Recent News for Special Needs Nutrition

Article

Fetal Development and Foal Growth

January 01, 1999

Foals born to mares which do not receive proper nourishment during gestation could be born weak and be susceptible to more health problems than the foal born of a well-fed mare. ... 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

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

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

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

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

Article

Endophyte-Infested Fescue: Hidden Dangers

March 01, 1997

Horse breeders noticed that they were having foaling problems with some mares which were grazing fescue grass or being fed fescue hay. Cattle producers reported that steers on fescue pastures or being fed fescue hay appeared to be unthrifty and that ... Read More

Article

Your Aging Horse is Only as Old as He Feels

February 01, 1997

So, rather than gauging a horse's age by years, Ralston recommends horse owners base an animal's retirement and/or health care management on the horse's physical fitness.... Read More

Article

Prepping Stallions

February 01, 1996

It's getting close to the breeding season. What are some tips on getting my stallion, my crew, and myself ready for the onslaught? How you get a stallion ready for the breeding season depends on many things, but basically you... Read More