Mash It Up This Winter

Mashes are a versatile feed, with nutritional benefits for a wide range of horses, our ace nutritionist – Lisa Elliott, Msc – explains more.

Why Feed a Mash?

Mashes are often thought of as a feed for older horses who are unable to chew or a warming feed in the winter. And while they are most definitely fantastic for both these jobs, there are many more reasons to feed them:

Fibre

Mashes are generally high in digestible fibre which provides a useful source of energy for work, condition and performance.  This high fibre content also helps support overall digestive health and helps keep your horse’s hindgut microbes happy and healthy.

Hydration

Mashes are made with water so really help keep your horse hydrated. Competition horses who compete away from home and are fussy with drinking water can benefit from a mash to help maintain optimum water intake. Regular use of a mash to promote water uptake means that electrolytes can then be safely offered to help maximise recovery from harder work.

In the winter horses will often drink less, so feeding a mash can be really beneficial to help ensure your horse stays fully hydrated throughout. Using warm water to make the mash in winter can help make it even more palatable for optimum water intake.

Digestion

Mashes generally require little or no chewing, making them extremely useful for older horses who are struggling to chew or any horse with poor dentition. Mashes are easy to eat and digest which is great for promoting good condition and overall digestive health. The higher water content of mashes means they can help reduce the risk of colic by keeping the gut contents moving and flowing freely, so are often beneficial for horses prone to digestive upset.

Why choose Castle Smart Zero Mash?

Smart Zero Mash is a truly beneficial mash containing a blend of super fibres to support healthy hindgut microbes while providing a soothing and digestible feed to help promote gut health and integrity.

Smart Zero Mash contains zero whole cereals and zero molasses, so is very low in starch and sugar but higher in energy from digestible fibre and oil.  This makes it an extremely versatile feed ideal for any working or performance horse or pony needing a low sugar/starch diet, veterans, ulcer prone horses or those needing condition.

Smart Zero Mash contains scientifically proven prebiotics to promote and nurture beneficial hindgut microbes. The addition of fenugreek, a preferred equine flavour in scientific trials makes it a tasty and nutritious feed suitable for a wide range of horses and ponies.