Recent News for Nutrition Basics
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
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
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
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
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 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
Article
Electrolytes and Endurance Horses
November 01, 1997
Not all horses are alike in their needs for electrolyte replacement after strenuous exertion. Some deplete the... Read More
Article
Buying and Storing Feeds
October 01, 1997
Feed is a major expenditure for any horse owner, and we all want it to be money well spent--both in terms of nutrition and quality. Getting the best value often means buying and storing feed in bulk. But unless that's done properly, you might... Read More
Article
Pelleted Feeds: Packaged Nutrition
October 01, 1997
They look like rabbit food, and the technology that made those bunny pellets a complete diet now is used regularly to make feeds for horses. Granted, pelleted feeds don't usually exude the tempting aroma that most molasses-laced... Read More
Article
Fluids and Electrolytes: Life's Curious Brew
August 01, 1997
Encouraging water consumption is extremely important. This often starts by making sure your horses have free access to a good, clean water source.... Read More
Article
Hay, Look Me Over
August 01, 1997
Performing a hay analysis whenever you get a shipment of hay is an excellent management routine, especially since the results can have a significant impact on the grains and supplements you choose to feed.... Read More
Article
Feeding Fat for Energy and Performance
July 01, 1997
If there wasa nutritional buzzword that was started in the '90s, it was fat. We fitness-conscious (and frequently overweight) North Americans still might not fully understand the differences between "good" cholesterol and "bad" cholesterol... Read More
Article
Focus: Physitis
April 01, 1997
Developmental orthopedic disease (DOD) remains one of the top concerns of breeders worldwide. Not one condition, but rather a series of related syndromes, DOD encompasses anything that contributes to poor skeletal development in foals: angular... Read More
