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
With scores of oral joint health supplements on the market, how do horse owners know which to buy? This article examines the current state of the equine nutritional supplement industry, and it presents a seven-step “ACCLAIM” approach for horse owners.
Osteoarthritis has a major impact on pain and athleticism of horses, and many medications are used to combat it. At the 2007 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Dec. 1-5 in Orlando, Fla., an in vitro study comparing
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,
Osteoarthritis is the most common human joint disorder in the world, and in the equine industry it’s the most economically important disease. It’s the primary cause of decreased athletic function and wastage in racehorses.
Canadian researchers recently compared the pharmacologic properties of two different forms of glucosamine–hydrochloride and sulphate. They measured significantly higher levels of glucosamine in synovial fluid samples from horses receiving the oral
For the study, 39 horses in Missouri and Florida (on a broodmare farm, a Thoroughbred retirement center, and in two university equestrian programs) were selected for naturally occurring osteoarthritis that caused Grade 2-4 lameness on a scale of 0-4.
Acidosis (abnormally high acidity) in the hindgut (the large intestine and colon) can cause a number of problems in horses, including anorexia, colic, laminitis, and stereotypic (continuous, repetitive, and serving no purpose) behaviors such as
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.
Illinois researchers studying the effect of nutritional supplementation with essential fatty acids (EFAs) reported that EFAs are absorbed systemically after oral administration and alter the normal pool of fatty acids in the bloodstream of horses.
Scientific studies performed over the past decade have demonstrated the widespread availability of poor quality and potentially unsafe dietary supplements for both human and animal consumption. These include supplements that:
Feeding grain, confinement, exercise, and overall environmental stress factors are thought to cause ulcers, he said. It’s commonly thought that horses turned out on pastures are better off than those that are confined. However, if grass hay is the on
Want to know what veterinarians talk about when they get together? This year it was
The aging process brings with it some inevitable changes in horses.
Equine nutritionists discuss a variety of feeds and feeding practices to help horses cope with problems.
A feed supplement is anything fed to a horse in addition to a natural diet of forage. Technically grain is a supplement. But the term has come to mean any additional nutrients (such as certain vitamins and minerals, extra protein, energy, etc.) tha
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