FOR THE GOOD OF THE HORSE!

"Ensuring you are getting the best from your bag?"

Vuma Horse Feeds has always believed in providing nutrient dense, whole grain rations with processed maize for maximum digestibility. The whole grains include oats, sunflower and barley.

Apart from providing starch and some protein, as well as fat (in the case of sunflower), the different whole grains provide a certain amount of roughage while also fulfilling some of the searching behaviour of horses by allowing them to pick through the different grains.

Coarse muesli mixes not only have a lower density than pellets but they are harder to pick up and the horse cannot grip so much in one mouthful. More roughage and different shaped grains, allow for slower eating.

Quantity or Quality

Protein

The quality or amino acid composition of the protein in the diet is very important. Of the 22 amino acids required by horses, 10 must be supplied in the diet and are thus called essential amino acids.

Muscle development; the ability to repair and rebuild muscles after work and protein losses in sweat create a need for high quality, highly digestible protein.

It is generally accepted that lysine is the first-limiting amino acid, followed by methionine and perhaps threonine. Thus, a diet containing sufficient total protein but which is low in lysine will make the balance of the protein unavailable for effective utilization.

Vitamins and Minerals

Quality of the individual nutrients included in the vitamin and mineral pack of each ration is important, as is the assurance that the pack is free of undesirable substances, such as ionophores, which are commonly used in ruminant and poultry rations but are deadly to horses. Knowing that your product is made in a horse friendly mill ensures your peace of mind.

Balance is all important and correct vitamin and mineral levels are crucial! Traditional inorganic minerals are commonly used; however there are organic versions of certain of these minerals, which have higher absorption efficiency. Although more expensive, there is a trade-off between the cost of these organic forms and the benefit of increased absorption. Vitamins are also an expensive part of the ration, but the benefits of good levels of vitamin A, vitamin E and biotin are irrefutable in rations, and there is evidence to suggest that vitamin C is useful in laying a good foundation for bone development.

The vitamin and mineral packs in commercial feeds are really the difference between a good feed and a great one.

A nutrient dense feed range like Vuma ensures that your horse gets everything it needs in the bag!

Congratulations to all the Champions from the Feed of Champions!

www.vumafeed.co.za

AFRICA'S FINEST HORSEFEEDS

For more information contact :
Catherine Hartley : 083 640 1155
Email: catherine@vumafeed.co.za

THE VALUE OF HAY : A BALANCING ACT

Summerhill Stud resident stallion Visionaire
(Photo : Summerhill Stud)

"Ensure your feed programme is balanced..."

Vuma Feeds may be the producer of superior equine concentrates and our focus is certainly on providing each and every horse with the best nutrition in every bag, however, most importantly we are all about the good of the horse and when it comes to nutrition and health there is more to it than just a concentrated feed.

We have always emphasized the importance of forage for horses, both for gut health and overall well-being. The problem arises in that all forage is not created equal.

So often there are seasonal variations or availability issues and these can have a major effect on the actual value and digestible energy (DE) of your hay.

To re-cap what we know, a horse should be fed a total of 2-3% of its bodyweight daily. In most cases a ratio of 60:40, roughage to concentrate, is ideal unless the horse is in very hard work and requires more concentrate. Horses should receive 1.5 - 2% of their body weight in hay (or forage) per day. For the average 450kg - 500kg horse with moderate exercise that is about 7 - 10kg's of hay per day.

Hay quality is as important as forage quantity. Hay should have a crude protein content of 7% or higher on an as-fed basis. Hay with less protein tends to be over mature and have too much indigestible fibre, as plants digestibility and nutrient content decline as they mature.

Lucerne has from 14 - 18% protein, good Teff around 12% protein and Eragrostis around 7 - 9% protein.

Simply changing from Eragrostis to good Teff is going to make a difference to the total DE that your horse receives on a daily basis. So it is important to be aware of the quality of your new hay and the necessity to adjust the total diet accordingly.

If all you can get in the middle of winter is poorer quality hay, you may need to increase your concentrate and possibly add extra oil to ensure that the total DE remains the same. Oil is highly digestible in the small intestine and as such is a good source of "cool" energy. Using oil will help to minimize behavioural problems associated with high carbohydrate diets and it provides nearly two-and-a-half times the energy of the equivalent weight carbohydrate. It would also be useful to add Lucerne to your total feeding regime.

On the other hand if your hay supply improves and the quality is greatly improved you may need to reduce the total amount fed, as the DE will increase and you may end up with more energy than you require!

For those of us lucky enough to have good pastures, this can also pose a management challenge. The energy and protein content of foliage in spring pastures can be as much as 50% higher in early growth compared to that in vegetative growth twelve weeks later.

The lush spring growth of pasture foliage is high in moisture and water-soluble carbohydrates and also relatively higher in protein, vitamins and minerals on a dry matter (DM) basis than during other seasons of the year.

