With the worst of the winter hopefully over, now is the ideal time to consider how best to prepare your horse for the working months ahead. Maintaining weight and condition through this change in seasons can certainly be tricky - particularly if there are other factors to into account, such as, if your horse:

o Has a tendency to be 'fizzy'
o Is a 'fussy feeder'
o Suffers with bad digestion
o Is barley-intolerant
o Has poor coat and/or coat condition

Despite this diverse set of concerns and problems, simply supplying your horse with the correct feed can help resolve all of the conditions above as well as ensure that he keeps on weight and condition.

A low-energy, return to fitness feed, designed to contain all of the necessary nutrients with controlled calories is ideal and central to ensuring your horse is ready and willing for work. If it is also made with Protexin, which encourages efficient digestion and overall good health, then so much the better. A feed like Quiet Mix could be just what you are looking for.

However, if, you are worried that this might not appeal to your horse because he is particularly picky, then a feed which is designed to be more tasty - but not at the price of increased calories - is the answer. With its variety of premium grade real herbs, a combination that is repeatedly been proven to be palatable for even the fussiest horses, Herbal Quiet Mix is the ready-made answer.

But if you feel that your horse requires a bit more than a low-energy mix then you need to look elsewhere. A well-balanced pelleted feed that provides energy through its high-fibre content, rather than via high-starch, will ensure that your horse can recommence hard-work without ever 'going off its head'. Should the feed also contain oils such as linseed and soya, then you can also expect to see the added benefit of fantastic skin and coat condition. Such a mix will put weight and condition on almost any horse, and if it is barley-free too, like Calm and Condition, then even the most barley-intolerant horse will be able to reap the benefits.

Current Sunday Times Sportswoman Of The Year Pippa Funnell has used the Allen and Page range since the age of sixteen and reveals that, 'I feed Calm and Condition to all my horses when I'm bringing them back into work - it's absolutely brilliant when they start to get a bit fitter and I want to build them without them getting silly.'
For more information or advice, contact Allen and Page at: Norfolk Mill, Shipdham, Thetford, Norfolk, IP25 7SD. Tel: 01362 822902 or fax: 01362 822910. www.allenandpage.com Email : helpline@allenandpage.co.uk

.