Recent News for Nutrition

Article

Frozen Pipes...Are You Prepared For Winter?

November 13, 1998

On February 5, 1996, Freddie and Erica Chalmers of South Carolina went off to work as they would any other day. However, this would be no ordinary day for the Chalmerses. When they returned home that evening, their home had... Read More

Article

Endurance Riding: A Humane Use of the Equine Athlete

November 01, 1998

The growing interest in endurance riding has encouraged participants with different levels of prior horse experience to become involved with the sport. However, if equine athletes are asked to perform over distances for which they have not been appro... Read More

Article

Strategies for Keeping Weight On Horses

October 01, 1998

A skinny horse is not a pretty sight. With ribs protruding, and hip bones threatening to serve as a hat rack for the next passerby, he gives an immediate impression of ill health... and it's no illusion. A too-thin equine is one who has no energ... Read More

Article

Feeding The Geriatric Horse

October 01, 1998

Rusty's been your faithful companion for many years, and he never seemed to show any signs of getting older...until this past winter, that is. One morning, you looked at him and noticed that he had dropped some weight, and that he didn't... Read More

Article

Traveling With Older Horses

October 01, 1998

Traveling cross-country with a horse can be an ordeal under the best of circumstances. Add in the geriatric factor, and the potential for problems is immediately compounded. The aging process takes a toll on all horses, and with that wa... Read More

Article

Older Horses at Work

October 01, 1998

The aging process takes its toll on all working horses, but the rate of attrition can vary significantly. In this, horses are similar to humans. We all have met the person who is barely past middle age and because of mental, emotional, or physical... Read More

Article

The Aging Equine

October 01, 1998

The average lifespan of a horse is said to be about 24 years; but as with humans, a horse's chronological age isn't always a good indicator of how old he really is. Some horses still are active at the age of 35, while others suffer significant signs ... Read More

Article

Panic Or Procrastinate? What To Do if Your Horse Has Eaten a Poisonous Plant

September 01, 1998

You provide plenty of good quality feed, water, and turnout--do you still have to worry about your horse's getting sick from eating a poisonous plant? While common sense and good horse management are your horse's best protection... Read More

Article

Allergic Reactions in Horses

September 01, 1998

Allergic reactions are complicated and somewhat unpredictable events that are triggered by various environment... Read More

Article

Feeding the High-Octane Horse

August 01, 1998

But because forages are not high-energy feeds, the athletic horse's diet needs to be supplemented in order to provide enough energy for him to perform at peak capacity. Traditionally, this is done by feeding grains, which are rich in carbohydrates... Read More

Article

Rx: Responsible Drug Use

August 01, 1998

Tranquilizers can calm a nervous, first-time dam and allow her to accept her foal; anti-inflammatory drugs may... Read More

Article

Hay Alternatives

July 01, 1998

Although regular baled hay is the mainstay of equine diets across North America, it's sometimes more trouble than it's worth. Heavy to stack, bulky to store, prone to vitamin breakdown, and -- heaven forbid! -- also spontaneous combustion, not t... Read More

Article

Determining Conditioning

July 01, 1998

Among the animals we call "livestock," horses are unique because they are the only ones we regard as athletes. Unlike other animals that are bred for better milk production or tastier flesh, horses are bred for athletic performance, each type... Read More

Article

Sports Medicine Meeting

June 01, 1998

The 17th annual meeting of the Association for Equine Sports Medicine was held in Leesburg, Va., from March 5-8. The meeting was attended by 400 veterinarians, sports physiology researchers, as well as others interested in equin... Read More

Article

Summer Haircoat Tips

June 01, 1998

A guide to ensure your horse's hair coat stays healthy all summer long.... Read More

Article

The Fat Farm: Nutrition for the Overweight Horse

May 01, 1998

Is your mare looking a bit rotund lately? Does her gait have a waddling roll to it? Has her spine disappeared in a dimpled groove along her back? Has she outgrown her girth, her winter blanket, and the stall door? If she’s not due to foal, then... Read More

Article

Trailering Your Horse: The Movable Feast

April 01, 1998

Alas not only are horses dedicated herbivores but the average horse trailer doesn't fit that easily into a fast-food drive-thru. Other solutions must be sought. If you travel with your horse in tow whether it's to the local Sunday morning gymkhana... Read More

Article

Warming Up In Winter

February 01, 1998

Before the summer Olympic Games were held in Atlanta, Ga., considerable research effort went into studying how the horse is affected by heat and humidity. As a result of this research, veterinarians at the Olympics were well prepared to help the... Read More

Article

Vitamins: Diet Fundamentals

February 01, 1998

Vitamins: tiny organic compounds that have a huge impact on the health and well-being of your horse. Sometimes gleaned from the diet, sometimes manufactured within the digestive tract, vitamins have the power to promote and regulate virtually... Read More

Article

Sub-Fertile Mares

February 01, 1998

A broodmare which fails to conceive or carry a foal to term can be an emotional and financial liability. For the backyard breeder, the liability might be primarily emotional, when that special mare you wanted to produce your next trail horse or... Read More

Article

Fiber Facts

December 01, 1997

Grazing is a full-time job for horses. Given their druthers, they'd graze for 12 hours or more every day, thei... Read More

Article

The Orphan Foal

December 01, 1997

The birth of a long-awaited foal is an occasion to celebrate. All of the planning, breeding dates, pregnancy c... Read More

Article

Thrush and Advice for the Hoof-sore

November 01, 1997

What is the relationship between chronic, severe thrush and my horse's contracted heels?... Read More

Article

The Power of Protein

November 01, 1997

Of all the components of your horse's diet, protein is probably the most misunderstood. Long assumed to be an energy source, protein actually has quite a different function--it provides amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of bones,... Read More

Article

Bone Cysts

November 01, 1997

The first thing to address in this story is that most "bone cysts" are not typically "cysts," by strict definition. The medical dictionary definition of a "cyst" is, "a structure lined with epithelium (a special cell type) and... Read More