We all want the best for the horses. They get the best tack, the best accommodation, the best therapies, nothing is too crazy to make sure the horses have a good time. Yet we often see that when it comes to feed, things could be a lot better. At too many accommodations, for instance, it is not possible to provide a horse with unlimited roughage all day, in a natural way. As a result, a horse is often deprived of roughage for too long and the body suffers from a lack of eating stimuli. Fortunately, we at Equitrend have found the solution to this underestimated problem.

The 3-in-1 Feeding Bowl

You wish you had discovered him much earlier, the 3-in1 Feeding bowl which is specially developed for a horse's natural needs. The feeder consists of three different compartments. The two smaller outer compartments are for concentrate and any supplements. The middle compartment is the point that makes this feeder so unique. It is designed to hold a full 15 kg bale of hay. In the design, the shape of the feeder has been very deliberately considered. Thus, the feeder fits perfectly in the corner of the stable and there are no sharp edges, making it extra safe for the horse.

Natural posture

Often, a large amount of roughage is offered in hay nets. This forces the horses to make an inclined and pulling movement, which in the long run has a negative effect on the horse's neck and back and often causes frustration. The 3-in-1 Feeding Trough is designed so that horses eat naturally. Because the middle compartment is one metre deep, the horses can eat the roughage in a relaxed manner with their heads low. Because there is room for a whole bale of roughage in the middle compartment, the horse can be supplied with roughage all day long.

Saving

Apart from the many advantages for the horses, the 3-in-1 Feeder is also a great product for horse owners. For example, by offering the roughage in the middle compartment, on average 30% less of the roughage is lost. When the roughage is placed on the ground or when it falls to the ground from the hay net, the roughage is often run through the stable and not eaten by the horse. It is also common for the horse to dung on the roughage and then prefer not to eat it, which of course is a waste of the roughage. Both of these are no longer an issue with the 3-in-1 Feeder.

In short, the 3-in-1 Feeding Trough is something that will make both horse and human happy and really should no longer be missing in any stable. You want this too, don't you?

View here The 3-in-1 Feeding Tray.

Nico Witte was unexpectedly surprised with his election as Equestrian Entrepreneur of the Year 2020 at his farm in Schijndel recently during a training session by his wife Madeleine. Marlies Reibestein, board member of Stichting HIP (Equestrian Innovative Projects) surprised the winner at his home base. The live recording of this could be seen on the well-watched broadcasts on KWPN.tv during the fourth day of the KWPN Stallion Selection.

Stal Witte is owned by Nico Witte. It is a rearing, trading and training stable of international repute. Witte went ‘into horses’ in 1978, against his father's advice, with 800 guilders and a horse. He started out as a show jumper and over a period of 40 years has made Stal Witte what it is today, an extremely impressive business. Stal Witte excels in scouting young talent, breeding and training young horses from B to Grand Prix, it owns top studs and sells high-quality sporthorses. Located in Schijndel, Brabant, Stal Witte was originally no more than an old farmhouse. Over the years, Nico has rebuilt, reconstructed the sheds and it is now a high-quality horse business.

Jury report

Jury chairman Ton Corbeau, editor-in-chief of the trade magazine ‘de Hippische Ondernemer’: “Nico Witte has made a number of crucial decisions and steps in his 40 years as an entrepreneur, which have led to the fine company that Stal Witte is today. Thousands of hours at inspections, auctions and competitions developed his unerring ‘eye’ for movement, which provided a basis for training talented young horses, for which the sporting international successes with his wife Madeleine, are the calling card. Nico has an innovative and creative entrepreneurial spirit, as evidenced by founding the 1st syndicate of owners to keep the then breeding stallion Jazz for Dutch breeding, setting up highly professional auctions and a strong and loyal customer base. Nico also makes time to fulfil roles in several industry associations and boards. Stal Witte is a company of which the Dutch equestrian sector is very proud and Nico has rightly become the 2020 Equestrian Entrepreneur of the Year.”.

Finalists
Other finalists for the Equestrian Entrepreneur of the Year title were sports and boarding stable Stal ’t Kabel in Nieuw Vennep owned by Grand Prix rider Sanne Winters and her husband Ronald Boers and equestrian company with recreational and holiday facilities Les Chevaux in Buinen, Drenthe, run by Renee and her father Martin Bottelier. The jury was formed by Ton Corbeau (De Hippische Ondernemer), Andries van Daalen (KWPN), Cees Roozemond (KNHS), Ad de Bruyn (ABAB), Monique van Hal (Trendpanel Paard) and Marlies Reibestein (Stichting HIP).

Prices
For this title, Witte will receive a HIP award, an advice cheque from ABAB accountants & advisers and an electric feed truck from Equitrend.

Source: HIP Foundation press release

There is no getting away from it, but winter is already upon us. For most people, winter is the season of ‘snuggling up on the sofa’. But for the horse groomers among us, this is a different story. With the Dutch showers, it can sometimes be quite a challenge to continue training as fanatically in winter as in summer. Especially when you only have outdoor accommodation, it can be a bit of a challenge. But with the tips below, you can make sure your outdoor courts are winter-proof.