If horses are kept on pasture year round, they usually adjust to the new foliage as it grows in the early spring. However, problems can arise if their forage source is abruptly switched from hay to lush spring pasture, as the sudden change and over-consumption of that lovely green grass can put a horse at risk for certain nutrition-related problems, including stomach upsets, colic, laminitis and obesity.

Feeding forage is really about balance, by keeping an eye on the quality of your forage (hay and pastures) and adjusting your management accordingly :

• Restrict grazing time on spring pastures if necessary, especially if you have horses prone to laminitis.
• Supplement the grazing with hay. (Important for stabled horses and during winter when pastures are poor.)
• Weigh your hay, so that you know how much you are feeding daily.
• Adjusting volumes according to the quality of the hay.
• Managing the total amount of feed and particularly the digestible energy that you are feeding.

By ensuring that your feed programme is balanced you and your horses should be happy and healthy all year round!

www.vumafeed.co.za

AFRICA'S FINEST HORSEFEEDS

For more information contact :
Catherine Hartley : 083 640 1155
Email: catherine@vumafeed.co.za

BLENHEIM PALACE INTERNATIONAL HORSE TRIALS TODAY!

Paul Hart and Heartbreak Hill
(Photo : Vuma Horse Feeds)

Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials
7 - 11 September 2011

Vuma Champions Paul Hart and Heartbreak Hill (Harry) are competing at Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials, starting today!

They passed the trot up, yesterday evening, with flying colours and the Vuma team wishes them all the best for the weekend ahead.

This event forms part of their prep for London Olympics 2012 and we know that they will fly our South African flag high and make us Proud!

Harry is in superb form and Paul is very excited about the next few days.

Click here to view the
Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials schedule.

THE EQUUS AWARDS 2011

Summerhill Stud receive the Champion Breeder Award
(Photo : JC Photos / Summerhill Stud)

They've done it again!!!

Summerhill Stud heads to the Equus Awards podium for the 7^th year on the trot!

The original home of Vuma Horse Feeds, Summerhill Stud, has achieved a first - they are the first South African stud farm to win seven consecutive Breeders Championships. The Summerhill team received their award last night, at the Equus Awards held at the Theatre of Marcellus at Emperors Palace!

It has certainly been a long, hard slog to get to this point but one of the factors that helped to shape their path to the Breeders Championship was the return to more natural methods in the raising of their horses.

From a nutrition perspective, the turning point came when they initiated the production of Vuma Horse Feeds, based on international research and a return to a more natural whole grain, muesli-type feed, with processed maize and a superior vitamin and mineral profile.

This enhanced nutrient density has played a major role in the correct growth and development of their foals. The foundations of healthy collagen and correct bone growth are irrefutable to the long term health and soundness of young horses.

This is clearly illustrated in the fact that Summerhill horses tend to run, on average, for longer and more often than others.

Vuma is proud to be part of this achievement and we salute team Summerhill - We love to feed your Champions!

Other notable Vuma, Equus Award winners were :

CHAMPION TWO YEAR OLD FILLY - Princess Victoria for the Glen Kotzen Stable and owner Georgina Jafee

CHAMPION STAYER - Aslan for the Sean Tarry Stable and owners Mrs Leisher and Anthony Jacobs

BREEDER AWARD for EXCEPTIONAL INTERNATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT - JJ The Jet Plane for the Lucky Houdalakis stable and all the connections.

Another feather in the Summerhill cap was that the award for CHAMPION THREE YEAR OLD FILLY, CHAMPION MIDDLE DISTANCE HORSE and HORSE OF THE YEAR went to Igugu. This phenomenal Galileo filly was bought in Australia by Summerhill and sold at the Emperors Palace Ready to Run Sale in November 2009!

Congratulations to all the winners - we salute you on your great achievements.

www.vumafeed.co.za

AFRICA'S FINEST HORSEFEEDS

For more information contact :
Catherine Hartley : 083 640 1155
Email: catherine@vumafeed.co.za

AL MAKTOUM SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE VISITS VUMA

School Of Excellence students visit Vuma at Afresh Vention Mill
(Photo : Heather Morkel)

Learning from Africa's Finest Horsefeeds

The first seven students of the recently opened Al Maktoum School of Management Excellence at Summerhill Stud enjoyed an outing to the new manufacturing home of Vuma Horse Feeds at the Afresh Vention Mill in Jacobs, Durban.

The representatives of Summerhill Stud are well familiar with the Vuma production as it was done on Summerhill and were fortunate enough to always have their stock close to hand when needed. Our customers further afield, in the Cape and in Johannesburg were not quite so lucky, so the representatives of Drakenstein Stud, Highlands Farm Stud, Maine Chance Farm and Mike de Kock Racing were intrigued to see how Africa's Finest Horsefeeds are made.

MD of the Durban mill, Shane Williamson, took the students through the extensive and sophisticated manufacturing plant showing how each step of the process is managed to ensure that the end product is of the highest quality and only the best for our customers and their horses.

This outing forms part of the module covering basic nutrition and metabolism and will certainly have highlighted to the students the importance of good beginnings in ensuring that the horses in their care receive nothing but the best! In learning from the best, they will already have an advantage!