Dietary iron is thought by some to contribute to the incidence of laminitis in horses, with serum ferritin starting to be used as the measure of iron status. It is unclear if this is the case, but in reading human literature, it seems the relationship between serum ferritin and inflammation is a bit of a […]
Grazing muzzles are a really, really useful tool. A muzzle means horses can be out grazing 23+ hours per day. Without them they would be strip grazed (trashing pastures in the process) or locked up for extended periods, which for gut and mental health is not ideal either. But they come with their challenges. They […]
Salt for horses – how much is too much? Extreme weather can increase the trend for people to add large amounts of salt to their horse’s daily feeds, despite actual requirements or what may be coming from the rest of their diet. While horses need sodium or chloride to continue to sweat, it’s important to […]
Comparison of equine dietary iron requirements to iron concentrations of 5,837 hay samples N. Richards and B.D. Nielsen, 2018 Introduction Iron is essential for the production of red blood cells. According to the 2007 Horse NRC, Fe requirements are 50 ppm for growing foals, lactating and pregnant mares, and 40 ppm for all other classes […]
Sunbleaching in horses appears to be influenced by a combination of sun exposure and sweat. An unintentional experiment One of our Nutritionist’s horses lives in a region where flies are prevalent, so the horses wear fly masks during the daytime. They also experience extreme heat, reaching temperatures upwards of 40 degrees Celsius (100°F), which has […]
Setaria should really be classified as toxic for horses. It is a subtropical pasture with such high levels of oxalate that it makes it almost impossible to prevent Secondary Nutritional Hyperparathyroidism (Bighead disease) in horses grazing this grass. Grasses like kikuyu and buffel grass readily cause bighead disease with an oxalate content of around 15 […]
Teff Hay seems to be gaining popularity as a hay option for many horse owners and because it is sold as a low starch low sugar hay it is starting to be recommended in place of Rhodes Grass Hay. BUT, if you are lucky enough to have access to Rhodes Grass Hay, here are some […]
We often talk about copper deficiency in horses, and specifically its role in coat color. Copper is part of an enzyme called tyrosinase which is essential for the production of melanin. Melanin is what gives the skin, hair and eyes their color. So it makes sense that copper deficiency would cause a change in coat […]
How to feed your horse in a drought Drought conditions seem to be more and more common these days. Less water means less grass and hay, which raises the question: how can you feed your horse properly during a drought? Many of us in Australia have been dealing with drought conditions, increasingly we are having […]
Anhydrosis, or the inability to sweat, is a serious condition that affects horses in hot and humid climates. Horses rely heavily on sweating to cool themselves down and keep their core body temperature within a normal range. Sweat wets the horse’s skin and then as it evaporates it takes heat with it, effectively creating an […]
