Q. I have heard many differing opinions about the possible health benefits of feeding horses vinegar. Is vinegar good for horses to consume?

—Nicole Livingston, via email

A. Vinegar in small amounts is fine for horses. It helps acidify the urinary tract, which might be helpful for some horses prone to urinary tract stones.

I suggest no more than a cup a day and use raw apple cider vinegar with the “mother” in it. The mother (mycoderma aceti) is a culture of cellulose and acetic acid bacteria used to ferment cider or wine into vinegar. The mother will look cloudy at the bottom of the bottle and is an excellent source of live microbials