Latest Articles

Oxalate Toxicity in Horses
Oxalate Toxicity in Horses: Causes, Signs, Prevention & Treatment Linaya Pot, MSc | March 28, 2024 | Conditions, Horse Health, Nutrition

What Are Oxalates? Effects Calcium Deficiencies Diagnosis and Treatment Feeding Guidelines Oxalates are naturally occurring compounds that bind calcium in the equine diet, preventing absorption of thi...

Ionophore Toxicosis in Horses
Ionophore Toxicosis in Horses: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Dr. Madison Ricard, DVM | January 10, 2024 | Horse Health, Nutrition

Ionophore toxicosis, a severe and often fatal condition in horses, arises from the ingestion of ionophores, antibiotic compounds that are common in livestock feeds. Common ionophores in livestock feed...

Dysmastication in Horses
Dysmastication in Horses: Treatment of Chewing Problems and Dental Disorders Jaime Thomas, B.Sc. | December 21, 2023 | Conditions, Horse Health, Nutrition

The ability to properly chew and grind food is essential for nutrient digestion and absorption. Dysmastication is a condition involving impaired chewing- also known as mastication. Horses that are una...

Vitamin D for Horses
Vitamin D for Horses: Benefits, Dietary Sources & Signs of Deficiency Dr. Christine Latham, Ph.D. | December 6, 2023 | Nutrition, Vitamin

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for horses, influencing bone health, muscle function, and the immune system. Adequate vitamin D intake is considered important for growing horses t...

Feeding your Hard Keeper Horse [8-Step Guide] Haley Scofield, B.Sc., M.Sc. | March 12, 2024 | Care & Management, Horse Health, Nutrition

Have you ever struggled with a horse that has a difficult time maintaining their body condition? For horse owners, the term "hard keeper" is more than just a casual phrase, it's a familiar and often p...

Phytoestrogens and Mare Fertility
The Effect of Phytoestrogens on Mare Fertility & Reproductive Health Dr. Ana Mesa, Ph.D. | December 5, 2023 | Breeding, Fertility, Nutrition

The reproductive performance of broodmares holds significant importance within the equine industry. Achieving optimal pregnancy rates is critical for both the profitability of breeding operations and ...

How to Feed Orphan Foal
How to Feed and Manage Orphan Foals: Guide to Milk Replacers & More Dr. Christine Latham, Ph.D. | December 7, 2023 | Breeding, Foals, Nutrition

An orphan foal is a young horse that cannot nurse their birth mother. Foals may be orphaned for a number of reasons, including the mare’s death or severe illness, rejection of the foal, or the mare�...

Feeding Beet Pulp to Horses
Beet Pulp for Horses: Benefits, Nutrition & Feeding Guide Dr. Christine Latham, Ph.D. | March 15, 2024 | Care & Management, Nutrition

Beet pulp is a mainstay of many feeding programs for horses. This highly digestible feed is a good source of soluble fiber that supports hindgut function and helps meet energy requirements. Beet pulp ...

How to Feed an Off the Track Thoroughbred (OTTB): [7-Step Guide] Dr. Christine Latham, Ph.D. | December 6, 2023 | Breeds, Horse Health, Nutrition

Off-the-track Thoroughbreds (OTTB) can be wonderful companions and athletes, but they do come with their share of breed-specific challenges. After retiring from the racing industry, these horses often...

Feeding and Management of Stallions
How to Feed and Manage Stallions: Nutrition Guide Dr. Christine Latham, Ph.D. | January 10, 2024 | Breeding, Nutrition

Stallions have unique nutrition and behavioral needs because of their high activity level and potential to become aggressive towards herd mates and humans. Often housed alone, stallions can develop st...

Hay Versus Pasture for Horses
Hay Versus Pasture Grass for Horses: Comparing Forage Sources Dr. Christine Latham, Ph.D. | December 4, 2023 | Nutrition

Forage is the most natural and least expensive feed for horses. Feeding a forage-based diet supports natural grazing behavior and optimal gut health in horses. As such, forage should form the basis of...

Nutrient Deficiencies in Horses
Top 7 Nutrient Deficiencies in Horses – [Signs & Symptoms] Casie Bazay, BS, NBCAAM | December 21, 2023 | Nutrition

Horses need a balanced diet to maintain optimal health. Ensuring adequate intake of vitamins and minerals is important for many physiological and metabolic functions. However, a diet consisting solely...

Selenium and Vitamin E for Horses
Selenium and Vitamin E for Horses: Antioxidant Nutrients Casie Bazay, BS, NBCAAM | October 24, 2023 | Nutrition, Vitamin

Selenium and vitamin E are essential antioxidant nutrients for all mammals, including horses. Together with vitamin C, they help prevent the damaging effects of oxidative stress in all cells and tissu...

Antioxidant Supplements for Horses
Top 9 Antioxidant Supplements for Horses [Research Review] Jaime Thomas, B.Sc. | January 31, 2024 | Horse Health, Nutrition

Antioxidants are important nutrients for horses that help to combat oxidative stress, maintain overall health, and support performance. They work by neutralizing harmful molecules known as free radica...

