25/10/2020
How does the 'Simple System' work? 🌱🐴
Our range of feeds has been developed to meet the special needs of the horse’s unique digestive system.
The horse receives its nutrition from forage sources. Feeds are bulkier, ideally soaked and will take the horse much longer to eat. Extra nutrients for harder work, for instance, can be supplied by switching to a forage with a higher energy level and increasing the nutrient density. Forages naturally have higher levels of vitamins and minerals than, say, cereals such as wheat or oats, or pulses such as peas or beans. Where additional vitamins and minerals are needed, these are from natural sources, such as Simple System Pure Ocean Seaweed or Traditional Brewers’ Yeast. Our dried green forages come from three main sources, Lucerne, Grass and Sainfoin.
Lucerne, called Alfalfa in America, is a deep rooting legume with high levels of nutrients, but is very low in sugars. It is an especially good source of digestible fibre, protein and calcium, with high levels of carotene. This is the precursor of Vitamin A and an important anti-oxidant. It is a suitable feed for most equines, but is most valuable when building muscle and condition.
When horses are coming back to work after a rest or illness, it provides all the right nutrients for developing muscle, but does not cause any hotting up, due to low sugar levels. This makes it particularly useful for laminitics, horses prone to tying up and horses tending to get filled legs. It is also ideal for breeding stock and growing youngsters. Natives, Arabs, Warmbloods and Veterans all do well on various forms of Lucerne.
Grass is what we all think of as horse food! The nutrient value varies over a wide range, being highest when the grass is in its early stages of growth, and lower after it has seeded. All our grass feeds are made from chopped, flash-dried grass. Grass has useful levels of phosphorous, and calcium. Carbohydrate and protein levels are highest in young grass and lower in older grass, which has higher fibre levels. Generally, the higher carbohydrate levels and useful iron levels make grass feeds ideal for horses in harder work. Breeding stock without access to pasture, Thoroughbreds and Warmbloods all do well on grass feeds.
Sainfoin is an ancient forage legume that contains many unique properties. Sainfoin is rich in natural vitamins and mineral trace elements. It contains a high amount of naturally occurring copper, which supports the health of bones, tendons and joints. Sainfoin is also a source of condensed tannins, which can aid the digestion of protein. Sainfoin is particularly suitable for horses requiring a nutritious diet, including pregnant mares, foals and youngstock, older horses and competition horses.
