As if aging isn’t hard enough! Creaky joints, sagging backs, loose teeth, increased infections, poor digestion, and embarrassing gassiness -- just a few of the problems associated with getting older (for your horse, not you!). But what was once...
While pasture grazing may not be an option for overweight, insulin resistant horses during certain times of the day or seasons of the year, access to free-choice forage is still essential.Do you have an overweight horse? Chances are...
One of the most common questions asked about feeding the performance horse is when to feed before a competition. Theoretically, feeding should be timed so that all of the nutrients from a meal have been digested, absorbed, and stored...
Kentucky Bluegrass
Kentucky bluegrass is a cool-season grass (Poa pratensis) that grows best in spring and fall, and resists trampling and close grazing quite well. It is found in lawns and horse pastures across the nation due to its ability...
Insulin Resistance
When starches and sugars are consumed, the body releases insulin, a hormone that cues absorption and storage of sugar from the bloodstream. Overfeeding starch and sugars can make horses “insulin resistant,” meaning the body cannot absorb glucose properly...
When purchasing hay for your horse, assess its freshness; it should not be dusty or smell moldy or musty. Moldy hay contributes to respiratory ailments in horses. The more mature the hay is when it’s harvested, the more stemmy...
Grazing
Good-quality pasture is a wonderful source of energy, protein, fiber and vitamins. Horses enjoy grazing and are designed to move around, eating grass in a herd situation. In most areas, however, pasture space is limited and careful maintenance is...
Fiber
Unlike humans, horses are able to extract energy from the fiber in their diet. The fiber is converted to volatile fatty acids (VFAs) by a bacterial fermentation process in the hindgut; the VFAs are then used to synthesize glucose...
Q: Can you feed a purebred Arabian straight alfalfa? I have an 8-year-old Arabian mare who is underweight. The vet said to put her on alfalfa and grain, but the owner of my boarding stable says that straight alfalfa...
If you are a pleasure rider or only work your horse hard occasionally, his diet will differ from that of a high-performance competition horse.Both types of horses need to have a dietary foundation of high-fiber roughage—either hay or pasture....
