthier, more
athletic horses.
NRM is the exclusive KER brand alliance partner in
New Zealand. Using advice from KER, NRM feeds are
formulated to incorporate the very latest advances in
equine nutrition. The combination of NRM’s in-depth
knowledge of New Zealand horses and conditions and
KER’s advanced research in the field of equine nutrition
makes NRM feeds some of the most scientifically
advanced available in the local market.
NRM formulate nutritionally balanced, state-of-the-art
feeds for horses in all stages of life, and involved in all
disciplines using the most up-to-date research findings.
For all performance horses.
Evolve | For pregnant and lactating mares
Prepare | Premium weanling and yearling feed
Assett | Complete feed for growing horses
Run Free | For performance horses that ‘tie up’
0800 800 380
www.nrm.co.nz
A guide to selecting the right
feed for optimum horse health.
Ensuring a balanced diet for your horse’s workload + body condition
Feeding Hints
Condition Workload Feed Guide
Areas of emphasis for assessing body condition include thickening
of the neck, fat covering the withers, fat deposits along backbone, fat
deposits on flanks, inner thighs, around tailhead and behind shoulders,
fat covering ribs and where shoulder blends into neck.
1. Poor
Quality
Vitamins and minerals
Feed only good quality feeds - do not feed
dusty mouldy or spoiled feed or forage.
Hay and grass is not usually enough
as forage is often deficient in essential
vitamins and minerals. Even if your horse
or pony is fat it will probably still need a
quality vitamin and mineral supplement to
stay healthy on the inside.
Change
When changing feeds do so gradually
over 7 - 10 days. Changing feeds or
forage quickly may result in colic or other
digestive upsets.
Forage
Your horse or pony requires an absolute
minimum of 1% of its body weight
in forage per day. The ideal rate is to
consume between 1.5% and 2% of its
body weight in forage per day.
Height Estimated
Weight
Min. kg of
forage reqd.
Pony 13hh 300kg 3kg
Cross Bred 14.2hh 450kg 4.5kg
Thoroughbred 16hh 500kg 5kg
Warmblood Cross 17hh 650kg 6.5kg
Water
Supply fresh clean water to your horse
at all times and scrub out water troughs
regularly. Your horse may drink between
20 and 40 litres per day when at rest in
moderate weather.
Feed your horse out of a safe suitable
feeder to reduce wastage and avoid
contamination. Always make sure that the
bucket your horse eats from is clean and
free from old or mouldy feed.
Choose the correct feed
Feed your horse according to the weight
of your feed rather than volume. Use
scales to weigh each feed and forage
individually to ensure that you are feeding
the appropriate amount of feed.
Feed little and often
Salt
Feed regular smaller feeds rather than large
irregular meals. Preferably divide y our horse
or pony’s daily ration into 2 - 3 smaller meals
per day rather than one large feed to avoid
colic and increase digestibility.
Give all horses and ponies access to a salt
lick block or loose salt, even during the
colder months.
Healthy horse
Pay attention to ensure regular worming
and have your horse or pony’s teeth
checked at least every 12 months. Those
burdened by worms or with sharp teeth
have difficulty absorbing nutrients from the
feed they consume.
Grain or hard feed
Feed no more than 2.5kg of grain or hard
feed at any one meal for a 500kg horse.
UNDER WEIGHT
(POOR DOER)
Body condition 1-3
Sport Horse
GOOD CONDITION OVER WEIGHT
Body condition 4-6
(GOOD DOER)
Body condition 7-9
Coolade or
Horse & Pony or
Low GI Sport
Equine Balancer
Low GI Sport or
Sweetfeed or
Race 13
Equine Balancer
Sport Horse
Low GI Sport and
Low GI Sport or
Equi-Jewel or Race 13 Race 13 or
and Equi-Jewel
Sweetfeed
Equine Balancer
and grain
Senior Horse
Coolade and
Equi-Jewel
Coolade
Equine Balancer
Low GI Sport
and Equi-Jewel
Low GI Sport or
Equine Balancer
and Equi-Jewel
Light Exercise
Coolade and
Equi-Jewel
Feed buckets
If feeding a prepared feed ensure you
choose an appropriate one for your horse
or pony’s workload, condition and age.
For example, breeding feeds are
for breeding or growing horses and
performance feeds are for working horses.
Appropriate feed choice is crucial as each
horse has different nutrient requirements.
Weight
There is an NRM feed to match the diverse needs of horses
through every stage or activity level of their life. It is important
to carefully monitor energy levels to ensure that under or over
feeding does not occur.
Sport Horse
Low GI Sport
Moderate Exercise and Equi-Jewel or
Sweetfeed and
Equi-Jewel
Heavy Exercise
Starch & Sugar
Sensitive
Animal extremely emaciated; spine, ribs, tailhead,
points of hip and buttock projecting prominently;
bone structure of withers, shoulders, and neck
easily noticeable; no fatty tissue can be felt.
2. Very Thin
Animal emaciated; slight fat covering over base
of spine; ribs, tailhead, points of hip and buttock
prominent; withers, shoulders, and neck structure
faintly discernible.
3. Thin
Fat build-up about halfway on spine; slight fat cover
over ribs; spine and ribs easily discernible; tailhead
prominent, but individual vertebrae cannot be identified
visually; points of hip appear rounded but easily
discernible; points of buttock not distinguishable;
withers, shoulders, and neck accentuated.
4. Moderately Thin
Equine Balancer
Slight ridge along back; faint outline of ribs discernible;
tailhead prominence depends on conformation, fat can
be felt around it; points of hip not discernible; withers,
shoulders, and neck not obviously thin.
5. Moderate
Back is flat (no crease or ridge); ribs not visually
distinguishable but easily felt; fat around tailhead
beginning to feel spongy; withers appear rounded over
spine; shoulders and neck blend smoothly into body.
6. Moderately Fleshy
May have slight crease down back; fat over ribs fleshy/
spongy; fat around tailhead soft; fat beginning to be
deposited along sides of withers, behind shoulders,
and along sides of neck.
7. Fleshy
May have crease down back; individual ribs can be felt,
but noticeable filling between ribs with fat; fat around
tailhead soft; fat deposited along withers, behind
shoulders, and along neck.
8. Fat
Crease down back; difficult to feel ribs; fat around
tailhead very soft; area along withers filled with fat;
area behind shoulders filled with fat; noticeable
thickening of neck; fat deposited along inner thighs.
9. Extremely Fat
Obvious crease down back; patchy fat appearing.