Are we giving our horses too many supplements?
Over recent years, the equine industry has seen a significant rise in the use of dietary supplements for horses. While most horse owners aim to optimise their horses' health and performance, it’s crucial to understand when and why to incorporate these supplements into their diets. Over-supplementation can lead to adverse effects so we need to understand the implications of this trend. The Rise of Supplements in Equine Nutrition The popularity of supplements in horse care has skyrocketed, with a vast array of products available from all over the world on the market. Particularly concerning is the multitudes of products aimed at supporting the gastrointestinal
Horses are Herbivores (what’s in your feed?)
Horses are herbivores, aren’t they? So why are we feeding products and supplements which go against the Law of Nature? Horses are pure herbivores – their bodies are designed to eat plant material only. The herbivore species have flat grinding teeth and a very long digestive system specifically designed to break down tough cellulose fibre in plants. Horses have jaws which move sideways enabling grinding of plant material in the oral cavity – digestion begins here. Once the food is reduced in size and thoroughly mixed with saliva it’s swallowed, travels down the oesophagus into the stomach. Horses are ill equipped to cope with the
Crofton Weed kills Horses
Crofton weed - ( Ageratina adenophora) is beating the cane toads in it’s march south down the East Coast of Australia. It’s also now prevalent in all other states of Australia. This plant, a native of Mexico, loves conditions in Australia and like the cane toad it has no natural predators here. Biological controls have had limited success to date and funding for research is minimal. Crofton weed is an erect, multi stemmed perennial plant which grows to 150cm in height. It’s extremely hardly, it layers itself and will sprout from any tiny piece of root left in the ground. It relishes poor soil
Cranky Frankie – the Horse that Wouldn’t Go
Frankie was the kind of horse you come across fairly regularly. Nappy, cranky, lackluster and unwilling to go forward. When Karen contacted me she had owned Frankie, a 9 year old Quarterhorse gelding, for 2 years. She bought him from a woman who had owned him for 3 years, who in turn had bought him from a stock station for her daughter to ride. The daughter quickly lost interest so Frankie had been turned out onto large scrubby, drought affected land with some cattle. Karen was interested in Frankie as he was quite well bred and she wanted to campdraft him. Karen told me that
Wheat Intolerance – In Depth
Wheat intolerance is well documented in humans, but what about horses? And why might a natural product like wheatcause a problem? Most readers will know someone who is ‘coeliac’ or wheat intolerant. Many may even have noticed increased gluten or wheat sensitivity in themselves -fuzzy brain, lethargy, bloating, skin problems etc. and wonder why such a staple food from the human and animal diet is now causing such problems. The answer may be in the breeds of wheat grown today. Until the mid 1950’s the wheat grain that was grown had remained the same since biblical times. The original Emmer and Einkorn wheat varieties (triticum
Wheat Intolerance
Does your horse Tie - up, as in Equine Polysaccharide Myopathy, EPSM. FYI With each and every horse we have hair tested and treated over the last twenty odd years, who have presented with tying up problems, the one common factor they have all shared is their intolerance to wheat. That's right folks, not oats, not corn but wheat. OR Does your horse have: Behavioural problems, poor performance, failure to thrive, nervousness, grumpy, cranky or mad