Whey Protein for Horses
Whey Protein for Horses: Benefits & Feeding Guide Jaime Thomas, B.Sc. | October 24, 2023 | Nutrition

Whey protein is a cost-effective, high-quality protein source that is safe to feed to horses. Whey is a common ingredient in commercial horse feeds and is also available as a standalone supplement. Wh...

Vitamin C for Horses: Benefits, Sources & Supplementation of Ascorbic Acid Jaime Thomas, B.Sc. | October 24, 2023 | Nutrition

Also referred to as ascorbic acid, vitamin C is an important water-soluble vitamin for horses. It works together with vitamin E and selenium to provide antioxidant protection against cell damage. Vita...

Branched Chain Amino Acid Supplements for Horses: Do they Work? Linaya Pot, MSc | October 24, 2023 | Horse Health, Nutrition, Performance

BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids) are muscle-building supplements that have become popular among equine athletes for performance, recovery and fatigue. BCAA include leucine, isoleucine, and valine, a...

How to Feed a Horse with PPID
How to Feed a Horse with PPID (Cushing’s Disease) [10-Step Guide] Jaime Thomas, B.Sc. | October 24, 2023 | Conditions, Nutrition

Feeding horses with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), previously referred to as Equine Cushing’s disease, can be a challenge. Horses affected by PPID are typically older and may have oth...

How to Feed the Growing Foal
How to Feed a Growing Foal: Nutrition from Birth to Yearling Dr. Priska Darani, Ph.D. | October 24, 2023 | Breeding, Nutrition

Raising a healthy foal involves working closely with your veterinarian and equine nutritionist to make sure they are maintaining proper growth and development. Foals grow quickly in the first few mont...

How to Feed Exercising Horse
Feeding Horses in Work – Nutritional Requirements & Example Diets Dr. Priska Darani, Ph.D. | October 24, 2023 | Nutrition

Performance horses have higher energy and protein requirements than horses at maintenance (not exercising). Formulating diets to meet the requirements of horses in work should take into account their ...

Forage Identification for Horses
How to Identify Forages and Estimate Their Maturity Caroline Cochran, BSc. | October 24, 2023 | Nutrition

Forage is the single highest volume component in the equine diet. The type, quality, and maturity of the forage you feed have the greatest impact on the nutritional composition of your horse's ration....

CBD Oil for Horses
CBD Oil Benefits for Horses: Supplement Research Review Jaime Thomas, B.Sc. | February 4, 2024 | Nutrition

In recent years, cannabidiol (CBD) has gained popularity as a natural remedy for some equine medical conditions. Currently, research into the effects of CBD on horses is very limited, and many reports...

Chia Seeds for Horses
Chia Seeds for Horses – Nutrition, Benefits & Feeding Guide Jaime Thomas, B.Sc. | October 24, 2023 | Nutrition

Chia seeds are derived from the Salvia hispanica plant and are fed to horses to support gut health and provide nutrients. A member of the mint family, chia has been cultivated for over 5,000 years in ...

Transition Horse to Spring Pasture
Transitioning your Horses to Grazing Pasture in the Spring [Guide] Caroline Cochran, BSc. | October 24, 2023 | Care & Management, Nutrition

Turning horses out on pasture is one of the best ways to encourage natural grazing behaviour. Fresh forage can be a valuable part of a balanced equine diet, but grass does not have the same nutritiona...

Alfalfa Hay and Pasture for Horses
Feeding Alfalfa to Horses: Pros & Cons of this Forage in the Diet Dr. Christine Latham, Ph.D. | December 6, 2023 | Nutrition

Alfalfa is a popular forage choice for horses and an ingredient in many equine feeds. This legume forage can be processed and preserved in many different ways to make it easier to incorporate into the...

How to Feed a Metabolic Horse
How to Feed a Horse with Equine Metabolic Syndrome Dr. Alex Rankovic, B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D. | December 21, 2023 | Nutrition

For horse owners and barn managers, Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) is a challenging condition to manage. How do you know which hays and feeds are safe and how should pasture turnout be regulated? Hor...

By-Product Feeds for Horses
By-product Feeds for Horses: [Ingredients Guide] Caroline Cochran, BSc. | February 12, 2024 | Nutrition

By-product ingredients are a fixture in equine diets, either as components of a complete feed or as concentrates added into the diet on their own. Although the term “by-product” may carry a negati...

Carbohydrates in the Horse's Diet
Carbohydrates in the Equine Diet: Nutrition Review Dr. Priska Darani, Ph.D. | December 13, 2023 | Nutrition

Carbohydrates are the main energy source in an equine diet. These macronutrients are naturally abundant in forages, grains and grain by-products. Carbohydrates can be categorized based on their functi...

Canola Oil for Horses
Feeding Canola Oil to Horses: Benefits for Weight Gain Jaime Thomas, B.Sc. | October 25, 2023 | Nutrition

A variety of supplemental oils including camelina, flax, soy, corn, fish, and canola are commonly used in equine diets. Although every oil provides the same amount of energy, each one has a different ...

Rice Bran Oil for Horses
Rice Bran Oil for Horses: Benefits of Feeding for Weight Gain Jaime Thomas, B.Sc. | October 25, 2023 | Nutrition

Rice bran oil (RBO) is an increasingly popular fat supplement fed to horses for weight management, cool energy, and coat quality. The oil is derived from the germ and bran of brown rice grains and con...