The Basic Care and Management of the Older Senior Horse
The Basic Care and Management What is considered old? Some older animals that are sound and still being ridden will seem younger than a horse retired and turned out, or one that has some injury or arthritic condition or metabolic disorder. These signs, in conjunction with having reached the later teenage years; will help define […]
How Much Feed and What to Feed Your Horse
The Basic Amounts of Food a Horse Needs Everyday So, to start with let’s take an average horse of around 16.1hh and in light to moderate work they will need to eat 1.5-2% of its bodyweight in food intake each day. At least half of that should be in grass or hay. So our average […]
Grass and Pasture in New Zealand – The What, Why, How of Grazing and Grass Related Issues for Horses
Maintaining Grazing Paddocks for Horses New Zealand is the land of green pastures with many different grasses and plants growing in them. In the main, grass is the best fodder for a horse, it is natural and balanced with fibre, carbohydrates, fats and protein, some minerals and most vitamins. However, some grasses are better than others and […]
Vitamin B1 – Thiamine. What – Why – How
What is Thiamine -B1 to a Horse? Thiamine is a water-soluble vitamin and one of the group of B complex vitamins, it is also called vitamin B1. The horse can synthesise some B1 in the hindgut, it also needs to source mainly from fresh green pasture and rice bran. In many instances this fresh pasture […]
Care of the Orphan Foal
It is tragic when the mare dies during or soon after foaling. However with veterinary assistance and good care it is possible to successfully raise an orphan foal. Here are some notes that may be of assistance to you. First Needs Firstly clean and dry the foal and keep warm, cover if necessary from extreme […]
Preparation for Birth- Who gives the signal
Eleven months, eleven days have passed quickly. It didn’t seem long ago that the stud master had phoned to say that your mare had been served. Nor did it seem that long since you paid the vet’s bill for the 42 day pregnancy scan. The time had passed quickly alright; you had followed the check-list […]
What Supplements Do Your Horses Really Need Each Day
Your horses need a range of minerals but they must be in correct proportions. The actual quantities are important but so is the balance of the formula, more is not better, so the safe way to supplement is to use a correctly balanced formula from a reputable manufacturer, added to a balanced diet of Fibre, […]
Developing the Growth of the Young Horse Safely
Nutritional Support of the Young Horse The growth of young horses (particularly between weaning and two years old), has received much attention from the veterinary scientists and some clear results have come from this research. It is accepted that in growing horses, energy and protein are the most important factors in the diet. When horses […]
Feeding Fat – Oils and the Omega Balance
The Benefits of Fat in a Horse’s Diet Like all good horsemasters know, when feeding horses all aspects of their work, the type of horse, the basic pasture/forage availability, all need to be taken into account. There is no doubt that the addition of fat to the diet of a horse in work is accepted […]
Sixty Signs of a Healthy and Happy Horse
1. Body condition should be not too fat, nor too thin. A horse should display a well rounded rump, the ribs should be well covered but still easily felt and the neck should be firm with no crest. 2. A healthy horse should pass well formed manure without straining. Soft cow pat manure may indicate […]
The Thin Horse – How to Create Weight Gain
When your horse is thin there is more to think about than just increasing the feed. First of all it is so important to try and analyse why condition of the horse is too light and therefore if any one or more of the following aspects are an influence then fix those first before increasing […]
Nutrition for Brood Mares
When Grass is Never Enough and a Foal Needs a Good Start in Life What Does the Pregnant Mare Need? A foal needs a good nutritional start in life from three months before it is born! Without doubt, the most important period of a horse’s life is from birth through to two years of ages. […]
Energy – What, Where, How
A horse needs strength – stamina – muscular response – for a successful performance. Energy is a necessity for all of these elements of success, whatever equine sport the horse is involved in from amateur to professional, dressage to racing and all in-between. What is Energy? The respiratory, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems all work together […]
Selenium – What, Why, How
What is Selenium? Is it Good for a Horse or is it Toxic? Selenium is an essential trace mineral and like a lot of essential nutrients, a small amount does a lot of good but it doesn’t mean that more will do more good, in fact too much is actually toxic. Overdose of selenium causes […]
Calcium Supplementation – How this Relates to Oxalate Grasses
Normal Pasture Conditions Calcium, for a horse, is a very important mineral. Keeping a horse on good quality pasture, feeding lucerne chaff or fibre mix and not overfeeding grain means that you will be providing the daily calcium intake a resting horse needs in the correct ratio of other minerals. What is that intake? Well […]
Carbohydrates in Grass – Effects on Behaviour & Performance
The Processes of Grass that Create the Sugar Energy The primary source of feed for most horses is pasture. To understand the horse’s digestion of grass, we have to start with understanding what is happening in the grass. Grass grows by way of a process called photosynthesis and to do this it needs sunlight, warm […]
Equine Coughs Colds and Herpes
Dr Peter Gillespie. BVSc MACVS. Viral respiratory disease is the most common reasons for coughs and colds and for poor performance in competition horses in New Zealand. The early recognition of infections is important to ensure recovery is quick and uncomplicated. The following two articles entitled “The Truth About Herpes And Horses” and “The Coughing […]
Equine Allergies
So out of the blue your horse has developed some unusual reactions either on their skin – lumps or itchy areas, or their eyes and nose may have a clear discharge- they may cough or breathing may be noisy. These may be Allergy symptoms. Firstly it is important to assess that they are not the result […]
