When Summer Grazing Dries Up: Which Pure Feed Should You Choose?

A paddock can still look spacious while providing very little useful grazing. During a dry spell, horses may spend longer searching for grass but consume less fibre and less water from pasture. The right response is to assess what has changed—not simply add a higher-calorie feed.

Step one: check the forage gap

Estimate how much grass is genuinely available and provide suitable hay or haylage where grazing no longer covers the horse’s needs. Fibre supports normal gut function, chewing time and a more natural feeding pattern.

Weigh what you feed rather than estimating by the slice, and monitor leftovers. If hay is dusty, manage it appropriately for the individual horse and seek veterinary advice where there is respiratory disease.

Step two: make hydration easy

Grass contains much more water than dry forage, so water intake can change when pasture disappears. Keep troughs clean, check flow rates and provide more than one drinking point where herd dynamics may restrict access. Adding water to suitable feeds can increase the moisture in the ration, but it never replaces unrestricted access to fresh drinking water.

Pure Meadow Mash: extra soaked fibre

Pure Feed Meadow Mash is a quick-soaking, high-fibre mash that can replace part of the forage ration. It contains no added vitamin and mineral premix, so it can be used alongside the horse’s existing balanced diet without automatically duplicating the balancer.

It may be useful for horses that need:

• extra fibre when grazing is sparse;
• a soft, easy-to-chew alternative to some long-stem forage;
• more water added to a meal; or
• a palatable soaked fibre feed during travel or a change of routine.

Read our full guide to Pure Meadow Mash as a soaked hay replacer before using it to replace a significant amount of forage.

Then match the bucket feed to calorie needs

For a horse maintaining weight: Pure Easy

Pure Easy provides 8.5MJ/kg with 33% fibre. It is designed for good doers and horses in light work that need balanced nutrition without many extra calories.

For a horse working regularly: Pure Working

Pure Working provides 10MJ/kg, 34% fibre and 8% oil. It supplies more slow-release energy for regular work or a horse needing controlled support for condition.

For a horse starting to lose condition: Pure Condition Mix

Pure Condition Mix provides 11MJ/kg and 12.6% oil. It is the higher-calorie option for horses that need additional energy to maintain or gain condition.

Do not move up the range simply because the field is brown. A horse receiving enough replacement forage may still maintain or gain weight, particularly if workload is light.

Monitor what changes

• Use a weigh tape and body condition score every one to two weeks.
• Watch droppings, appetite and water intake.
• Review workload and adjust calories in both directions.
• Check that forage is clean, suitable and stored well.
• Introduce new forage and bucket feed gradually.

If a horse loses weight despite adequate feed, struggles to chew, develops loose droppings or shows signs of colic, speak to your vet. A dry paddock can expose an underlying problem rather than being the sole cause.