Understanding Feeds for the Busy Owner
Stacey Oke, DVM, MSc
May 1, 2008
Providing a complete diet for your horse does not have to be time-consuming or expensive.
Providing a complete diet for your horse does not have to be time-consuming or expensive.
Horses evolved to eat a lot of fiber, spending up to 17 hours a day grazing various forage plants. But not all fiber is created equal, especially when it comes to hay.
Hay carries a few challenges compared to living forages. One, compared t
A 2008 Equine Veterinary Journal (EVJ) publication examining dehydration in working horses was summarized and printed on TheHorse.com on April 24, 2008, prior to its actual publication in EVJ. It was reviewed and approved by the researcher.
The USDA has released several crop reports that indicate the number of hay acres will be down in 2008.
The department also reported that the existing hay supply is lower than previous years. This information, combined with higher input cost
Optimal use of horse pastures has always been important. As news of the high price and limited supply of hay continues to worry horse owners, the health of horse pastures becomes ever more critical.
Consulting with forage experts might be
Does your horse have a cresty neck? Does he gain weight on air? Does he develop laminitis at the mere sight of spring grass? If so, your horse could have insulin resistance. Lydia F. Gray, DVM, MA, medical director/staff veterinarian for SmartPa
If your horse has ulcers, giving him omeprazole isn’t the only thing you can do to help reduce the severity of the problem. Noah Cohen, VMD, PhD, MPH, Dipl. ACVIM, discussed a study that found alfalfa hay reduced the severity of ulcers in young,
The best way to keep your horses healthy is prevent them from getting sick. Sounds absurdly simple, right? In theory, this works. But in the real world of trying to protect horse
Equine veterinarians have known for years that some horses can handle the spring grass, while others will become ill and develop laminitis, a painful disease process in which the hoof wall separates from its attachments in the foot.
When grasses start greening up in the spring, you might be tempted to turn your horse loose in the pasture to chow down on the new grass.
But be aware that any sudden change in your horse’s diet could cause health problems, said Steve Jones
Here’s what we know about the efficacy of this popular hoof supplement.
The key to a good feed program is to start with the proper type of forage for the individual, then (if needed) pick the right concentrate or supplement.
The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) has launched several initiatives to assist livestock producers and equine owners in locating and transporting hay to their farms to cope with the ongoing
Michigan’s equine population has climbed nearly 20% since 1996, according to the preliminary results of a new study conducted by investigators from Michigan State University (MSU), the Michigan Horse Council, and the National Agricultural
More than 1,500 readers of TheHorse.com responded to a poll asking, ” How do you encourage adequate hydration during cold weather?”
Whether it is the result of weather conditions making forage scarce or prohibitively expensive, or if there’s some other reason, there could come a time when horse owners need to consider alternative sources of forage. Equine nutritionists say that
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