Drainage
The first thing that is important for a ‘winter-proof’ outdoor riding arena is a working drainage system. Drainage allows you to keep the water level in the arena or paddock in order. Especially in seasons when it rains a lot, it is not desirable for the riding arena to turn into a swimming pool. Not only is training on a ground that is too wet bad for drainage, a horse also runs a higher risk of injuries. Besides wanting to prevent this, another consequence of a poorly functioning drainage system is that when it freezes, the arena will soon be unusable.

Antifreeze
Are you sure the drainage is in order and are you aware that it will freeze? Make sure the water level in the lanes is as low as possible. This ensures that the road surface is as dry as possible, which reduces the risk of freezing. What also helps is adding poly flakes (also known as Geopad). They contribute to the support and stability of the soil and keep it airy. Through this effect, the polyflakes act as a kind of antifreeze. For a soil with polyflakes, it has to freeze on average 5 degrees harder until it freezes compared to a normal sandy soil.

Drag
Is the soil thoroughly dry in preparation for frost? Then we recommend preemptively dragging the tray. The perfect way to do this is, for example, with a Equilizer. Due to its small size, this leveler is hugely suitable for towing a paddock or lunging ring. The Equilizers can even be fitted with different ground levelers, allowing any ground to be treated perfectly. Dragging makes the top layer finely loose and airy which reduces the chance of freezing. Should the outdoor track still freeze, at least it will be level. This makes it possible to turn horses loose without them running the risk of stepping into a pit.

Looking for a good floor leveler? We have a wide range at Equitrend. View the here.

Autumn is already upon us, which for many horse owners means that the horses will be stabled more and it will be time to muck out again. Not everyone enjoys this, but with our electric wheelbarrow it might start to be fun. Yet we understand that if you have just had a Dutch rainstorm over your head, you would rather not go back and forth to the manure pit with a full wheelbarrow. But what if we have the ideal solution for that too, allowing you to muck out 12 cubicles without having to go to the manure pit. That sounds quite interesting, doesn't it?

The manure container
It is our Manure container which makes it possible to muck out up to 12 boxes in one go. The container, specially designed for easy mucking out, has a capacity of 2,400L, which is roughly equivalent to 12 full wheelbarrows. When designing the Manure Container, the fact that it should be easy to use and have a practical size was taken into account. A format was therefore chosen that makes it easy to place the Manure Container in the aisle without blocking it immediately. Because, especially on large and busy facilities, you want to maintain a good aisle flow.

Easy to empty
But it doesn't stop there, as the Manure Container is also very easy to move around. This is thanks to its four air wheels, two of which are swivel wheels. As the castors move very smoothly, the Fertiliser Container is very easy and light to move, making it accessible to everyone. Moreover, emptying the Fertiliser Container is a lot easier than you think. Thanks to the hooks attached to the side, the Manure Container can be emptied into the slurry pit with a loader.

Ammonia
What has also been taken into account in the design of the Manure Container is that it comes into contact with a large amount of ammonia coming from the dirty straw. Anyone who mucks out regularly then knows better than anyone else how badly ammonia can corrode the strongest materials. The material then quickly becomes of poorer quality, reducing its lifespan. To prevent this from happening to the Manure Container, it is made of stainless steel. The oxide layer on the stainless material prevents rust from forming. This way, the Manure Container will stay looking like new for years. But then, of course, you have to clean it every now and then.

Would you like more information about our Manure container then take contact.

In summer, what could be nicer than setting up a showjumping course in the outdoor arena without having to drag the obstacle material endlessly? Indeed quite little! Not everyone has the luxury of being able to leave it in the track after building a course. Many riders and amazons will therefore be familiar with the suffering called lifting beams. But with our beam trolley, we relieve you of the endless walking back and forth and all you have to do is load all beams at once and put the beam trolley away.

Huge capacity
The beam trolley is actually indispensable on any accommodation where beams are sometimes or regularly worked with. Thanks to its special design, the beam trolley has an enormous capacity and can hang 120 obstacle beams. This even makes it possible to place or remove all beams from a course at once. A positive surprise for many users of our beam trolley is that it is extremely stable and easy to manoeuvre, both loaded and unloaded. The stability of the beam wagon is due to its sturdy turntable and wide pneumatic tyres. This makes the trolley easy to use on any terrain.

Jump trolley
But of course, when building or dismantling a course, the beams are not the only part, the uprights also need to be placed. That's where the variant of the beam trolley, namely the Jump trolley, the best tool for it. With a special eye on the handle, it is possible to connect the Obstacle Trolley to the beam trolley, making assembly and disassembly even quicker. Just like the beam trolley, the Obstacle Trolley is extremely stable thanks to its wide pneumatic tyres and sturdy turntable. Another advantage of both the Obstacle Trolley and the Beams Trolley is the fact that both are very narrow and can therefore be parked easily. The obstacle trolley is only 150 cm wide and 350 cm long, while the beam trolley, at 120 cm wide and 250 cm long, is much smaller.

Longer lifespan
Especially for stables where the obstacle equipment is stored outside, we also have the In addition to the jump-trolley we also have a pole-trolley and jump trolley with hood in our assortment.. As the cover is made of high-quality tarpaulin, the beams and obstacle material are perfectly protected against all weather conditions. This way, all the obstacle material stays in much better condition and will last a lot longer. Ideal right!

Also excited about the beam and obstacle trolley? Check them out here!