Bermudagrass is a widely used equine forage used in the southern United States, valued for its adaptability, productivity, and cost-effectiveness. As a warm-season perennial, Bermudagrass thrives in hot weather and provides consistent forage during summer months when cool-season grasses decline....
Rhizoma Perennial Peanut is a warm-season legume commonly fed to horses as hay. It offers a clean, nutrient-dense option generally considered palatable to horses. Regions across the southeastern United States, including Florida, Georgia, and Alabama, use it widely because it...
Wild or feral horses spend most of their day grazing on a variety of grasses, shrubs, and other natural forage, carefully selecting plants to meet their nutritional needs. In contrast, domestic horses are often provided with concentrated feeds, hay, and...
Bahiagrass is a warm-season perennial grass commonly used for horse pastures. First identified in the 1800s and introduced to Florida in 1913, it has since spread throughout the southern U.S. The grass thrives in sandy, low-fertility soils and is well-suited...
Bromegrasses, including Smooth and Meadow Bromegrass, are cool-season perennials widely used for equine forage in North America. Valued for their drought tolerance, adaptability to soil types, and consistent nutritional profile, these grasses are a reliable option for many equine diets....
Timothy hay offers moderate energy and protein content, making it suitable for a wide range of horses. Depending on Timothy’s growing and harvesting conditions, it can be produced at varying nutritional levels to suit different horse’s needs- from growing and...
Ryegrass is a widely used forage for horses, most commonly provided in its annual and perennial forms. These grasses are known for their high yields and strong nutritional profiles, making them suitable for many types of horses. Although ryegrass can...
Treats play a meaningful role in strengthening the bond between caregivers and their horses, offering a way to reinforce trust and encourage positive behavior. They can also serve as an effective tool in equine training, as using treats in training...
First cutting hay is traditionally harvested in the spring and tends to be coarse and high in fiber. This is because the plants have had more time to mature, resulting in a higher concentration of structural carbohydrates. First-cutting hay is...
Orchardgrass is a cool-season perennial grass widely grown in temperate regions and commonly used as forage for horses. It thrives in well-drained soils and moderate climates, producing dense, leafy growth that is typically quite palatable to horses. On average, orchardgrass...
Emerging equine research is the cornerstone of expanding our understanding of equine health, nutrition, management, and performance. This growing body of research provides valuable insights for veterinarians, equine professionals, and researchers seeking to apply evidence-based approaches in both clinical and...
Protein is an essential nutrient for horses and a key component of the equine diet. Adequate protein is required for supplying the amino acids needed to build and maintain muscle, vital organs, bones, hooves and other tissues. A horse's protein...
Horses are muscular animals, with a high proportion of muscle mass relative to their body weight. This impressive musculature has been shaped through centuries of selective breeding for athletic traits, including speed and strength, that enable horses to excel in...
Manganese is an essential trace mineral involved in multiple physiological processes within a horse’s body. It is an important component of antioxidant enzymes and plays key roles in skeletal, muscular, and nervous system health. Because of its importance, certain groups...
Understanding your horse's energy requirement is important for formulating a balanced diet that supports athletic performance, weight maintenance and overall function. Horses, like all animals, rely on energy from their diet to fuel their everyday activities. Energy is required for...
If you own a horse with metabolic health issues, you are likely familiar with the risks associated with lush pasture grasses. Excess sugar intake from grazing green pasture can trigger abnormal insulin responses in metabolic horses, increasing their risk of...
High performance horses are no different than the world's top human athletes. Like professional soccer players or Olympic swimmers, elite equine athletes need to be extremely fit to consistently perform strenuous physical activity and compete at the top of their...
The horse's natural diet consists of fiber-rich forages, which are relatively low in fat. However, fat supplementation has become increasingly popular for various types of horses, from athletes needing extra energy to metabolic horses who benefit from low-starch diets. Adding...
Every 2 years, equine professionals gather at the Equine Science Society (ESS), an international meeting, to share new research and exchange ideas. The first ESS meeting was held in 1960 and included a group of 27 equine nutritionists and physiologists...
Assessing a horse's nutritional status is critical for maintaining health and performance. Identifying and correcting vitamin and mineral deficiencies can help prevent a range of health issues, from poor coat condition and hoof quality to more serious problems like immune...
Corn is an economical energy source found in many complete feeds for horses. Corn is also sometimes fed as a standalone concentrate for horses that need additional calories in their […]
Sunflower oil is a vegetable oil extracted from seeds of the sunflower plant (Helianthus annuus). It is high in unsaturated fats, primarily omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids. In horse diets, sunflower oil is often used to provide additional calories to...
Forage-based diets can be implemented for many horses to support optimal weight maintenance, and digestive and metabolic function. These diets work with your horse’s gastrointestinal physiology to support their health. Pasture, hay, and processed forage can be used alone or...
Promoting healthy weight gain can be a challenge for some underweight horses. Whether they are recovering from illness, not eating enough, or simply a hard keeper, some horses need extra nutritional support to counteract unwanted weight loss. The main goal...
Iron is a trace mineral that is required in the horse’s diet. Iron is involved in many bodily processes, including transporting oxygen in the blood and producing energy in cells. Supplementation with this mineral is usually not recommended because it...
The horse's digestive system is both large and sensitive. It has evolved over millennia to absorb nutrients from grazing pastures and meet the unique energy needs of a free-roaming, incredibly athletic animal. As the horse evolved on the Steppes of...
Fiber is one of the most important components in the equine diet, providing up to 70% of a horse’s energy needs. Fiber in equines diets predominantly originates from forages such as hay and pasture grass. Fiber can also be obtained...
Forage should constitute the bulk of your horse's diet, but not all of it needs to be provided as long-stemmed forages like baled hay. Forage cubes and pellets are other options that may be beneficial for horses in different management...
Psyllium is a rich source of soluble fiber that can be incorporated into equine diets. Soluble fiber remains undigested by enzymes in the stomach (gastric juices), but passes into the hindgut where it may be partially digested by microbes. Psyllium...
Oxalates are naturally occurring compounds that bind calcium in the equine diet, preventing absorption of this mineral from the horse’s gut. When horses consume plants with high levels of these […]
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